The Presidential Line of Succession

A Descriptive and Historical Overview

Photo Credit: thehistoryjunkie.com

Issue #402 American History October 31, 2023

Last week, the Republican-led House of Representatives finally elected a new Speaker of the House. On October 3, the House vacated the Speakership of Kevin McCarthy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, who was elected just last January after 15 rounds of voting.

The new Speaker of the House is Mike Johnson (R-LA), who is a strong MAGA member who helped to try to overturn the 2020 election, signed onto a brief to disqualify the electoral votes in battleground states, and believes that America is a "Christian nation" (it is not, check the 1st Amendment) and that everyone should adhere to his extreme religious views.

The office of the Speaker of the House was established in 1789 by Article I, Section II, of the U.S. Constitution, and is 2nd in line for the presidency after the vice president.

Because of several concerns about the new speaker, it is important to revisit the history of the presidential line of succession.