NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/alt/fan/danquay/7002

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-19 | 5.5 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!infoserv!infoserv.com!erics
From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Smith)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.dan-quayle
Subject: Re: Have some respect
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 14:46:21 PDT
Organization: Reigning Cats and Dogs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
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[e-mail] (sine nomine) writes:

> Edward J. Branley ([e-mail]) wrote:
>
> : Danoe is history, and will most likely never hold another national
> : office.

> i've been wondering about this. people seem to be assuming that dan'll
> just hop right back into elective office, but it doesn't seem like too
> many ex-veep's have done that (i haven't researched it; does anyone
> have any stats about what vice-presidents generally *do* when they
> have to leave office?). once you've held the second-highest office in
> the land (well, in theory it is), can you really go back to a lesser
> office without losing face? assuming you have any left to lose, that is.

Of the 43 men who have been vice president before Quayle, seven died
in office and fourteen went on to become president. Most of the other
twenty-two simply retired to private life following their terms as V.P.,
but some had rather colorful post-veep careers. Here's a sampling of
some of them:

Aaron Burr - charged with murder in New York and New Jersey for killing
Alexander Hamilton in a duel *while* vice president, he remained in
Washington during his term, where he could not be extradited. After
his term ended he was charged with treason for attempting to foment
a revolution that would have separated the southwestern territories
from the U.S. He was acquitted.

Daniel D. Tompkins - an alcoholic who was often too drunk to preside
over the Senate, he died penniless a year after his term ended.

John C. Calhoun - actually resigned from the vice presidency to return
to the Senate in 1832. He served as Secretary of State in 1844-45, then
returned once more to the Senate until his death in 1850.

Richard M. Johnson - probably the most scandalous veep, he was widely
rumored to have sired children with several of his slave women. Ten
years after leaving the office of V.P. he was re-elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives shortly before his death, but was unable to
take his seat due to "dementia".

James C. Breckinridge - Became a Senator after serving as V.P. and losing
the 1860 presidential election. Later he left the Senate to become a
Confederate general and eventually Secretary of War of the Confederacy.

Hannibal Hamlin - Four years after leaving the vice presidency he was
elected to the Senate, where he served for thirteen years. He then spent
eighteen months as Minister to Spain, traveling in Europe and sending
the bills to the government.

Levi P. Morton - After being refused renomination as veep after angering
high-ranking Republicans, Morton served one term as Governor of New
York.

Adlai E. Stevenson - After serving one term as Cleveland's veep, he
ran for the vice-presidency again, with William Jennings Bryan. He lost.

Charles Fairbanks - Veep under Teddy Roosevelt, he also ran for the
vice-presidency again, with Charles Evans Hughes. He lost too, but he
gave his name to an Alaska city.

Henry Wallace - probably the veep with the most leftist political leanings
of any to hold the office, he was FDR's number two man for one term
but was maneuvered out of the office by high-ranking Democrats. He went
on to serve as Secretary of Commerce in FDR's and Truman's administrations.
He then formed the Progressive Party and ran for president in 1948.
He lost big.

Alben Barkley - As veep, the 71 year-old Barkley married his 38 year-old
sweetheart. He was elected to the Senate two years after leaving the
vice-presidency, and died two years later.

Hubert Humphrey - elected to the Senate two years after leaving the
vice presidency, he served until his death eight years later.

Spiro Agnew - disgraced after pleading nolo contendere to income tax
evasion, he resigned the vice presidency in disgrace. He later became
an "international consultant". Among other things, he served as middleman
for the sale of $181 million worth of military uniforms from Romanian
dictator Nicolae Ceasescu to Saddam Hussein.

Nelson Rockefeller - retired from politics, and died, two years after
leaving the vice presidency, of a heart attack in the comapny of a 25
year-old blond assistant.

And it should be mentioned that Richard Nixon, the only veep elected
president subsequent to leaving the vice presidency, lost a race for
Governor of California two years after leaving the office of V.P.

For all this, and much more information on our nation's number two men
(including one veep who is widely believed to have been homosexual and
may have had an affair with one of our nation's presidents), I heartily
recommend the book _Bland Ambition_ by Steve Tally.

Also, there have been a few presidents who have had political careers
after leaving office. Among them:

John Quincy Adams - two years after being defeated for a second term
he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served
until his death eighteen years later.

Andrew Johnson - the only president to have been impeached, although
not convicted, he was elected to the Senate six years after leaving
office. He died shortly thereafter.

William Howard Taft - appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court nine
years after being defeated for a second term. He served until his death
nine years later.

-----
Eric Smith
[e-mail]
CI$: 70262,3610