What happens if a Candidate runs without a VP and dies before the vote is counted?

For example Martin Van Buren ran in 1840 without a vice presidential hopeful, he lost the election so there was no controversy. So what if a presidential candidate won an indisputable majority of the vote and died before the electoral college met? Who would become President? Van Buren doesn't have to be the one to win and die, he's just an example of someone who ran without a VP.
 
For example Martin Van Buren ran in 1840 without a vice presidential hopeful, he lost the election so there was no controversy. So what if a presidential candidate won an indisputable majority of the vote and died before the electoral college met? Who would become President? Van Buren doesn't have to be the one to win and die, he's just an example of someone who ran without a VP.
I assume the Party convention/nominating caucus (depending on the era) would reconvene to nominate a new candidate, if they could, or if not, the electors would scatter and vote whoever they wanted like in 1872, and then the House would be left to sort it all out.
 
Well, Vice President Johnston did still receive a plurality of support from Democratic states in 1840, so there could be a candidate that received a majority anyway...but this doesn't make a difference in the pre 1900 era and we have 1872 as a good rule to look at for precedence.

If a party is particularly on the ball they would rally behind a single candidate to go on the ticket at the top for their electors to support for President and the issue is settled on that front. The easiest person would be whatever VP candidate got the most support. If they are not on the ball, as evidenced by the inability to pick a VP candidate, then the electoral college will have no majority. The top three candidates, almost certainly the runner up from the other party and then the two guys from the winning party that got the most support, go to the House in a contingent election. If no one from the winning party gets a majority support as VP in either scenario there will also be a Senate contingent election amongst the top two vote getters which will be between the guy from the losing party and the guy with the most votes from the winning party.
 
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