Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson
Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain · source
Name	Andrew Johnson
Born	December 29, 1808
Birthplace	Raleigh, North Carolina
Died	July 31, 1875
Deathplace	Carter's Creek, Tennessee
Resting place	Greeneville, Tennessee
Party	Democratic Party (before 1864), National Union Party (1864–1868), Democratic Party (after 1868)
Spouse	Eliza McCardle
Children	Robert Johnson (son), Charles Johnson (son), others

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869 after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. A tailor by trade who rose through local and state politics, he served as Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee, Governor of Tennessee, United States Senator from Tennessee, and Military Governor of Tennessee during the American Civil War. Johnson's presidency was dominated by conflicts over Reconstruction policy, clashes with the Thirteenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and a historic impeachment proceeding that tested constitutional limits. His legacy remains contested among historians of Reconstruction and scholars of presidential power.

Early life and rise in Tennessee politics

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina and apprenticed as a tailor, Johnson moved to Greeneville, Tennessee where he established a business and entered public life. He began his political career in municipal office as Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee and advanced to the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee State Senate, aligning with the Democratic Party. Johnson served two terms as Governor of Tennessee (1853–1857) and later represented Tennessee as a member of the United States House of Representatives (1843–1853) and the United States Senate (1857–1862). His populist appeals placed him at odds with elite figures from Nashville, Tennessee and Jacksonian Democrats, while he cultivated alliances with regional leaders such as Andrew Jackson's political heirs and local notables in East Tennessee.

Civil War and loyalty to the Union

As sectional tensions escalated toward the American Civil War, Johnson remained a staunch Unionist despite Tennessee's secession in 1861. Refusing to follow South Carolina and other seceding states, he was appointed Military Governor of Tennessee by Abraham Lincoln and helped restore federal authority in the state. Johnson's Unionist stance drew support from William G. Brownlow and other Unionist leaders in East Tennessee, but alienated pro-Confederate figures such as Jefferson Davis and many members of the Tennessee legislature. During the war Johnson cooperated with Ulysses S. Grant's military administration on matters of local reconstruction, emancipation measures influenced by the Emancipation Proclamation, and disputes with Radical Republicans in Congress over the treatment of former Confederates.

Reconstruction presidency (1865–1869)

Assuming the presidency after John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, Johnson confronted the immediate task of reintegrating the former Confederate states and addressing the status of formerly enslaved people under the recently ratified Thirteenth Amendment. He favored a swift restoration of Southern state governments under presidential pardons and opposed stringent conditions advocated by Radical Republicans including Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner. Johnson vetoed legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, prompting Congressional Republicans to override his vetoes and pass the Fourteenth Amendment to secure citizenship and equal protection for freedmen. Conflicts with leaders of the United States Congress intensified over military governance under the Reconstruction Acts and the authority of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

Impeachment and trial

Tensions culminated in a constitutional crisis when Johnson dismissed Edwin M. Stanton in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, triggering impeachment proceedings led by the House of Representatives under the control of Radical Republicans. The United States Senate tried Johnson in 1868 on multiple articles of impeachment focused on the alleged unlawful removal of Stanton and obstruction of Reconstruction policy. Influential figures during the trial included senators such as Benjamin Wade and prosecutors aligned with Thaddeus Stevens. Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office by a single vote, as several Republican senators including Edmund G. Ross voted for acquittal, citing concerns about constitutional precedent and separation of powers. The trial produced landmark interpretations of executive authority and congressional impeachment powers that shaped later debates in American constitutional law.

Later life and legacy

After leaving the presidency in 1869, Johnson remained politically active, returning to Tennessee and attempting a comeback that culminated in election to the United States Senate in 1875, shortly before his death—making him the only former president to serve later in the Senate. His post-presidential years were marked by efforts to rehabilitate his public image amid criticism from Radical Republicans, abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, and biographers emphasizing his resistance to measures for Black civil rights. Historians and scholars of Reconstruction have debated Johnson's motivations, situating him variously as a defender of states' rights, a believer in rapid reintegration, and a figure whose policies hindered full emancipation and equality. Johnson's tenure influenced later reunification policies, the evolution of civil rights legislation, and the interpretation of presidential impeachment; he remains a focal point in studies of the postwar United States and 19th-century American politics.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:People from Tennessee Category:19th-century American politicians