WI John Adams Died

What would happen if, say by a freak accident or something, that the would-be second president of the United States had died before taking office?

Just looking for general effect, not really anything specific, however it would be interesting to note the line of succession and what the situation would be with the Vice President/Acting President debate back in that time.
 
Well, this depends on when he dies. Are you thinking about him dying while in office, between the election and the innauguration, or before the election?

If you're thinking that he dies in office, then you'd see the same debate that played out in OTL when Harrison died. This debate of course is between those who believed that the VP becomes President (which is what happened) and those who believed that the VP becomes acting President until a special election is held. This debate would probably have the same result as OTL, because (a) they did have a better Constitutional argument and (b) Vice President Thomas Jefferson would likely win the special election anyway, so why bother wasting the time and effort?

If you're thinking between the election and the innauguration, then it is unclear. Jefferson is probably sworn in because he got the second most votes in the election and was set to be sworn in as VP anyway, but it is hard to tell based on the laws at the time.

If you are thinking before the election, then the Federalists are left scrambling for a candidate and Jefferson wins easily.
 
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