The Senate has a new President Pro Tempore today after Vice president Joe Biden made a visit to swear in Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic Senator from Vermont after the death of Senator Daniel Inouye yesterday. Leahy is now third in line for the presidency after the Vice President and Speaker of the House.

Vice President Biden made his way to the Senate chambers for the official act despite the fact that today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Biden’s wife and child. The Vice President’s wife, Neilia and his daughter were killed in an auto accident while out Christmas shopping on December 18th, 1972.

Senator Inouye died at Walter Reed hospital yesterday after suffering respiratory complications. Inouye collapsed in his offfice earlier this month.

Leahy said that he couldn’t be sworn in yesterday because he was overcome with emotion after the death of his predecessor. “I looked in my desk, which I inherited from Dan Inouye and saw his signature … I looked at that, and I was overcome with emotion so I did not speak then,” Leahy said. “We all know he gave his everything to the Senate.”

At the conclusion of the swearing in, Vice President Biden could be heard saying, “Congratulations, it’s kind of a bittersweet moment.” to which Senator Leahy responded, “Oh God, tell me about it.”

Inouye served in the position of President Pro Tempore since the death of Senator Edward Kennedy in 2009.