Why was Gerald Ford called the accidental President?

Answer 1

The term "accidental president" has been applied to several presidents. Although Gerald Ford was referred to as the "accidental president" (he was the only man in history to serve as president and vice president without being elected to either post) as well as John Tyler (he was the first to ascend to the presidency following the death of a sitting president) the first occupant of the White House to earn the title "accidental president" was John Q. Adams. "Accidental president" also refers to George W. Bush in the book by David Kaplan.

John Q Adams:Adams received this title from his Democratic opposition that were bitter with Adams victory over Andrew Jackson. Following the election, neither candidate had been able to win a majority of the votes in the Electoral College. Therefore, the Constitution stated that the matter had to be decided by the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, then Speaker of the House, was an opponent of Jackson and it was rumored that he swung the election in the House in favor of his friend Adams. This rumor was further flamed when Clay was appointed Adams' Secretary of State. The whole matter, and the title of "accidental president", would come back to haunt Adams in the next election when he was soundly beat by his old rival Jackson. Gerald Ford:Gerald Ford was the only president to have not been elected as either president or vice president in the presidential election preceding his term. In the 1972 election, Richard Nixon was re-elected as president with Spiro Agnew as vice president. However, Agnew fell under investigation for corruption charges, being accused of bribery, tax fraud, extortion, and conspiracy. On 1973 October 10, Agnew resigned. The House Minority Leader, Gerald Ford was the only choice offered to Nixon for vice president, and he became president on December 6 of that year. Due to the Watergate scandal, Nixon was forced to resign the next year on 1974 August 9, making Gerald Ford the 'accidental president'. George W. BushIn the 2000 presidential elections, the voting results between Al Gore, and George W. Bush were so close that the entire race came down to one state: Florida. The day after the election on 2000 November 7, Al Gore had 255 votes, George Bush had 246 votes, and 3 states were still left, with 270 votes needed to win the election. These 3 states were New Mexico with 5 votes, Oregon with 7 votes, and Florida with 25 votes. New Mexico and Oregon would eventually end up declaring Gore their winners. The battle for Florida would take over a month, have many recounts, involve hundreds of lawyers and judges, and even end up in the Supreme Court. Eventually, George W. Bush was declared a narrow winner, and he became the President of the United States.

Answer 2

he was not elected