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The President pro tempore of the United States Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Senate and the highest-ranking senator. The Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate ex officio, and thus is the highest-ranking member of the Senate; during his absence, the President pro tempore presides over the Senate.
The President pro tempore is elected by the Senate; by custom, he is typically the most senior senator in the majority party. Normally, neither the Vice President of the United States nor the President pro tempore presides; instead, the duty is generally delegated to other senators. (Since the 1970's, the duty of presiding has generally been assigned only to senators from the majority party, who typically occupy the chair in one-hour shifts.) The President pro tempore is third in line of succession to the Presidency.
The current President pro tempore of the Senate is Ted Stevens, a Republican from Alaska, who has held the office since January 3, 2003.
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Power and responsibilities
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The President pro tempore is an office of the Senate mandated by Article I, section 3 of the Constitution. Although in some ways equivalent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the powers of the President pro tempore are far more limited. In the Senate, most power rests with party leaders and individual senators. The President pro tempore represents the Senate at formal events.
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Presiding Officer
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In the absence of the Vice President of the United States, the President pro tempore presides over the Senate and, with the Speaker of the House, over joint sessions of Congress. Due to the high visibility of joint sessions, they are one of very few instances in modern times where the Vice President does make an effort to attend and preside, so Presidents pro tempore rarely have the opportunity to preside at a joint session. The last such event occurred on September 20, 2001, when President George W. Bush made a special address to a joint session of U.S. Congress regarding the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. Senator Robert Byrd, the President pro tempore at the time, took the place of Vice President Dick Cheney, who was still under Secret Service and military protection as a precaution against an attempt on President Bush's life.
In the early years of the republic, the President pro tempore was usually a senator noted for his skill at parliamentary procedure. Over the years, however, the office became less work-a-day and more ceremonial; gradually, it became the custom for it to be given to a senior senator. Since 1945 it has been the invariable rule that the most senior senator of the majority party holds the office.
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Presidential disability and succession
The President pro tempore is one of the two authorities to whom declarations of presidential inability or of ability to resume the presidency must be transmitted under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. (The Speaker of the House is the other.)
The President pro tempore is third in the line of presidential succession, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.
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History
The office of President pro tempore was established in 1789 by the Constitution of the United States. Originally, the President pro tempore was appointed on a daily or weekly basis when the Vice President of the United States was not present to preside over the Senate. Until the 1960s, it was common practice for the Vice President to preside over daily Senate sessions, so the President pro tempore rarely presided over the Senate unless the Vice Presidency became vacant.
Until 1891, the President pro tempore only served until the return of the Vice President to the chair or the adjournment of a session of Congress. Between 1792 and 1886, the President pro tempore was second in the line of presidential succession following the Vice President and preceding the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Thus, when President Andrew Johnson was impeached and tried in 1868, Senate President pro tempore Benjamin Wade was next in line to the Presidency. Wade's radicalism is thought by most historians to be a major reason why the Senate, which did not want to see Wade in the White House, acquitted Johnson. The President pro tempore and the Speaker were removed from the line of succession in 1886, but were restored in 1947. This time, however, the President pro tempore followed the Speaker.
Following the resignation for health reasons then-President pro tempore William P. Frye, a Congress divided between progressive Republicans, conservative Republicans, and Democrats reached a compromise by which each of their candidates would rotate holding the office from 1911 to 1913. (See Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate, 1911-1913.)
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Acting President pro tempore
The President pro tempore, just like the Vice President, over time has ceased presiding over the Senate on a daily basis, notably due to the task's lack of power or glamor. More importantly, since the President pro tempore is now usually the most senior senator of the majority party, he or she most likely also chairs a major Senate committee, along with performing other duties related to seniority. Therefore, the President pro tempore has less time now than in the past to preside daily over the Senate. Instead, junior senators of the majority party are designated acting President pro tempore to preside over the Senate on a daily basis. This allows junior senators to learn proper parliamentary procedure.
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Permanent Acting President pro tempore
In June 1963, due to the illness of President pro tempore Carl T. Hayden, Lee Metcalf was designated Permanent Acting President pro tempore. No term was imposed on this designation, so Metcalf retained it until he died in office in 1978.
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Deputy President pro tempore
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The ceremonial post of Deputy President pro tempore was created for Hubert Humphrey, a former Vice President of the United States, in 1977 following his losing bid to become the Senate majority leader. The Senate resolution creating the position stated that any former President of the United States or Vice President of the United States serving in the United States Senate would be entitled to this position. Since Humphrey's death in 1978, no other former President or Vice President has served in the Senate. As of 2006, four former Presidents, (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton), and three former Vice-Presidents, (Walter Mondale, Dan Quayle, and Al Gore), are eligible for the position of Deputy President pro tempore. Had former Vice-President Walter F. Mondale won his senate election bid, he would have been entitled to the position of Deputy President pro tempore.
When the President pro tempore becomes unable to perform the duties of office for an extended period, the current practice is to elect a Senator as Deputy President pro tempore, as opposed to a Permanent Acting President pro tempore, to carry out the duties until the President pro tempore can resume the duties. George J. Mitchell was elected Deputy President pro tempore in 1987-1988, due to the illness of President pro tempore John C. Stennis. The office to date has remained vacant. Hubert Humphrey and George Mitchell are the only Senators to date that have held the title.
The post may be purely honorary and ceremonial, but nevertheless, it comes with a salary. By statute, the compensation granted to the position holder equals the rate of annual compensation paid to the President pro tempore, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader. (See .)
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President pro tempore emeritus
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President pro tempore emeritus is an honorary title given to the most senior member of the minority party in the United States Senate who has served as President pro tempore at some time in his or her career. Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia, has held the title since January 15, 2003.
The first President pro tempore emeritus was named in 2001 after Democrats gained a majority in the Senate. Democrat Robert Byrd was elected President pro tempore. To honor the previous President pro tempore, the Senate gave Republican Strom Thurmond the honorary title of President pro tempore emeritus. Thurmond served from June 6, 2001 until January 3, 2003. Byrd is the second President pro tempore emeritus.
While the President pro tempore emeritus has no official duties, he works closely with party leaders and advises them on the functions of the Senate as an institution. He also provides leadership and experience, serving as a model for junior members.
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See also
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