Andrew Johnson
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With the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States (1865-1869), an old-fashioned southern Jacksonian Democrat of pronounced states’ rights views. The Presidency of Andrew Johnson spanned the period in United States history that...
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American Presidents Wiki
With the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States (1865-1869), an old-fashioned southern Jacksonian Democrat of pronounced states’ rights views.

The Presidency of Andrew Johnson spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Reconstruction Era. President Andrew Johnson represented the Democratic / National Union political party which influenced the domestic and foreign policies of his presidency. This was the period of the Wild West with its famous cowboys, lawmen and gunslingers and the expansion of the nation with the 1867 purchase of Alaska.

Biography[]

With the Assassination of Lincoln, the Presidency fell upon an old-fashioned southern Jacksonian Democrat of pronounced states’ rights views. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one of the most unfortunate of Presidents. Arrayed against him were the Radical Republicans in Congress, brilliantly led and ruthless in their tactics. Johnson was no match for them.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808, Johnson grew up in poverty. He was apprenticed to a tailor as a boy, but ran away. He opened a tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee, married Eliza McCardle, and participated in debates at the local academy.

Entering politics, he became an adept stump speaker, championing the common man and vilifying the plantation aristocracy. As a Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 1840’s and ’50’s, he advocated a homestead bill to provide a free farm for the poor man.

During the secession crisis, Johnson remained in the Senate even when Tennessee seceded, which made him a hero in the North and a traitor in the eyes of most Southerners. In 1862 President Lincoln appointed him Military Governor of Tennessee, and Johnson used the state as a laboratory for reconstruction. In 1864 the Republicans, contending that their National Union Party was for all loyal men, nominated Johnson, a Southerner and a Democrat, for Vice President. On April 14, 1865, Johnson was part of a triple conspiracy planned by John Wilkes Booth to overthrow the United States into chaos as he assigned one of his henchmen, George Atzerodt to assassinate Johnson at the Kirkwood Hotel. But at 10:15 pm, the same moment Booth shot President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater and Lewis Powell almost murdering Secretary of State William Seward at his mansion, Atzerodt couldn’t muster his courage to shoot Johnson; instead, Atzerodt gets drunk and abandoned his assignment to kill Johnson, who later became the first president to inherit the presidency after his predecessor’s assassination. Within a few months after the deaths of Lincoln and Booth, Johnson permitted the executions of Atzerodt and three other conspirators on July 7, 1865.

After Lincoln’s death, President Johnson proceeded to reconstruct the former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865. He pardoned all who would take an oath of allegiance, but required leaders and men of wealth to obtain special Presidential pardons.

By the time Congress met in December 1865, most southern states were reconstructed, slavery was being abolished, but “black codes” to regulate the freedmen were beginning to appear.

Radical Republicans in Congress moved vigorously to change Johnson’s program. They gained the support of northerners who were dismayed to see Southerners keeping many prewar leaders and imposing many prewar restrictions upon Negroes.

The Radicals’ first step was to refuse to seat any Senator or Representative from the old Confederacy. Next they passed measures dealing with the former slaves. Johnson vetoed the legislation. The Radicals mustered enough votes in Congress to pass legislation over his veto–the first time that Congress had overridden a President on an important bill. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which established Negroes as American citizens and forbade discrimination against them.

A few months later Congress submitted to the states the Fourteenth Amendment, which specified that no state should “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

All the former Confederate States except Tennessee refused to ratify the amendment; further, there were two bloody race riots in the South. Speaking in the Middle West, Johnson faced hostile audiences. The Radical Republicans won an overwhelming victory in Congressional elections that fall.

In March 1867, the Radicals effected their own plan of Reconstruction, again placing southern states under military rule. They passed laws placing restrictions upon the President. When Johnson allegedly violated one of these, the Tenure of Office Act, by dismissing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, the House voted eleven articles of impeachment against him. He was tried by the Senate in the spring of 1868 and acquitted by one vote.

In 1875, Tennessee returned Johnson to the Senate. He died a few months later.

Personality[]

The character traits of President Andrew Johnson can be described as reserved, direct, polite and determined. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for Andrew Johnson is an ISTJ (Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judgement). A reserved, well-regulated and serious character and a strong traditionalist. Andrew Johnson Personality type: logical, organized, sensible, thorough and dependable.

Nicknames[]

"The Tennessee Tailor"

Meaning: The nickname of President Andrew Johnson provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public during his presidency. The meaning of the nickname "Tennessee Tailor" refers to his humble upbringing and early profession as a tailor in his home state of Tennessee. The meaning of his derogatory nickname "Sir Veto" because he tried to use the power of the veto to expand the power of the executive branch. The use of his vetos angered Congress and his violation of the Tenure of Office Act led to his impeachment.

Inauguration[]

The Inauguration of Andrew Johnson as the 17th president of the United States was held on April 15, 1865, on the third floor of Kirkwood House in Washington, D.C., following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The inauguration marked the commencement of Andrew Johnson's only term (a partial term of 3 years, 323 days) as president. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase administered the presidential oath of office. This was the third non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to take place. News reports had it that the oath was administered at 11 a.m. that day.

After the ceremony, President Johnson gave an impromptu inaugural address, which began with him begging the cabinet to remain with him and then attacking the Confederate States of America with such venom, that one witness remarked "It would have been better had he been struck dumb. As President Lincoln lay dying, Vice President Johnson visited the room where he lay. When Mrs. Lincoln saw him, she reportedly screamed and demanded he be removed, so he went back to his room at Kirkwood House.

According to newspaper reports, Johnson had gotten severely inebriated, and when aides to the now-dead Lincoln came to fetch the new president they were unable to wake him for several minutes. When he was finally awake, the accounts read, "he had puffy eyes and his hair was caked with mud from the street," and that a barber and doctor were summoned to clean him up for the 10 a.m. ceremony, which most accounts agree went smoothly. However, there are other accounts, believed more reliable by some, that refute this claim

Presidents born during his Presidency[]

Warren G. Harding

Presidents who died during his Presidency[]

James Buchanan

Accomplishments and major events[]

The major accomplishments and the famous, main events that occurred during the time that Andrew Johnson was president included the Reconstruction of the South, the ratification of the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution, the infamous 'Black Codes', the Carpetbaggers and Scalawags the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1868 Impeachment Proceedings of Andrew Johnson began when he breached the Tenure of Office Act. The president was acquitted following the impeachment trial. Andrew Johnson died of a stroke on July 31, 1875, aged 66.

The Reconstruction Era

Summary: The Reconstruction Era refers to the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. This period is referred to in American history as the Reconstruction Era and lasted from 1865-1877. Reconstruction is the term applied to the time period, or era, when the South was occupied by United States Federal troops whilst state governments and economies were established and the infrastructure of the South was rebuilt.

The Wild West

Summary: The Wild West (1865 - 1895) reflected the lawlessness of the untamed territories west of the Mississippi River during its frontier period, famous for cowboys, native Indians, the lawmen, gunslingers, the pioneers, the prospectors, the gamblers and, the outlaws.

The Black Codes

Summary: The Black Codes were the laws enacted at the beginning of the Reconstruction Era by the Southern states legislatures to restrict the freedom of ex-slaves in the South. The purpose of the Black Codes was to maintain white supremacy and segregation.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866

Summary: The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was enacted on April 9, 1866 to protect ex-slaves from legislation such as such as the Black Codes and the Vagrancy Laws and to help African Americans obtain equal status under the law.

The Ku Klux Klan

Summary: The secret organization called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was based in the South and founded on December 24, 1865, during the Reconstruction Era. The goals of the KKK were to organize white southern resistance to the Reconstruction-era Republican policies which were aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks.

The Carpetbaggers

Summary: The Carpetbaggers were opportunist Northerners who went to the South (often carrying their possessions in a carpet bag) whose aim was to exploit opportunities for financial gain and personal power.

The Scalawags

Summary: The Scalawags were native born Southerners who looked to gain money and advancement during the Reconstruction Era. Scalawags often came from poor backgrounds and resented the southern elite plantation owners. Scalawags were deemed traitors to the South.

The Reconstruction Act

Summary: The series of laws and statutes called the Reconstruction Act, aka the Military Reconstruction Act, were passed during 1867 and 1868 gave control to Radical Republicans in Congress. The purpose of the Reconstruction Acts was to determine the terms to be fulfilled for the former Confederate States of America to be re-admitted to the Union. The series of laws divided the seceded states into five military districts, and required each state to draft a new state constitution and ratify the 14th Amendment.

The Tenure of Office Act

Summary: The Tenure of Office Act was passed by Congress on March 2, 1867 and was designed to limit the powers of the President and prevent President Andrew Johnson dismissing radical Republicans from office. Andrew Johnson attempted to veto the law, but failed. He went on to ignore the Tenure of Office Act and suspended Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War which led to the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

The Purchase of Alaska

Summary: The Purchase of Alaska, aka Seward's Folly, was proclaimed on June 20, 1867 and received great criticism when William Henry Seward, purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Summary: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson began February 24, 1868, when Congress resolved to impeach Andrew Johnson for high crimes and misdemeanors. President Johnson had to answer 12 articles of Impeachment and was acquitted in the Senate by one vote less than the two-thirds necessary to remove him and was allowed to continue his term of office that ended on March 4, 1869.

Post Presidency[]

After leaving the presidency, Johnson remained for some weeks in Washington, then returned to Greeneville for the first time in eight years. He was honored with large public celebrations along the way, especially in Tennessee, where cities hostile to him during the war hung out welcome banners. He had arranged to purchase a large farm near Greeneville to live on after his presidency.

Some expected Johnson to run for Governor of Tennessee or for the Senate again, while others thought that he would become a railroad executive. Johnson found Greeneville boring, and his private life was embittered by the suicide of his son Robert in 1869. Seeking vindication for himself, and revenge against his political enemies, he launched a Senate bid soon after returning home. Tennessee had gone Republican, but court rulings restoring the vote to some whites and suppression of the African-American vote by the Ku Klux Klan led to a Democratic victory in the legislative elections in August 1869. Johnson was seen as a likely victor in the Senate election, although hated by Radical Republicans, and by some Democrats because of his wartime activities. Although he was at one point within a single vote of victory in the legislature's balloting, the Republicans eventually elected Henry Cooper over Johnson, 54–51. In 1872, there was a special election for an at-large congressional seat for Tennessee; Johnson initially sought the Democratic nomination, but when he saw that it would go to former Confederate general Benjamin F. Cheatham, decided to run as an independent. The former president was defeated, finishing third, but the split in the Democratic Party defeated Cheatham in favor of an old Johnson Unionist ally, Horace Maynard.

In 1873, Johnson contracted cholera during an epidemic but recovered; that year he lost about $73,000 (~$1.53 million in 2021) when the First National Bank of Washington went under, though he was eventually repaid much of the sum.

Return to the Senate[]

He began looking towards the next Senate election to take place in the legislature in early 1875. Johnson began to woo the farmers' Grange movement; with his Jeffersonian leanings, he easily gained their support. He spoke throughout the state in his final campaign tour. Few African Americans outside the large towns were now able to vote as Reconstruction faded in Tennessee, setting a pattern that would be repeated in the other Southern states; the white domination would last almost a century. In the Tennessee legislative elections in August, the Democrats elected 92 legislators to the Republicans' eight, and Johnson went to Nashville for the legislative session. When the balloting for the Senate seat began on January 20, 1875, he led with 30 votes, but did not have the required majority as three former Confederate generals, one former colonel, and a former Democratic congressman split the vote with him. Johnson's opponents tried to agree on a single candidate who might gain majority support and defeat him, but failed, and he was elected on January 26 on the 54th ballot, with a margin of a single vote. Nashville erupted in rejoicing; remarked Johnson, "Thank God for the vindication."

Johnson's comeback garnered national attention, with the St. Louis Republican calling it "the most magnificent personal triumph which the history of American politics can show". At his swearing-in in the Senate on March 5, 1875, he was greeted with flowers, and sworn in alongside Hamlin (his predecessor as vice president) by incumbent Vice President Henry Wilson (who as senator had voted for Johnson's ouster). Many Republicans ignored Senator Johnson, though some, such as Ohio's John Sherman (who had voted for conviction), shook his hand. Johnson remains the only former president to serve in the Senate. He spoke only once in the short session, on March 22 lambasting President Grant for his use of federal troops in support of Louisiana's Reconstruction government. The former president asked, "How far off is military despotism?" and concluded his speech, "may God bless this people and God save the Constitution".

Death[]

Johnson returned home after the special session concluded. In late July 1875, convinced some of his opponents were defaming him in the Ohio gubernatorial race, he decided to travel there to give speeches. He began the trip on July 28, and broke the journey at his daughter Mary's farm near Elizabethton, where his daughter Martha was also staying. That evening he had a stroke, but refused medical treatment until the next day, when he did not improve and two doctors were sent for from Elizabethton. He seemed to respond to their ministrations, but had another stroke on the evening of July 30, and died early the following morning at the age of 66. President Grant had the "painful duty" of announcing the death of the only surviving past president. Northern newspapers, in their obituaries, tended to focus on Johnson's loyalty during the war, while Southern ones paid tribute to his actions as president.

Gallery[]

Memorial[]

Facts and trivia[]

Andrew Johnson is one of four sitting U.S. Presidents to have Impeachment charges brought against them. The others were John Tyler, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton.

Johnson was of English, Scots-Irish, and Irish ancestry.

Johnson's birth in a two-room shack in Raleigh, North Carolina was a political asset in the mid-19th century, and he would frequently remind voters of his humble origins.

Johnson's father, Jacob Johnson, was a poor man, as had been his father, William Johnson, but he became town constable of Raleigh before marrying and starting a family. Both Jacob and his wife Mary were illiterate, and had worked as tavern servants.

Johnson, who grew up in poverty, never went to school and never had a formal education and ran away from home at a young age.

Johnson left North Carolina for Tennessee, traveling mostly on foot. After a brief period in Knoxville, he moved to Mooresville, Alabama. He then worked as a tailor in Columbia, Tennessee, but was called back to Raleigh by his mother and stepfather, who saw limited opportunities there and who wished to emigrate west.

Johnson worked as an apprentice for a tailor before opening up his own tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee. There, he met his future wife Eliza. She taught him algebra, how to read, write and spell, and she taught him about history and law. At 18, Johnson married at a younger age than any other President. Coincidentally, Johnson's wedding ceremony was presided over by Mordecai Lincoln, a paternal uncle of Abraham Lincoln.

The Johnsons were married for almost 50 years and had five children: Martha (1828), Charles (1830), Mary (1832), Robert (1834), and Andrew Jr. (1852).

Johnson served as alderman and mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee before being elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. After briefly serving in the Tennessee Senate, Johnson was elected to the House of Representatives in 1843, where he served five two-year terms. He became governor of Tennessee for four years, and was elected by the legislature to the Senate in 1857.

During his congressional service, Johnson sought passage of the Homestead Bill which was enacted soon after he left his Senate seat in 1862. Southern slave states seceded to form the Confederate States of America, including Tennessee, but Johnson remained firmly with the Union.

Johnson was the only sitting senator from a Confederate state who did not resign his seat upon learning of his state's secession.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as Military Governor of Tennessee after most of it had been retaken. Johnson was a logical choice as running mate for Lincoln, who wished to send a message of national unity in his re-election campaign; and became vice president after a victorious election in 1864.

Although it was unusual at the time for a national candidate to actively campaign, Johnson gave a number of speeches in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. He also sought to boost his chances in Tennessee while reestablishing civil government by making the loyalty oath even more restrictive, in that voters would now have to swear that they opposed making a settlement with the Confederacy.

In Johnson’s day, typhoid fever was much more common in the U.S. than it is today—and Johnson happened to be struck with the infection shortly before Lincoln’s inauguration on March 4, 1865. Though he made a recovery, he was still feeling ill before the ceremony. To combat the symptoms, he drank whiskey, slurring his words as a result. The public display of his inebriation led to rumors Johnson had a drinking problem. Lincoln himself was forced to address the rumors, reassuring Washington that they hadn’t just ushered a drunk into the Executive Branch.

The shooting of the President Lincoln by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth was part of a conspiracy to assassinate him, Johnson, and William Seward the same night. Seward barely survived his wounds, while Johnson escaped attack as his would-be assassin, George Atzerodt, got drunk instead of killing the vice president.

During his tenure, Johnson implemented his own form of Presidential Reconstruction, a series of proclamations directing the seceded states to hold conventions and elections to reform their civil governments. Southern states returned many of their old leaders and passed Black Codes to deprive the freedmen of many civil liberties, but Congressional Republicans refused to seat legislators from those states and advanced legislation to overrule the Southern actions. Johnson vetoed their bills, and Congressional Republicans overrode him, setting a pattern for the remainder of his presidency.

Johnson opposed the Fourteenth Amendment which gave citizenship to former slaves.

In 1866, Johnson went on an unprecedented national tour promoting his executive policies, seeking to break Republican opposition.

As the conflict grew between the branches of government, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act restricting Johnson's ability to fire Cabinet officials. He persisted in trying to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, but ended up being impeached by the House of Representatives and narrowly avoided conviction in the Senate.

Johnson did not win the 1868 Democratic presidential nomination and left office the following year.

After leaving the presidency, Johnson remained for some weeks in Washington, then returned to Greeneville for the first time in eight years. He was honored with large public celebrations along the way, especially in Tennessee, where cities hostile to him during the war hung out welcome banners. He had arranged to purchase a large farm near Greeneville to live on after his presidency.

Some expected Johnson to run for Governor of Tennessee or for the Senate again, while others thought that he would become a railroad executive. Johnson found Greeneville boring, and his private life was embittered by the suicide of his son Robert in 1869.

Seeking vindication for himself, and revenge against his political enemies, Johnson launched a U.S. Senate bid soon after returning home. Tennessee had gone Republican, but court rulings restoring the vote to some whites and the violence of the Ku Klux Klan suppressing the African-American vote, leading to a Democratic victory in the legislative elections in August 1869.

Johnson remains the only American President to be elected to the United States Senate after leaving office.

In 1873, Johnson contracted cholera during an epidemic but recovered; that year he lost about $73,000 when the First National Bank of Washington went under, though he was eventually repaid much of the sum.

In late July 1875, convinced some of his opponents were defaming him in the Ohio gubernatorial race, Johnson decided to travel there to give speeches. He began the trip on July 28, and broke the journey at his daughter Mary's farm near Elizabethton, where his daughter Martha was also staying. That evening he had a stroke, but refused medical treatment until the next day, when he did not improve and two doctors were sent for from Elizabethton. He seemed to respond to their ministrations, but had another stroke on the evening of July 30, and died early the following morning at the age of 66.

President Ulysses S. Grant had the "painful duty" of announcing the death of the only surviving past president. Northern newspapers, in their obituaries, tended to focus on Johnson's loyalty during the war, while Southern ones paid tribute to his actions as president.

Johnson's funeral was held on August 3 in Greeneville. He was buried with his body wrapped in an American flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution placed under his head, according to his wishes. The burial ground was dedicated as the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in 1906, and with his home and tailor's shop, is part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.

Johnson's strong opposition to federally guaranteed rights for black Americans is widely criticized; he is regarded by many historians as one of the worst presidents in American history.

References[]