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3 U.S.C. 19 (volume 3 of the United States Code, section 19) makes the Speaker of the House the next in line to be president when no vice president is available. That law was put into place in 1947. In prior incarnations, the president pro tempore of the Senate or the Secretary of State were third in line to be president.


If you wanted a deeper "why" answer, you'd need to go do some research into the legislative history surrounding the 1947 act. You'd need to go to a library with the Statutes at Large and the Congressional Record available, since there aren't free electronic versions that go that far back.

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14y ago
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13y ago

Yes in a way. The speaker would become president only in the case that the president and vice-president left office at the same time or very nearly at the same time. In more likely circumstances, a new vice-president would be appointed if the vice-president either moves up to president or leaves office.

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12y ago

The old rule was that the president pro tempore of the Senate was next in line..

However, the Senate holds the trial if the president is impeached and the pro tempore has a vote in such a trial. He would therefore have a conflict of interest in such a trial- he might be tempted to vote to convict in order to make himself president.

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7y ago

The Speaker is second in the U.S. presidential line of succession after the vice president, but no Speaker has ever acted as president
The Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a Member of Congress, although all Speakers have been members.
1945, President Harry Truman that the speaker be next after the VP. He suggested putting the Speaker of the House and then the Senate President pro tem ahead of the Secretary of State. His rationale was that the President should not be able to choose his own successor.

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7y ago

In the US, the House of Representatives is the part of the federal government very sensitive to the voting public. In fact, because unlike the Electoral College, which votes on the presidency and vice presidency, members of the House are elected by direct voting every two years. With that said, the line of succession in case the US president cannot govern, the vice president becomes the US president. The third place of succession is embodied in the leader of the House, namely the Speaker. This is a representative position as it belongs to the party with the most votes in the House of Representatives.

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13y ago

This is the Presidential Succession act passed in 1947.

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Q: Why is the speaker of the house the third in line to be president?
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What does the Speaker of the House do?

The speaker of the house is second in line to the president. It goes as follows: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House. It is the third highest office in the country. The speaker of the house has the floor when it comes to legislation.


What elected official is the third in line to become president if the president were not able to complete his tem in office?

The third person in line is the President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, following the Vice President and Speaker of the House.


Who is the next US federal official in line for the Presidency after the Vice-President?

the speaker of the house


Can Speaker of the House of Representative become president?

The Speaker of the House is the second in line of succession behind the vice president.


If both the president and the vice president can no longer serve who becomes the president?

The speaker of the houseIf both the President and vice president cannot serve, the next person in line is the speaker of the House of Representatives. This not always been the procedure. Soon after the country was founded, a law was passed that made the Senate president pro tempore the next in line after the president is not there. Later in U.S. history, the secretary of state was third in line. With the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Congress returned to the original idea of having a congressional leader next in line. In 1967, the 25th Amendment was ratified. It established procedures for presidential and vice presidential succession.

Related questions

Who is the third in line to the us president?

The Speaker of the House.


Who is third in line to become president?

the house speaker


Who is third in line to the presidency in the event of the deaths and vice president?

Speaker of the House of the Representatives


What does the Speaker of the House do?

The speaker of the house is second in line to the president. It goes as follows: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House. It is the third highest office in the country. The speaker of the house has the floor when it comes to legislation.


What does speaker of house do?

The speaker of the house is second in line to the president. It goes as follows: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House. It is the third highest office in the country. The speaker of the house has the floor when it comes to legislation.


What position is third in line behind president and vice president?

the speaker of the house


Who takes over office if the president and the vice president passes away?

The third person in line for the Presidency is the Speaker of the House.


Who is third in line to President Obama?

Speaker of the House - Nancy Pelosi


Where does the president pro tempore fit in the line of presidential succession?

Third in line, after vice-president and speaker of the house.


Where is the president pro tempore in the presidential line of succession?

He is third in line, just behind the Speaker of the House.


What elected official is the third in line to become president if the president were not able to complete his tem in office?

The third person in line is the President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, following the Vice President and Speaker of the House.


Who becomes the president if the both the president and vice president died?

The Speaker of the House is next in succession. However, note that the House Speaker would become president only if the President and vice-president died within a very short time period. Ordinarily, the one who died would be replaced.