Gerald Ford succeeded to office as a result of a mid-term vacancy.
Gerald Ford . Prior to this he served eight months as the 40th Vice President of the United States , following the resignation of Spiro Agnew . Spiro Theodore `` Ted '' Agnew ( [ ˈspɪroʊ_ˈæɡnuː ] November 9 , 1918 -- September 17 , 1996 ) was an American politician who served as the 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969 to 1973 , under President Richard Nixon . Nixon later replaced Agnew by appointing House Minority Leader Gerald Ford as Vice President .