John Nance Garner

Vice President of the United States from 1933 to 1941

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Lived 1868–1967, aged 99United States

United States PoliticiansPolitician

Wikipedia
57 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1868–1967
Aged 99

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

A Texas congressman who rose to Speaker of the House, then spent eight years as FDR's vice president before breaking with him over the New Deal's centralizing drift — and left behind the line that the office he held wasn't "worth a bucket of warm piss."

Biography

About

John Nance Garner started as county judge in Uvalde County, Texas, then served in the state legislature before winning a U.S. House seat in 1902. He represented Texas's 15th district for three decades, climbing to Minority Leader in 1929 and Speaker in 1931 after Democrats took control. At the 1932 Democratic convention he traded his own presidential bid to join Roosevelt's ticket, and the pair won twice. Roosevelt leaned on Garner's legislative skills and political friendships to move New Deal bills through Congress, and Garner became the first vice president with an active Cabinet role. But…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from John Nance Garner

John Nance Garner

said1964

Not worth a bucket of warm piss.

— Comment to Lyndon B. Johnson on the vice presidency, widely attributed to Garner as early as 1964. For many years, this quote was

John Nance Garner

saidundated

Worst damnfool mistake I ever made was letting myself be elected Vice President of the United States. Should have stuck with my old chores as Speaker of the House.

— Comment shortly after leaving office, on leaving his post as speaker of the United States House of Representative to become the vice

John Nance Garner

saidundated