To some politicians, the vice presidency is regarded as a lowly office. To others, it’s viewed as one of the best jobs in Washington. In fact, when he was vice president, Thomas Jefferson famously said: “The second office of this government is honorable and easy, the first is but a splendid misery.”
While the main purpose of the vice president is to serve as a “stand-by” president, the office does have a few other responsibilities. For example, the vice president acts as president of the Senate. Although this position is mostly ceremonial, it does come with one important job: In the event of tie, the vice president may cast the deciding vote on the Senate floor.
How often is this power used? Using data from Senate.gov, InsideGov set out to find which vice presidents cast the most deciding votes in the Senate. Of course, there are other factors that determine a vice president’s influence, but this list should provide a good sense of which VP’s were the most active in their role.
#25. Millard Fillmore
Tie-Breaking Votes: 3
To be fair, Fillmore didn’t serve as vice president for long. He took over the presidency when Zachary Taylor died after just a year in office.
#24. Daniel Tompkins
Tie-Breaking Votes: 3
The sixth vice president was largely overshadowed by President Monroe. Throughout his two terms in office, Tompkins was plagued by financial woes and eventually succumbed to alcoholism.
#23. Aaron Burr
Tie-Breaking Votes: 3
Who has time for Senate votes when you’re busy with secessionist conspiracies and duels? Indeed, Burr’s claim to fame in American history is for shooting and killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel — an act that occurred during Burr’s tenure as vice president.
#22. Thomas Jefferson
Tie-Breaking Votes: 3
Jefferson lost the 1796 presidential race to his rival John Adams and became his vice president. Unlike Adams, Jefferson assumed a more passive role in office, allowing the Senate to freely conduct itself.
#21. Al Gore
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
Al Gore cast the deciding vote to pass President Clinton’s sweeping budget plan in 1993. Gore would go on to be one of the most active vice presidents in U.S. history, advising Clinton on a number of key issues.
#20. Hubert Humphrey
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
Humphrey and President Johnson clashed repeatedly over the Vietnam War, with Humphrey opposing any escalation. When LBJ decided not to run for reelection in 1968, Humphrey received the Democratic nomination but lost the race to another former vice president: Richard Nixon.
#19. Henry Wallace
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
The second of three vice presidents to serve under Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace was disliked by more conservative Democrats. Roosevelt opted to replace Wallace with Harry Truman.
#18. James Sherman
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
Among conservatives, Sherman was a well-liked and respected vice president. In fact, Sherman was nicknamed “Sunny Jim” for his easygoing personality.
#17. Levi Morton
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
Morton was actually fired over his lack of action in the Senate. President Harrison blamed Morton for the failure of his Lodge Bill and replaced him with another candidate in the 1892 election.
#16. Martin Van Buren
Tie-Breaking Votes: 4
Although Van Buren only cast four tie-breaking votes, he was a particularly active vice president, championing the policies of President Andrew Jackson.
#15. William Wheeler
Tie-Breaking Votes: 6
Much like the president he served under, Wheeler was a mostly inconsequential actor in American history.
#14. Elbridge Gerry
Tie-Breaking Votes: 6
During his short time as vice president — he served for less than two years — Elbridge Gerry cast the deciding vote for several critical bills.
#13. George H. W. Bush
Tie-Breaking Votes: 7
In addition to his seven tie-breaking votes, Bush Sr. played an important role in shaping the Reagan administration’s foreign policy, especially during the fall of the Soviet Union. Bush would use his popularity as vice president to win the presidency.
#12. Hannibal Hamlin
Tie-Breaking Votes: 7
Abraham Lincoln’s first vice president was a dud. Even Hamlin himself noted that he was “the most unimportant man in Washington.” Unsurprisingly, Lincoln replaced him for his second term.
#11. Dick Cheney
Tie-Breaking Votes: 8
Cheney’s placement on this list overlooks his significant influence outside of the Senate. Cheney was one of the most involved vice presidents in U.S. history, playing an especially important role in the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq.
#10. Richard Nixon
Tie-Breaking Votes: 8
Richard Nixon was almost forced to resign as Eisenhower’s running mate due to allegations that he was using campaign contributions to fund lavish expenses. However, “Tricky Dick” managed to save his candidacy with his infamous “Checkers speech.”
#9. Alben Barkley
Tie-Breaking Votes: 8
Barkley was 71 years old when he was inaugurated, making him the oldest vice president in U.S. history. As a seasoned statesman, Barkley was given substantial responsibility as vice president.
#8. Thomas Marshall
Tie-Breaking Votes: 8
Thomas Marshall and Woodrow Wilson had one of the most strained relationships of any president and vice president duo. Besides personality differences with Wilson, Marshall frequently complained about the insignificance of his office.
#7. John Breckinridge
Tie-Breaking Votes: 9
Breckinridge was only 36 when he was voted into office, the youngest vice president in history. However, Breckinridge’s real claim to fame is being the only U.S. senator officially convicted of treason against the U.S. — a sentence he received for joining the Confederate Army.
#6. George Clinton
Tie-Breaking Votes: 12
One of the lesser-known Founding Fathers, Clinton served as vice president under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
#5. Schuyler Colfax
Tie-Breaking Votes: 17
Colfax was mired in the Credit Mobilier scandal that rocked the Grant administration. He only served one term before being replaced by Senator Henry Wilson.
#4. Richard Johnson
Tie-Breaking Votes: 17
Although active in the Senate, Johnson was largely a disaster as vice president. Described by an aide as being “the most vulgar man of all vulgar men,” Johnson was dropped from the party ticket after Van Buren’s fist term.
#3. George Dallas
Tie-Breaking Votes: 19
When Dallas cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the controversial Walker Tariff, he effectively destroyed his support in his home state of Pennsylvania. While his vote ruined his popularity at home, Dallas argued that he was acting on behalf of the entire country, not a single state.
#2. John C. Calhoun
Tie-Breaking Votes: 28
To say that Calhoun had a strained relationship with Andrew Jackson would be an understatement; at one point, Jackson threatened to personally hang Calhoun.
It came as no surprise then when Calhoun decided to resign from Jackson’s administration and return to the Senate. Nonetheless, Calhoun proved to be one of the most influential vice presidents in history.
#1. John Adams
Tie-Breaking Votes: 29
The first vice president in U.S. history was also one of the busiest. In fact, Adams said of the office: “I am vice president. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.” True to his word, Adams used his constitutional powers to the fullest and left a senate record that is still unmatched.
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