Presidential Impeachment Activity

The founding fathers included in the U.S. Constitution the right of the House of Representatives to impeach the President and other officers. Article II, Section 4 states that:

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Only 2 Impeachments: Only two presidents have been impeached by the House of Representatives, but neither Andrew Johnson or Bill Clinton were convicted by the Senate or removed from office.

Impeachment Resolutions Introduced: In addition to Johnson and Clinton, impeachment resolutions have been introduced against the following presidents:

Richard Nixon resigned the presidency before he could be impeach, which was almost a certainty. And from the vote counting he did, he realized he would probably be convicted by the Senate and removed from office.

John Tyler: The first attempt at presidential impeachment came during the term of “His Accidency,” John Tyler, the first president to assume the office after the death of his predecessor. A resolution calling for Tyler’s impeachment was introduced in 1842 and voted down in January 1843.

Herbert Hoover: A resolution to impeach Herbert Hoover was introduced in 1932, but was overwhelmingly defeated in the House of Representatives.

George W. Bush: In 2008, a resolution was introduced to impeach George W. Bush, charging the president with starting the war in Iraq based on false information.

Others: Have there been other presidents against whom an impeachment resolution was introduced? When and what were the circumstances?

Mike Purdy’s Presidential History Blog