Alben Barkley served in Congress for close to 40 years and was Harry Truman’s vice president from 1948-1952. Though he wanted to be President himself, Barkley never made it to the pinnacle of power. Only 14 VP’s have gone on to the presidency; the majority have, for the most part, lapsed into relative obscurity once their term was over. Barkley, too, might have been forgotten except for two things: His nickname and the remarkable circumstance of his death.