Richard Mentor Johnson

Richard Mentor Johnson
Name	Richard Mentor Johnson
Caption	Portrait of Richard Mentor Johnson
Office	9th Vice President of the United States
President	Martin Van Buren
Term start	March 4, 1837
Term end	March 4, 1841
Predecessor	Martin Van Buren
Successor	John Tyler
Office1	United States Senator from Kentucky
Term start1	December 10, 1819
Term end1	March 3, 1829
Predecessor1	John J. Crittenden
Successor1	George M. Bibb
Office2	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky
Term start2	March 4, 1807
Term end2	March 3, 1819
Predecessor2	District established
Successor2	Francis Johnson
Birth date	17 October 1780
Birth place	Beargrass, Kentucky County, Virginia, British America
Death date	19 November 1850
Death place	Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.
Party	Democratic-Republican (before 1825), Jacksonian (1825–1828), Democratic (1828–1850)
Alma mater	Transylvania University
Occupation	Lawyer, Politician
Branch	Kentucky Militia
Serviceyears	1812–1813
Rank	Colonel
Battles	War of 1812, • Battle of the Thames

Richard Mentor Johnson was the ninth Vice President of the United States, serving under President Martin Van Buren from 1837 to 1841. A prominent Kentucky politician, he served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and was a noted military officer during the War of 1812. His vice presidency was historically unique, as he remains the only vice president ever elected by the United States Senate pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Early life and education

He was born in 1780 at the settlement of Beargrass in what was then part of Virginia. His father, Robert Johnson, was a prominent early settler and landowner in the Kentucky region. He received his early education from private tutors before attending the prestigious Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, where he studied law. After being admitted to the bar, he began his legal practice in Great Crossing, Kentucky, quickly establishing himself within the frontier community.

Military service

During the War of 1812, he commanded a regiment of Kentucky Militia mounted riflemen. His most famous military action came at the 1813 Battle of the Thames in Upper Canada. Popular legend, which he and his supporters actively promoted, held that he personally killed the famed Shawnee leader Tecumseh during the conflict. This claim became a central pillar of his subsequent political identity, earning him the enduring nickname "The Man Who Killed Tecumseh" and providing significant capital on the campaign trail in the American West.

Political career

His political career began with his election to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1804. He was subsequently elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1807 to 1819. In Congress, he was a staunch ally of Henry Clay and supported policies favoring western expansion and veterans' benefits. After his House service, he represented Kentucky in the United States Senate from 1819 to 1829, where he continued to advocate for internal improvements and soldiers' pensions. A devoted follower, he became a key figure in the Jacksonian democracy movement.

Vice presidency (1837–1841)

At the 1836 Democratic National Convention, he was nominated as the running mate for Martin Van Buren. However, he failed to secure an electoral majority, sending the election to the United States Senate under the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Senate elected him, making him the only vice president chosen by that body. His tenure was marked by political controversy, largely due to his open, long-term relationship with an enslaved woman, Julia Chinn, whom he treated as his common-law wife. This scandal, combined with economic turmoil from the Panic of 1837, made him a liability for the Democratic ticket.

Later life and death

After leaving office in 1841, he returned to Kentucky and remained active in state politics. He made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1844. He spent his final years managing his estate, Blue Spring Farm, near Georgetown, Kentucky. He died of a stroke in November 1850 while visiting the state capital of Frankfort, Kentucky. He was interred at the Frankfort Cemetery, a burial ground for many notable Kentucky figures.

Legacy

His legacy is complex, defined by his unique electoral history and his controversial personal life. Historians often cite his vice presidency as a case study in the early American political party system's management of sectional and moral tensions. The claim of his role at the Battle of the Thames remains a subject of historical debate. While his relationship with Julia Chinn was scandalous for its time, it is also examined by modern scholars for its challenges to the rigid racial and social structures of antebellum America.

Category:1780 births Category:1850 deaths Category:Vice presidents of the United States Category:United States senators from Kentucky Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky