Category - The Forgotten Seconds

Early Family Roots in New York and England Daniel D. Tompkins was born on June 21, 1774, in the town of Scarsdale in Westchester County, New York. He came into a world still under British rule, just...

Before the White House, before political parties fully took shape, and before America had even decided how it wanted to govern itself, there was George Clinton. He didn’t wear a powdered wig for...

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was born into wealth so vast that most Americans in the early 20th century couldn’t comprehend it. Born on July 8, 1908, in Bar Harbor, Maine, his life began with a silver...

Spiro Theodore Agnew, the 39th vice president of the United States, was born on November 9, 1918, in Baltimore, Maryland. His name, though Americanized, hints at his family’s rich ethnic...

Our ongoing series, The Forgotten Seconds, explores the lives and legacies of vice presidents who never reached the presidency. These individuals played crucial roles in shaping American history, yet...

Charles Gates Dawes, the 30th vice president of the United States, was a man of remarkable versatility. A banker, diplomat, military general, composer, and Nobel Prize laureate, Dawes led a life...

The office of vice president has often been overshadowed by the presidency, yet throughout history, some vice presidents have left a profound mark on the nation—despite never reaching the highest...

John C. Calhoun is one of the most complex figures in American history. Serving as vice president under two different presidents and leaving an enduring mark on the nation’s political landscape, he...

Elbridge Gerry is often remembered for the term gerrymandering, a practice in electoral politics that still influences elections today. However, his legacy extends far beyond that. Gerry was a key...

Throughout American history, the vice presidency has often been a stepping stone to the highest office in the land. Some vice presidents successfully ascended to the presidency through election or...