In 1973, Republican
Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to step down as vice president following a controversy over his personal taxes. Under the terms of the
25th Amendment, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress. Republican President
Richard Nixon thus had the task of selecting a vice president who could receive the majority support of both houses of Congress. Nixon considered selecting former Texas Governor
John Connally, New York Governor
Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor
Ronald Reagan. However, Nixon settled on House Minority Leader
Gerald Ford of Michigan, who was popular among the members of Congress and who was good friends with Nixon. Ford won the approval of both houses by huge margins, and was sworn in as the 40th Vice President of the United States on December 6, 1973. In 1974, Ford ascended to the presidency after the
Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Nixon.