Amendment, Twenty-Fifth

Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1967, that specifies procedures for the succession of the president and vice-president if one of them should leave office before the end of their term. It also establishes procedures if the president should become disabled.

The amendment states that the vice-president succeeds the president if the latter were to die or resign during their term. The vice-president also becomes acting president if the president becomes unable to fulfil his or her duties. If the office of vice-president becomes vacant, the president nominates a new vice-president, who must be confirmed by a majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

In 1973 Gerald Ford became the first vice-president to serve under the new amendment. President Richard Nixon nominated him after the resignation of Spiro Agnew. Ford went on to become president after Nixon resigned. Before the passage of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, the office of vice-president would remain vacant until the next election. The disability section was included to avoid a power vacuum if the president should become incapacitated in some way. Vice-president George Bush became the first acting president under this amendment when he stood in for President Ronald Reagan on 13 July 1985, when Reagan was having surgery.