Whose Vice-President Was He? Trivia Quiz

Answer: James Madison

Elbridge Thomas Gerry was born on July 17, 1744 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. His father was a merchant and his mother was the daughter of a merchant. He was the third child of 11 siblings, of which only five survived to adulthood. He was accepted to Harvard University at 13 years old and received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree before joining his father's merchant business. Gerry began his political career at 28 by being elected to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay. He was elected to the first Continental Congress in 1774.

Gerry's life as a merchant paid off during the beginning of the American Revolution as he was able to store and supply the Continental Army with munition and other supplies. Disparate to other merchants of the time, Gerry did not profit from his supply to the war effort. He was adamantly opposed to such practice.

Gerry again served in the Second Continental Congress from 1776-1780. He was also influential in helping to get delegates to support the Declaration of Independence. He had a major role in the Constitutional Convention in 1787, in Philadelphia. He went on to serve in the House of Representatives for Massachusetts third district from 1789-1793. Gerry was a part of the XYZ Affair. Gerry, Charles Pinckney, and John Marshall were selected as commissioners to go to France after the ratification of the Jay Treaty in 1796. Tensions had risen between the two nations and they were sent to calm them. French agents attempted to bribe them and eventually two went back to the US except Gerry who stayed behind to calm tensions with Charles Talleyrand. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering accused Gerry of siding with the French; and the press on the issue damaged Gerry's repututation and effigy's were burned in front of his home. He was later vindicated by Talleyrand when their correspondence was published.

He became the ninth Governor of Massachusetts in 1810 and served one term. He went on to become the fifth Vice President of the United States under President James Madison. He died halfway through his term on November 23, 1814 in Washington D.C., He was married to Ann Thompson Gerry, and they had 11 children together.

Answer: Martin Van Buren

Richard Mentor Johnson was born on October 17, 1780 in Beargrass, Virginia (now Kentucky). He attended Transylvania University around the age of 15 studying law. He was admitted to Kentucky's bar in 1802. Johnson inherited a slave named Julia Chinn with whom he began a long term relationship and considered her his common-law wife. They had two daughters. He dated another slave after Chinn's death who subsequently left him for another man so he had her sold at auction. Then he began a relationship with that slave's sister.

Johnson first got into politics in 1804 when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1806 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican. He served six consecutive terms from 1807-1813.

The war of 1812 found him back in Kentucky as a Major in the State militia. His regiment reported to future President William Henry Harrison who was a territorial Governor of Indiana at the time. Johnson was wounded many times during the war, honored by Congress for gallantry (awarded a sword by the President) and came up with tactical warfare which was implemented in parts.

Johnson served as U.S. Senator from 1819-1829. Much of his time in the House and Senate was securing contracts (military, agricultural, other) for himself and his family. He also spent most of his political career helping the poor. One of the beliefs Johnson held was that the Earth was hollow and he introduced legislation to fund an expedition to the center of the Earth. It was heavily defeated in the House and Senate. After he failed to be re-elected to the Senate he returned to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1829-1833.

Johnson began campaigning for the Vice Presidency after the 1832 election for the 1836 election in which he was elected, and served as the ninth Vice President under Martin Van Buren for one term. As president of the Senate he cast 14 tie-breaking votes.

After his Vice Presidency he went back to oversee his farm and tavern. He again represented his home County from 1841-1843 in the State House. Served as a pallbearer to Daniel Boone and then was elected again to the State House in 1850 where two weeks after he took office he died of a stroke on November 19, 1850 in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Answer: Bill Clinton

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. was born on March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C., the son of Senator Albert Gore Sr. and Pauline LaFon Gore who was one of the first women to graduate from Vanderbilt University Law School. He and his wife Tipper Gore have four children. Gore is a graduate of Harvard University, where his roommate was the actor Tommy Lee Jones. After college he joined the United States Army but he joined to help his father win re-election. He was assigned as a journalist in Fort Rucker, Alabama. He was shipped to Vietnam in January of 1971 and served as a journalist. He was honorably discharged in May of that same year.

Gore began his political career at 28 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives taking his old father's seat in 1977 and then went on to the U.S. Senate in 1985 and then being elected Vice President in 1993. While in Congress he was, in his words "a raging moderate". He opposed federal funding on abortion and rejected campaign donations from homosexuals. Gore was one of the "Atari Democrats" given that name for their technology, biomedical, genetic engineering, and environmental passions. During his time as Vice President he delved deeper into the passion he held for the environment and technology. He ran for President in 2000 gaining the popular vote but losing the electoral vote. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a civilian in 2007 for his campaigning on the environment.

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant

Schuyler Colfax Jr. was born on March 23, 1823 in New York City, New York. His grandfather was William Colfax who served under George Washington during the American Revolution and became a Brigadier-General during the war of 1812. His father died five months before he was born. Colfax became a deputy auditor under his stepfather, which he held for eight years. Later he was interested in journalism and covered the Indiana Senate for the "Indiana State Journal" which he later bought and changed its name to "St. Joseph Valley Register". In 1854 he was inducted to the fraternity Beta Theta Pi which was odd, at the time, since he never attended any college. In 1854 he ran for Congress winning the seat as an anti-slavery candidate. He served from 1855-1869 in the U.S. House of Representatives. From 1863-1869 he served as Speaker of the House. Though it was rare for a Speaker to cast a vote, Colfax cast the last vote for the 13th Amendment. Schuyler was elected the 17th Vice President in 1868 under President Ulysses S. Grant.

A "New York Sun" article in 1872 indicated that Colfax was a part of those who took bribes in the 'Crédit Mobilise' scandal during his time as a Congressman. Though the investigation showed he was guilty of taking bribes he wasn't forced to resign or charged since it happened before he became Vice President. He denied taking bribes during the entire investigation. However, the investigation did mar his standing and he only served one term as Vice President and never ran for any other office afterward again.

It was difficult for him to find work after leaving office because of the scandal, he did finally become Vice President of the Indiana Reaper and Iron Company in 1875.

On January 13, 1885 while walking to a train station in -30 °F weather he had a heart attack and died in Makato, Minnesota. He was married to Ellen Maria Wade Colfax (1836-1911) and had a son named Schuyler Colfax III (1870-1929).

Answer: William McKinley

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City, New York. Part of the Roosevelt family he was a distant cousin to Franklin Delano Roosevelt the 32nd President of the United States. Also a distant relative, by marriage, to Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father of the United States. Roosevelt grew up in poor health mainly caused by his asthma. His interest in zoology began at age seven when he saw a dead seal in a market. Even with his asthma he was a very active child in his youth.

He started Harvard College in 1876, and two years later his father died. Before the end of his college education Roosevelt was already a published ornithologist, and was into rowing and boxing. After Harvard he went to Columbia Law School. Disinterested in law, he began writing a book on the war of 1812 then dropped out and ran for public office. He became a State Assemblyman for Albany, New York from 1882-1884. In 1883 he became the Minority Leader but lost the House Speaker position in 1884. During his time there he wrote more bills than anyone else at that time.

In 1886 he ran for mayor of New York City but came in third overall. After politics in New York he moved to North Dakota where he became a deputy sheriff and also published three books "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman", "Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail", and "The Wilderness Hunter". He also became friends for life with the famous sheriff Seth Bullock of Deadwood, South Dakota. After the severe winter of 1886-1887 which wiped out his livestock, Roosevelt returned to New York.

In 1888 he returned to the public forum by campaigning for Benjamin Harrison for President, and after Harrison was elected he appointed Roosevelt to the U.S. Civil Service Commission where he served until 1895. He then became President of the New York City's Police Commission for two years starting in 1895. In 1897 Roosevelt became Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President William McKinley. When the war in Cuba occurred he resigned his position and started the First US Calvary Regiment along with Army Colonel Leonard Wood. In 2001 Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in that war.

After coming back from the war he was elected Governor of New York in 1898. His time as Governor afforded him the knowledge and experience in his future roles as Vice President and President of the United States. In 1901 he was appointed Vice President when the former Vice President under McKinley died of a heart attack. When McKinley was assassinated on September 14, 1901 Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th President of the United States. He was elected President in his own right in 1904 winning both the popular and electoral vote.

After his Presidency he left for East and Central Africa in 1909 for a safari. Roosevelt and his expedition killed over 11,000 animals during their safari including six rare white rhinoceros. In 1912 he ran unsuccessfully for President. During that same year there was an attempt on his life by saloonkeeper John Flammang Schrank. It entered his chest but did not reach his lung and instead of going to the hospital he delivered a speech instead. In 1913 to 1914 he went on another expedition this time to South America. Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919 in Oyster Bay, New York. Of the many accomplishments throughout his life some being an author, conservationist, politician, soldier, explorer etc., he was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. The first U.S. President to hold that honor.

Answer: Herbert Hoover

Charles Curtis was born on January 25, 1860 in Topeka, Kansas Territory a year before it's admission into the Union. He had Native American ancestry. His mother was part Kaw, Osage, Potawatomi, and French. Curtis's nickname as a child was "Indian Charley".

While his father served in the U.S. Civil War (later captured) Curtis was raised by his grandmother who helped him to obtain his mother's land which Curtis's father tried unsuccessfully to take control of. He was admitted to the bar in 1881 after receiving his education at Topeka High School (founded 1871). Curtis started his political career in 1893 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas.

He would serve six terms through 1907 then becoming a U.S. Senator from 1907-1913 and 1915-1929. On March 4, 1929 he was elected the 31st Vice President under Herbert Hoover.

He did two firsts after becoming Vice President: he became the first Vice President to be sworn with a Bible, and the first Vice President to hire a woman as his secretary rather than a man.

After his term he continued living in Washington D.C., where he practiced law and later died on February 8, 1936.

Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. After graduating high school he worked as a timekeeper on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway where he would sleep in hobo camps along the railway. He also worked for the "Kansas City Star" in their mailroom. He joined the Missouri National Guard in 1905 serving until 1911 then joined the Guard again in 1917 during World War I. He was commissioned a First Lieutenant by his men and was sent to training to Camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, outside Lawton, Oklahoma. He was promoted to Captain in 1918 and became commander of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division. While under Truman's command he didn't lose one single soldier.

His first political career came as a County court judge in 1922. In 1926 he was elected as a County presiding judge and then re-elected in 1930. He was elected a U.S. Senator in 1934 and served through to 1945. He was sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 1945. He was Vice President for 82 days when President Franklin Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. Four months later he ordered for two atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan based on the premise it would save a quarter to half a million American lives. Japan surrendered the following day. As a Wilsonian, Truman strongly supported the creation of the United Nations. Truman also recognized the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, 11 minutes after it declared itself a nation.

Truman was re-elected in 1948 beating Thomas Dewey despite "The Chicago Tribune" announcing that "Dewey Beats Truman" before all the results were counted. Within two weeks after the Democratic convention he integrated the U.S. Armed Services and federal agencies. Truman's second inauguration was the first ever broadcast televised nationally. The Korean War began under Truman when North Korea attacked South Korea. The war "ended" in a stalemate, an armistice ended the fighting in 1953, yet U.S. troops are still stationed in South Korea today. Also, the Cold War between the USSR (now Russia) started under policies of Truman's administration. Truman was also a strong supporter of NATO.

After his Presidency Truman was relatively broke. He decided not to go into financial work, and didn't receive a pension from his time in office or as President until after 1958. He went the route of Ulysses S. Grant by writing his memoirs, while a failure for Grant it succeeded for Truman. Truman died on December 5, 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was born on May 27, 1911 in Wallace, South Dakota. He briefly attended University of Minnesota for a year but had to drop out for financial reasons. He then attended Capitol College of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado. A two year course that he finished in six months.

He did not like being a pharmacist, he actually wanted to be a college professor so he returned to the University of Minnesota and earned a Bachelor's degree and also attended Louisiana State University earning a Master's degree.

He went back to the University of Minnesota and became an instructor while working on his doctorate. He tried joining the U.S. Military several times during WWII but was turned down each time for color blindness. He was professor of political science at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1943-1944.

After leaving Macalester in 1944 he became a newscaster in 1945. He was also elected mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1945-1948. He then served in the U.S. Senate from 1949-1964 and then was elected Vice President for one term from 1965-1969 under Lyndon B. Johnson.

After his Vice Presidency he served in the U.S. Senate from 1971-1978. He died January 13, 1978 in Waverly, Minnesota.

Answer: Jimmy Carter

Walter Frederick Mondale was born on January 5, 1928 in Ceylon, Minnesota. His father was a minister and mother was a music teacher. His brother Lester Mondale became a Unitarian minister. He attended Macalester College in St. Paul, and University of Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1951. He joined the U.S. Army after college and served two years at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He married Joan Adams in 1955. He then went on to graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1956 using his G.I. Bill from when he was in the Army.

He started his political career in 1960 when he was appointed Attorney General of Minnesota at the age of 32 and after only being a lawyer for four years. He ran for re-election in 1962 and won in his own right. In December 30, 1964 he was appointed by then Governor Karl Rolvaag to a vacated Senate seat. He served from 1964-1976. He became the 42nd Vice President under Jimmy Carter on November 2, 1976. In the 1984 Presidential election, at the Democratic Convention, he became the first person to select a woman (Geraldine Ferraro) as his running mate for a major national party. They lost to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton appointed Mondale to be an Ambassador of Japan, which he served for three years. In 2002 he ran for another Senate seat when one was vacated, he lost the election by less than 2%. He published four books from 1976 to 2010.

Answer: Barack Obama

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born on November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Biden received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965 from the University of Delaware where he also played football. He then went on to Syracuse University College of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctorate and admitted to the bar in 1969. He started his political career in 1969 when he was elected to the New Castle County Council. He served for two years.

He ran for the U.S. Senate in the 1972 Delaware elections in which he won November 7, 1972. A few weeks after he was elected his wife and daughter died in a car accident. His two sons were also in the accident but they both survived. He thought about dropping his newly elected seat but the Majority Leader, at the time, talked him out of it. When he was sworn in he became the sixth youngest person to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator, at the time.

In 1988 Biden ran for U.S. President. He ended up dropping out before the Democrat Convention. He then ran for President again in 2008 but dropped out. He served as a U.S. Senator from January 3, 1973 to January 15, 2009. He was then chosen as Senator Barack Obama's running mate and they went on to win the Presidential election. Biden became the 47th Vice President on January 20, 2009. He chose not to run for the 2016 Presidential election. His son Beau Biden (former Attorney General of Maryland) died of brain cancer on May 30, 2015.