John Tyler — 10th President (1841–1845)

**John Tyler** was the first Vice President to assume the presidency upon a president's death, and he immediately established the precedent that the VP becomes the ACTUAL president — not an "acting" president, not a caretaker, but the full holder of executive power. His own party expelled him. He had no political base. He governed for nearly a full term with almost no allies, vetoed his own party's legislation, and still managed to annex Texas.