Henry Wilson
18th vice president under President Ulysses S. Grant
Republican
Massachusetts

Of all the vice presidents, Henry Wilson had the most difficult journey to the office. Judging from his beginning, no one would have known that Wilson would one day assume the second highest position in the United States. He was originally born Jeremiah Jones Colbath, son of a day laborer in a New Hampshire sawmill. He was indentured to a farmer at the age of 10 and only received his freedom after 11 years of service. He educated himself during his years of forced service, reading every book he could borrow, including a biography of Henry Wilson, a prominent Massachusetts politician of that time and inspiration for Colbath's legal name change at 21.

Wilson apprenticed himself to a shoemaker in Natick, Mass. After learning the trade of shoemaking, he managed to earn a modest fortune. At the age of 27, he owned a shoe factory that employed as many as 100 people. When he could afford it, Wilson set out to make a name for himself in politics. He won a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1840.

The driving force behind Wilson's political aspirations was a hatred for slavery. He devoted all his energy to abolishing it. It was his most important focus, by far, as he once stated in a speech to the citizens of New York City:

Resolve it, write it over your door-posts, engrave it on the lids of your Bibles, proclaim it at the rising of the sun and at the going-down of the same, and in the broad light of noon….

Wilson had successfully overcome his past, and he hoped to help others by his outspoken stance on slavery in post-Civil War America. He embodies the spirit of the American dream.

Adlai Stevenson
23rd vice president under President Grover Cleveland
Democrat
Illinois

Adlai Stevenson was born on a family farm in Christian County, Ky., on October 23, 1835. His family's tobacco crop was killed by frost in 1852, and his father freed their few slaves, moved to Bloomington, Ill., and opened a sawmill. Stevenson worked at the sawmill and taught school to save money for college. He attended Centre College in Danville, Ky. and fell in love with the president's daughter, Letitia. Family problems delayed their marriage for nine years. The two had three daughters and a son, Lewis, who became father to a later presidential candidate, Adlai Stevenson.

Stevenson senior taught his grandson and namesake everything he knew about politics and history, and introduced him to many distinguished Democrats, including William Jennings Bryan. His grandson later served as the governor of Illinois and struggled with the decision to make himself available for the Democratic nomination in 1952. He did not want to give up his position as governor for what he saw as a pointless campaign against World War II hero Dwight Eisenhower. When asked if his grandfather would be spinning in his grave because of his reaction, he simply replied, "I think we have to leave Grandfather lie."

Charles G. Dawes
30th vice president under President Calvin Coolidge
Republican
Illinois

Charles G. Dawes came into the office of vice president with little political experience. At 59, Dawes was a wealthy industrialist, banker, and a well-known businessman in the world of investment and finance. He ran his businesses with a strict no-nonsense approach. An interesting side to this shrewd businessman, however, was his love for music. While he never received formal musical training, he was gifted with a natural ability. In 1911, he published an original piece entitled "Melody in A Major," which was arranged for almost every possible instrument.

Dawes true mark of character came in the First World War when he was appointed chief purchasing agent for the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. In addition, he was responsible for the buying and transportation of millions of tons of supplies and hundreds of thousands of horses and mules to post-war Europe. His efforts became known as the Dawes Plan. His main goal was to find supplies and deliver them as quickly as possible to those who desperately needed them. His motto always was "get the job done, and worry about it later."

A congressional committee searching for headlines summoned Dawes in 1921 to testify about the unusual methods employed to make his purchases, especially the high prices he paid for mules. He exploded in defense, asserting that all expenditures had been to ensure the end of the war and the opportunity to rebuild Europe. Due to the positive reaction by the American public, charges against Dawes were dropped.

Alben W. Barkley
35th vice president under President Harry S. Truman
Democrat
Kentucky

At the age of 70, many people enter retirement, but in the case of Alben Barkley, it seemed like the perfect time to set his sights on the office that had long eluded him—the vice presidency. One of the most popular men on Capitol Hill and a renowned storyteller, Barkley served as the 1948 Democratic convention's keynote speaker, a duty he had performed twice before. He had always been known as an excellent orator, a fact that was quite apparent when he brought the lifeless convention crowd to its feet shouting and applauding all the way through his speech. He telephoned Truman to ask directly for the job, and Truman agreed. Between Truman and Barkley (64 and 70, respectively), they comprised the oldest presidential ticket ever.

Barkley traveled by airplane, delivering as many as 15 speeches in a day—drawing in delighted listeners with his country wit. He spoke without notes or text. Barkley also seved on the National Security Council at the request of Truman. In addition, Truman asked Barkley to represent the White House at numerous functions all over the country. Barkley estimated that he traveled more than any other vice president before him. Beloved by the American people, he was bestowed the title of "veep," a nickname concocted by his 10-year-old grandson The nickname has followed the office.

After his tenure as vice president, Barkley once again ran for the U.S. Senate and easily won at the age of 76. But his new senatorial career lasted only 16 months. On April 30, 1956, Barkley traveled to Washington and Lee University to attend a mock convention conducted by the student body. At 5 p.m., he rose to give his keynote speech. His speech ended with, "And now I'm back again as a junior senator. I am willing to be a junior. I'm glad to sit on the back row. I would rather be a servant in the House of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty." Those were the last words he ever spoke. He collapsed and died doing what he was best known for—speaking.

George Bush
43rd vice president under President Ronald Reagan
Republican
Texas

George Hubert Walker Bush entered the vice presidency as one of the most qualified men for the position. Before serving as vice president, he worked as a businessman, served as U.S. representative, UN ambassador, chairman of the Republican National Committee, chief U.S. liaison officer to the People's Republic of China, and director of the CIA.

Bush spent his 18th birthday enlisting in the Navy, making him among its youngest aviators. During WWII, he flew missions over Wake Island and Guam receiving the Navy's distinguished "flying cross" for completing a mission under fire. He flew 58 combat missions. He returned home in December of 1944, and shortly thereafter, he married Barbara Pierce.

The newlyweds moved to New Haven where Bush enrolled at Yale University. While in New Haven, George W. Bush, the current Republican nominee for president, was born. During his time at Yale, he captained the baseball team and was admitted to the prestigious Skull and Bones club. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in just over two years and was considered for a Rhodes scholarship.

Bush ran for his first public office in 1963. Even though he lost his first race, he ran an outstanding campaign for a first-time politician. The 1963 race also prepared him for his race to win a house seat in 1966. He also won a coveted seat on the Ways and Means Committee. After working in many capacities, Bush set his sights on larger offices. In 1980, his work paid off. Ronald Reagan selected him to run on his ticket as the vice presidential candidate. Throughout his tenure as vice president, Bush focused a great deal of his energy on the issues of federal deregulation and international drug smuggling.

In 1988, Bush ran a close race for president against Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis. As a post-Cold War leader, he served the nation well, particularly during operation Desert Storm, often referred to as the "Gulf War". When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened the world's peace and democracy, Bush responded quickly. His handling of the Persian Gulf crisis boosted his approval rating to an unheard of 91 percent.

However, his popularity from Desert Storm was not enough to win his re-election bid. In 1992, he lost the race for president to Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas. For 12 years, Bush had been a part of the Republican leadership, and Americans were ready for a change.