<P> The role of the vice presidency evolved during the 20th century into more of an executive branch position, and today the vice president is widely seen as an integral part of a president's administration, and presides over the Senate only infrequently . The Constitution does not expressly assign the office to any one branch, causing a dispute among scholars whether it belongs to the executive branch, the legislative branch, or both . The modern view of the vice president as a member of the executive branch is due in part to the assignment of executive duties to the vice president by either the president or Congress . </P> <P> Mike Pence of Indiana is the 48th and current vice president . He assumed office on January 20, 2017 . </P> <P> No mention of an office of vice president was made at the 1787 Constitutional Convention until near the end, when an 11 - member committee on "Leftover Business" proposed a method of electing the president and vice president, and recommended that the vice president succeed the executive in the event of a vacancy in that position, but would otherwise serve as the president of the Senate, casting a vote only to break a tie . Although delegates approved establishing the office, with both its executive and senatorial functions, not many understood the extent of the vice president's duties . Only a few states had an analogous position . Among those that did, New York's constitution provided that, "The lieutenant - governor shall, by virtue of his office, be president of the Senate, and, upon an equal division, have a casting voice in their decisions, but not vote on any other occasion ." </P> <P> Convention delegates had previously considered the selection of the Senate's presiding officer, deciding that, "The Senate shall choose its own President," and had agreed that this official would be designated the executive's immediate successor . They had also considered the mode of election of the executive but had not reached consensus . This all changed on September 4, when the committee recommended that the nation's chief executive be elected by a group of electors apportioned among the states, with each state receiving a number of presidential electors equal to the sum of that state's allocation of representatives and senators . </P>

When was the office of the vice president created