▁ 1 9 2 1 , ▁when ▁Wood row ▁Wilson ▁suffered ▁a ▁deb il it ating ▁stroke . ▁Near ly ▁blind ▁and ▁partially ▁par al yz ed , ▁he ▁spent ▁the ▁final ▁ 1 7 ▁months ▁of ▁his ▁presiden cy ▁se quest ered ▁in ▁the ▁White ▁House . ▁Vice ▁President ▁Thomas ▁Marshall , ▁the ▁cabinet , ▁and ▁the ▁nation ▁were ▁kept ▁in ▁the ▁dark ▁over ▁the ▁sever ity ▁of ▁the ▁president ' s ▁ill ness ▁for ▁several ▁months . ▁Marshall ▁was ▁pointed ly ▁afraid ▁to ▁ask ▁about ▁Wilson ' s ▁health , ▁or ▁to ▁pres ide ▁over ▁cabinet ▁meet ings , ▁fear ful ▁that ▁he ▁would ▁be ▁accused ▁of ▁" long ing ▁for ▁his ▁place ." ▁ ▁Since ▁the ▁Tw enty - fif th ▁Am end ment ▁ ▁Pro posed ▁by ▁the ▁ 8 9 th ▁Congress ▁and ▁subsequently ▁rat ified ▁by ▁the ▁states ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 7 , ▁the ▁Tw enty - fif th ▁Am end ment ▁also ▁established ▁formal ▁procedures ▁for ▁address ing ▁instances ▁of ▁president ial ▁dis ability ▁and ▁succession . ▁Its ▁Section ▁ 3 , ▁which ▁allows ▁the ▁president ▁to ▁volunt arily ▁transfer ▁his ▁authority ▁to ▁the ▁vice ▁president , ▁has ▁been ▁invoked ▁on ▁three ▁occasions ▁by ▁two ▁pres idents . ▁( Section ▁ 4 , ▁which ▁addresses ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁an ▁in cap ac itated ▁president ▁who ▁is ▁unable ▁or ▁unw illing ▁to ▁issue ▁volunt ary ▁declaration , ▁has ▁not ▁been ▁activ ated ▁since ▁the ▁am end ment ▁came ▁into ▁force .) ▁President ▁Ron ald ▁Re