Accidental Presidents

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

   PDF

2. Succession and Democratic Theory

   1. Succession and Democratic Theory

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 1-19

3. Independent Strategies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21

      PDF

   2. John Tyler “I can never consent to being dictated to”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 23-37

   3. Millard Fillmore “God save us from Whig Vice Presidents”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 39-55

   4. Andrew Johnson “I care not about my dignity”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 57-72

   5. Theodore Roosevelt “There’s only one life between that madman and the presidency”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 73-90

4. Homage Strategies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 91-91

      PDF

   2. Chester A. Arthur “He isn’t Chet anymore, he’s the president”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 93-108

   3. Harry S. Truman “I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 109-129

   4. Lyndon Baines Johnson “For millions of Americans I was still illegitimate, a naked man with no presidential covering, a pretender to the throne, an illegal usurper”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 131-152

5. Minimalist Strategies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 153-153

      PDF

   2. Calvin Coolidge “I thought I could swing it”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 155-170

   3. Gerald Ford “I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President”

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 171-190

   4. Conclusion: Refounding Succession

      • Philip Abbott

      Pages 191-206

6. Back Matter

   Pages 207-233

   PDF

Accidental presidents, those who assume office as a result of death, assassination or resignation, struggle to establish their legitimacy. This book examines and evaluates the strategies of nine accidental presidents, from John Tyler to Gerald Ford, to demonstrate authority and their capacity to govern.

• Andrew Johnson
• Calvin Coolidge
• Chester A. Arthur
• Gerald Ford
• Harry S. Truman
• John Tyler
• Millard Fillmore
• Theodore Roosevelt
• us politics

"Philip Abbott has written an important book on a neglected topic. Scholars of the American presidency will want to read this work, but so, too, will informed citizens. Everyone interested in the behind-the-scene realities of how our accidental presidents came to power will profit from reading this book." - Martin J. Medhurst, Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication, Baylor University

"Philip Abbott is one of the most insightful scholars of the presidency working today. In Accidental Presidents, Abbott explores the peculiar difficulties that accidental presidents, those who come to office by the death or resignation of their elected predecessor, have in establishing their legitimacy and authority. Abbott shows that while some accidental presidents succeed better than others, their political path is invariably steep and rocky." - Cal Jillson, Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University

"This thoughtful treatise details the circumstances that led each [accidental president] to choose an approach and examines the strategy s success or failure. Summing Up: Recommended. Most levels/libraries." - Choice

PHILIP R. ABBOTT is Distinguished University Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Policies and ethics