The president and vice-president hold office during the term of four years, and it is required that the president be a natural-born citizen who shall have attained the age of thirty-five years and been fourteen years a resident within the United States (Art. II, § 1, ¶ 4).

In case of vacancy in the office of president on account of removal from office or of death, resignation, or inability to discharge its powers and duties, such powers and duties devolve on the vice-president, and Congress is authorized to provide by law for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the president and vice-president (Art. II, § I, ¶ 5). Congress has made such provision by a statute (1886) declaring that in such case the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of war, the attorney-general, the postmaster-general, the secretary of the navy, and the secretary of the interior, shall, in the order named, act as president (each only in the event of the removal, death, resignation, or inability or ineligibility of those preceding him in the list) until the disability of the president or vice-president is removed or a president shall be elected, and that when the powers and duties of the president shall devolve upon any of the persons named, he shall convene Congress in extraordinary session, if it be not then in session.