<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Wikisource has original text related to this article: Presidential Succession Act 1792 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Wikisource has original text related to this article: Presidential Succession Act 1792 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Presidential Succession Act of 1792 was the first succession law passed by Congress . The act was contentious because the Federalists did not want the then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, who had become the leader of the Democratic - Republicans, to follow the Vice President in the succession . There were also separation of powers concerns over including the Chief Justice of the United States in the line . The compromise they worked out established the President pro tempore of the Senate as next in line after the Vice President, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives . </P> <P> In either case, these officers were to "act as President of the United States until the disability be removed or a president be elected ." The Act called for a special election to be held in November of the year in which dual vacancies occurred (unless the vacancies occurred after the first Wednesday in October, in which case the election would occur the following year; or unless the vacancies occurred within the last year of the presidential term, in which case the next election would take place as regularly scheduled). The people elected President and Vice President in such a special election would have served a full four - year term beginning on March 4 of the next year, but no such election ever took place . </P>

When was the presidential line of succession created