On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon (a Republican) was forced to resign amid the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency, leaving the office of vice president vacant. Under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress, which were controlled by the Democrats.
On August 20, 1974, Ford announced his nomination of former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to fill the vacancy. Ford also considered picking Tennessee Senator Howard Baker and then-U.S. Liaison Chief to China George H. W. Bush. Rockefeller was generally considered to be a liberal Republican, and Ford decided that picking Rockefeller would help his candidacy gain support in the 1976 presidential election. Rockefeller's nomination dismayed many conservatives; many conservative Democrats and Republicans opposed the nomination. This was especially true among members of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, some House opponents were liberal Democrats who looked askance at some minor improprieties disclosed during Rockefeller's confirmation hearings and whose partisanship had been hardened due to the leftover effects from the political and psychological trauma of Watergate.
The confirmation hearings for Rockefeller lasted for months, but Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States on December 19, 1974. Due to the pressure on Ford by the party hardliners, Rockefeller was ultimately passed over for the 1976 ticket, and Ford instead chose Kansas Senator Bob Dole as his running mate. Ford, however, regretted this move later.
Confirmation votes By a vote of 90 to 7 on December 10, 1974, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Nelson Rockefeller. Among those opposing and voting against Rockefeller's confirmation were 3 conservative Republicans: Barry Goldwater, Jesse Helms, and William L. Scott. The following week, on December 19, the House of Representatives gave its approval, 287 to 128.
Party Total votes Democratic Republican Conservative Independent Yes 52 36 1 1 90() No 4 3 0 0 7() Roll call vote on the nomination Senator Party State Vote South Dakota Nay Vermont Yea Alabama Yea Tennessee Yea Oklahoma Yea Indiana Nay Maryland Yea Oklahoma No vote Utah Yea Texas Yea Nevada Yea Delaware Yea Tennessee Yea Massachusetts Yea New York Yea North Dakota Yea Virginia Yea West Virginia Yea Nevada Yea New Jersey Yea Florida Yea Idaho Yea Iowa Yea Kentucky Yea New Hampshire Yea California Yea Nebraska Yea Kansas Yea New Mexico Yea Colorado Present Missouri Yea Mississippi Yea North Carolina Yea Arizona Yea Hawaii Yea Arkansas Yea Arizona Nay Alaska Yea Michigan Yea Florida Yea Wyoming Yea Michigan Yea Indiana Yea Colorado Yea Oregon Yea Maine Yea North Carolina Nay South Carolina Yea Nebraska Yea Kentucky Yea Iowa Yea Minnesota Yea Hawaii Yea Washington Yea New York Yea Louisiana Yea Massachusetts Yea Louisiana Yea Washington Yea Montana No vote Maryland Yea Arkansas Yea Idaho Yea Wyoming Yea South Dakota Yea New Hampshire Yea Montana Yea Ohio Nay Minnesota Yea New Mexico Yea Utah Yea Maine Yea Wisconsin Nay Georgia Yea Oregon Yea Rhode Island Yea Kansas Yea Rhode Island Yea Illinois Yea Wisconsin Yea West Virginia Yea Connecticut Yea Delaware Yea Pennsylvania Yea Pennsylvania Yea Virginia Nay Alabama Yea Vermont Yea Mississippi Yea Alaska Yea Illinois Yea Missouri Yea Ohio Yea Georgia Yea South Carolina Yea Texas Yea California Yea Connecticut Yea New Jersey Yea North Dakota Yea
Party Total votes Democratic Republican Yes 134 153 287() No 98 30 128()
See also Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution 1973 United States vice presidential confirmation
References
External links Nelson Rockefeller Confirmation Hearings transcript, Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Rockefeller's Opening Statement to Senate Rules Committee, YouTube.
Nelson Rockefeller papers, 1908-1996 This collection held at the Rockefeller Archive Center comprehensively documents Nelson A. Rockefeller's life and career, including his family life, his political activities, his philanthropic activities, and his public service. Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1908-1979, About the Rockefellers, Rockefeller Archive Center