Speaker of the United States House of Representatives by the President "pro tempore" of the Senate and by the heads of federal executive departments. To date, the implementation of the Presidential Succession Act has never been necessary and no Speaker has ever acted as President. Implementation of the law almost became necessary in 1973 after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew. At the time, many believed that President Richard Nixon would resign because of the Watergate scandal, allowing Speaker Carl Albert to succeed to the Presidency. However, before he resigned, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as Vice President in accordance with the Twenty-fifth Amendment. Nevertheless, the United States
Seal of the Vice President of the United States visual symbol to represent the Vice President, and are most often seen on lecterns when they make a speech, and on the sides of presidential transports such as Air Force Two, Marine Two, and limousines. The coat of arms, without the surrounding inscription, is used on the Vice Presidential Service Badge and the vice presidential flag. In general, commercial use of the seal is prohibited by 18 USC 713 of the United States Code, and further defined by Executive Orders and , the same statutes which protect the Seal of the President of the United States. The early history of