The problem is that Congress at some point in time stopped at section 15. To all of sudden follow through with their duty under U.S. Code 3 Chapter 1 would be not only be embarrassing but also appear to be racist to all of sudden ask for “papers” from a black President elect.
If that was a problem let black Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and black Representatives Mia Love of Utah and Will Hurd of Texas carry the ball.
There’s nothing racist about Black members of Congress challenging Obama’s qualifications. All that was needed was one Senator and one Representative to submit a written objection. Then both Houses of Congress would have debated and voted on the objection.
Since the U.S. Code 3 Chapter 1 Section 19 was enacted in 1948 looking at presidential elections prior to then is probably fruitless. The previous Presidential Succession Acts (1886 and 1792) did not include the “fail to qualify” language (removal, death, resignation or inability).
1792 Act
1886 Act
https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Presidential_Succession_Act_1886
BTW, technically they stop at section 18. Section 16 is just the seating chart for the joint session of Congress during the Electoral College vote count (and therefore always used), section 17 was last employed in 2004 (last time there was an object to the Electoral College vote) and section 18 just gives the President of the Senate (usually the current Vice-President) control of the joint session.