ON OCTOBER 10, 1973, Spiro “Ted” Agnew became the first vice president of the United States to resign because of scandal. Agnew's resignation had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal that had been brewing in the nation's capital since the discovery of the break-in at Democratic party headquarters on June 17, 1972, and was followed less than a year later by the resignation of President Richard Nixon. If Agnew had been more honest, he would have become the 38th president of the United States. Instead, Gerald Ford, who had been nominated by Nixon as Agnew's replacement, succeeded to the office of president when Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.

The troubles that led to Agnew's resignation could be traced back to his home state of ...