Most qualified Presidents ever? And least if you want that too.

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Your omission of Calvin Coolidge is a crime, good sir.

Other than that, really good analysis.

Except that both JQA and Buchanan served on national level, unlike Coolidge, who served exclusively on state level until becoming Vice President.

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It should be noted Taylor never voted in his entire life.

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FDR's resume before becoming Governor of New York appears pretty weak: one term state Senator and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Sure, he played an important role in Navy affairs, especially considering that old Josephus Daniels was bored with the job, but it's still, not even a cabinet post. Yet he was already a national figure, being 1920 vice presidential nominee.

Off topic: qualifications of the Vice Presidents. What to say about Garrett Hobart, who was a state senator before becoming "second man"? Surely, he was influential in state politics, both as Senate President and party boss, but, yeah...

Or, more recent example, Spiro Agnew, less than two years as Governor, being a freaking county commissioner before that.

Or Chester Arthur, a man who never held an elected office and his only public office was custom collector. Surely, he was a true politician, but at the time of becoming Vice President he basically belonged to the same category as current professional DNC or RNC operatives.

My favorite example, although he lost: Arthur Sewell. A huuge W.T.F.! Look, guys, you think I'm too populist so I'm picking a freaking Yankee shipping magnate as my running-mate!!11

In most recent years, the most qualified, in terms or resume and diverse experience, Vice President was Nelson Rockefeller. Four terms as powerful Governor of a large state and various diplomatic and executive positions before. His record is making Bush Sr. resume, so praised in this thread, looking boring, although both Poppy and Cheney definitively had strong combined appointed and elected experience.

Mondale, Quayle, Gore spent considerable time in Congress, but legislative stuff was all. Humphrey at least had executive experience in Minneapolis.

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FDR's resume before becoming Governor of New York appears pretty weak: one term state Senator and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Sure, he played an important role in Navy affairs, especially considering that old Josephus Daniels was bored with the job, but it's still, not even a cabinet post. Yet he was already a national figure, being 1920 vice presidential nominee.

Off topic: qualifications of the Vice Presidents. What to say about Garrett Hobart, who was a state senator before becoming "second man"? Surely, he was influential in state politics, both as Senate President and party boss, but, yeah...

Or, more recent example, Spiro Agnew, less than two years as Governor, being a freaking county commissioner before that.

Or Chester Arthur, a man who never held an elected office and his only public office was custom collector. Surely, he was a true politician, but at the time of becoming Vice President he basically belonged to the same category as current professional DNC or RNC operatives.

My favorite example, although he lost: Arthur Sewell. A huuge W.T.F.! Look, guys, you think I'm too populist so I'm picking a freaking Yankee shipping magnate as my running-mate!!11

In most recent years, the most qualified, in terms or resume and diverse experience, Vice President was Nelson Rockefeller. Four terms as powerful Governor of a large state and various diplomatic and executive positions before. His record is making Bush Sr. resume, so praised in this thread, looking boring, although both Poppy and Cheney definitively had strong combined appointed and elected experience.

Mondale, Quayle, Gore spent considerable time in Congress, but legislative stuff was all. Humphrey at least had executive experience in Minneapolis.

Yes I do agree.

Vice President seems to be the one post that (in most years past) was thought of as either a vote getter or, in the case of the Roosevelts, of getting one's opponents to disappear into obscurity.

WEll, as we all know that went REALLY WELL, given that President McKinley got shot IN THE FREAKING GUT and TR ended up replacing him.

With FDR, however, it ended up being a bit more complex.  The 1920 Democratic Party ticket lost in a landslide.  A huge epic landslide that was especially embarrassing up north.  Tammany Hall put FDR's name forward in the hopes of either a) keeping him away from New York in the remote possibility that the Democrats did win in 1920, or b) destroying all of his credibility after the party suffers a landslide loss in 1920 thereby ending his career.
At first, given the loss and the Navy scandal (I forget what it's called) that happened regarding Roosevelt along with his sickness, many thought his career was over.  However, after a round of rehabilitation, as well as banding with Tammany Hall men like Governor Alfred Smith and gaining their favor, he was able to make a dramatic comeback as the Governor in 1928 while Smith loss a landslide to Hoover.  If FDR had stayed anti-Tammany in the 1920's, his career would've likely died off and most kids would be like "who the hell is Franklin Roosevelt?"
Later on, however, as his power base grew due to the New Deal, he was able to more quickly discard his alliance with Tammany.

I would argue that rarely is the VP spot a real prestigious spot to be sought after.  It seems to be the normal place where they put party faithfuls in case of tie breaking votes.  Very rarely is one chosen VP in the hopes that they would eventually be sexy sliced presidential bread.

Of course FDR later threw Tammany under a bus, while seeking reelection as Governor. Some serious s**t broke and FDR distanced himself with Tammany and did not interfese with series of investigations.

I think FDR was one of the greatest survivors in 20th century US politics.

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Actually, as of Vice Presidents, I've been thinking and Cheney had better experience than Rockefeller.

He served as White House Chief of Staff, which is essentially the second most powerful position after President, managing the West Wing machine. Also, he led an important executive department (Defense) and served a number of years in the House, including time in the leadership.

So yes, evil Dick wins.