Sept. 15, 2024
VPOTUS 004.5 - William H Crawford (President Pro Tempore)
Tenure of Office: April 24, 1812 - March 3, 1813
What happens when a Vice President dies? Prior to the 25th Amendment, that meant that a President Pro Tempore (or "for the time being") was chosen to preside over the Senate until the next election. After the death of George Clinton in 1812, the person chosen for that position was William H Crawford of Georgia. Join us as we learn more about what it meant to be President Pro Tempore at the time and what Crawford did during his tenure. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.
Sources used for this episode:
- “About the President Pro Tempore.” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/president-pro-tempore.htm [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
- “About the President Pro Tempore | Presidents Pro Tempore.” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/president-pro-tempore/presidents-pro-tempore.htm [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
- “ArtI.S3.C5.1 Senate Officers.” Constitution Annotated. United States Congress. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S3-C5-1/ALDE_00001112/ [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
- “Chap. VIII.—An Act relative to the Election of a President and Vice President of the United States, and declaring the Officer who shall act as President in case of Vacancies in the offices both of President and Vice President.” United States Statutes at Large, Volume I. United States Congress. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_Statutes_at_Large/Volume_1/2nd_Congress/1st_Session/Chapter_8. [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
- “Crawford, William Harris 1772-1834.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/C000895. [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
- Mooney, Chase C. William H. Crawford: 1772-1834. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
- “Presidential Succession Act.” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/president-pro-tempore/presidential-succession-act.htm [Last Accessed: 14 Sep 2024]
Featured Image: "Engraved BEP portrait of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford," courtesy of Wikipedia
