America’s Worst Vice President

Richard M. Johnson: America’s Worst Vice President

“Rumpsey Dumpsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson Killed Tecumseh”

Until modern times, the Vice-Presidency has generally been pretty obscure. FDR’s first Vice President, crusty Texas conservative John Nance Garner, famously said the position “isn’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.” Interestingly, he didn’t use the word ‘spit.’ The newspapers cleaned it up! The final word he used was actually a four-letter euphemism for urine!

Although technically, the Vice President is the second highest official in the USA, the Constitution established almost no responsibilities or powers for the office. Other than breaking ties in the Senate, the Vice President has no control or influence unless the President chooses to confer it on them.

So, how could you assess the worst VP in an office such non-entities have inhabited as Daniel D. Tompkins, Hannibal Hamlin, Charles G. Dawes, and Thomas Hendricks? We had a criminal in Spiro Agnew, and a killer, Aaron Burr, in the position. Yet,  I think a good argument could be made for Richard Johnson.

Who Was Vice President Richard Johnson?

Richard Mentor Johnson may be America’s worst Vice President. He served under President Martin Van Buren (1836-40). Johnson had a decades-long career in government, serving in the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Kentucky legislature.

As a military leader in the War of 1812, he gained fame by publicizing his dubious claim that he personally killed the great Native American leader Tecumseh. That questionable claim led to the campaign slogan listed above and elevated him for consideration as Vice President.

Why Was He Controversial?

Johnson’s was always surrounded by controversy. He engaged in numerous projects in which he steered government money into projects that enriched himself and his family. During the War of 1812, he led his men out of their way to needlessly and brutally burn Potawatomi villages, thus slaughtering many innocent Native Americans.

Most notoriously, Johnson ‘married’ a woman he held in slavery! He fathered two children with her, but never emancipated her. She was his ‘wife’ and his slave. Johnson never provided for their children in his will. After her death, he ‘married’ another woman he ‘owned’ but never freed. He continued to run for office, including the presidency, but the controversy dogged him.

The Worst Vice President

Johnson was so disliked that even some of his own party’s electors refused to vote for him! For the only time in our history, the Senate had to select the Vice President! Johnson managed to eke by. Although he broke several ties in the Senate, he had no relationship or influence with the President or the administration. When a gruesome economic recession, ‘The Panic of 1837,’ hit, Johnson decided on a bold course of action. It was this choice that marked him as the worst Vice President.

What Did He Do?

He left. Richard Johnson walked away from the job without notifying President Van Buren or the Senate! He abandoned his office, left Washington, and went back to Kentucky.

Why? To make money. Instead of presiding over the Senate, Richard Johnson opened a bar. With the country in the middle of a gigantic crisis, its Vice President busied himself running a saloon in Kentucky! While it is doubtful that anyone in Washington much missed him, Johnson tried to make more money as his mental and physical health deteriorated.

The Democrats renominated President Van Buren but refused to name Johnson – or anyone as his running mate!! William Henry Harrison beat Van Buren. As Harrison took office, Johnson slowly lost his mental health and what little was left of his reputation.

Two modern notes:

Recent polls have named Dick Cheney (2008 – 2008) America’s worst Vice-President. Cheney was undoubtedly one of the most impactful people to hold office. His negative reputation would be the polar opposite of Richard Johnson’s ranking. Johnson did nothing and walked away from the job. Cheney was one of the most influential advisors to President George W. Bush. It is his policy decisions that cause many to condemn him.

Who Was Actually The Worst Vice President?

Although Johnson was terrible, choosing the worst vice president would come down to a coin flip between Aaron Burr, who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, while still serving as vice president of the United States, and Spiro Agnew, who resigned from office after the special prosecutor found that he had been accepting bribes while serving as vice president!