At one time Presidents pro tempore appointed committee members and wielded considerable power within the Senate, but now they are more limited in their independent authority. With the passage of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the President pro tempore was restored to the line of succession, this time following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. The Succession Act of 1886 removed the President pro tempore as a successor. By virtue of the Succession Act of 1792, the President pro tempore stood second in the line of presidential succession after the Vice President for nearly a century. 1 Once only temporary stand-ins for the Vice President, contemporary Presidents pro tempore now effectively serve as long as their party holds a majority in the Senate. ![]() The role of the President pro tempore has evolved since John Langdon of New Hampshire first took the chair on April 6, 1789, in the absence of Vice President John Adams. The President pro tempore is often popularly known as the President pro tem. The Constitution designates the President pro tempore to serve in the Vice President's absence. The other two are the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Vice President of the United States, who also serves as President of the Senate. The President pro tempore of the Senate is one of only three legislative officers established by the U.S. This report traces the constitutional origins and development of the office of President pro tempore of the Senate, reviews its current role and authority, and provides information on Senators who have held this office, and the more recently created subsidiary offices, over the past two centuries. ![]() In 2001, the Senate also created an office of President pro tempore Emeritus. Twice, the Senate has also created an office of Deputy President pro tempore to honor a colleague and an office of Permanent Acting President pro tempore in a third instance for the same reason. Since 1890, the President pro tempore has customarily been the majority party Senator with the longest continuous service. 1604.) The current President pro tempore is Senator Orrin G. Davidson, and Morton Keller, eds., The Encyclopedia of the Congress, 4 vols., New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995, vol. Byrd, “President Pro Tempore of the Senate,” in Donald C. Frequently, several different Presidents pro tempore were chosen in a single congressional session “on the basis of their personal characteristics, popularity, and reliability.” (See Robert C. Sixty-one served prior to 1900, when Vice Presidents routinely presided over the chamber and Presidents pro tempore were elected to serve only for limited periods when the Vice President was absent or ill or the office was vacated. Ninety different Senators have served as President pro tempore. ![]() While they no longer do so, election to the office is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by the Senate, and Presidents pro tempore are traditionally accorded a somewhat larger salary and allowances for staff. For example, he may decide points of order (subject to appeal) and enforce decorum in the Senate chamber and galleries.Įarly in the nation’s history, some Presidents pro tempore appointed Senators to standing committees. Since 1947, the President pro tempore has stood third in line to succeed to the presidency after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.Īlthough the President pro tempore’s powers are limited and not comparable to those of the Speaker of the House, as the chamber’s presiding officer, he is authorized to perform certain duties. Constitution establishes the office of the President pro tempore of the Senate to preside over the Senate in the Vice President’s absence.
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