Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America

Accidental Presidents examines eight vice presidents who became president through succession after the incumbent's death in office. Each of these men significantly altered American history and the nation's trajectory. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison, who died 30 days into his term. Tyler was expelled from his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore took office after Zachary Taylor's death and dismissed his entire cabinet, using Henry Clay's compromise of 1850 to delay the Civil War. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln, sided with Confederate remnants during Reconstruction. Chester Arthur, long associated with the spoils system, faced accusations of involvement in James Garfield's assassination but ultimately reformed the civil service. Theodore Roosevelt dissolved trusts and was the only accidental president who would have been elected in his own right. Calvin Coolidge managed the fallout from the Harding scandals. Harry Truman succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt and proved an effective president. Lyndon B. Johnson, selected to secure Texas electorally, advanced Civil Rights legislation but faced failure in Vietnam. The book explores how the strength and prestige of the American presidency has fluctuated throughout history and demonstrates the power and limits of the presidency during critical periods.