Andrew Johnson convicted of impeachment, new president is Benjamin Wade

[StateBoiler]

If Andrew Johnson received one more vote against him in his Senate impeachment trial, he would have been convicted of impeachment and removed from office (it required two-thirds, there were 54 senators, and the vote was 35-19). The vice presidency was vacant (as Johnson had been Lincoln's vice president), and therefore the presidency would've gone to president pro tempore of the Senate, Benjamin Wade.

How would Reconstruction have been carried out?

Would the institution of the presidency been irreparably harmed long-term?

[Senator Ben]

Viciously, and yes.

[Erc]

The 1868 Republican Convention would have been a bit more interesting, that's for sure.

Not to mention the 1868 election had Wade been (re-)nominated.


Reconstruction probably wouldn't have ended up that differently than it was, though...


The Presidency would have been damaged, but not too considerably if the Republicans won in '68.  But the precedent that the President only serves at the whim of (two-thirds of the) Congress would have been firmly set.