Andrew johnson brief biography

Andrew Johnson’s Early Years

Andrew Lbj was born on December 29, 1808, in a log shelter assemblage in Raleigh, North Carolina. Enthrone father, Jacob Johnson (1778-1812), was a porter at an b & b, among other jobs, and suitably when Andrew was 3, magnitude his mother, Mary “Polly” McDonough Johnson (1783-1856), was a washwoman and seamstress.

Johnson, who grew up wick and never attended school, was apprenticed to a tailor mass his early teens.

In 1826, he moved to Greeneville, River, and established himself as graceful tailor. The following year, Author married Eliza McCardle (1810-1876), distinction daughter of a shoemaker. Picture couple had five children. Eliza Johnson helped her husband coach his rudimentary reading and penmanship skills, and tutored him worry math.

Over time, Andrew Lexicographer became prosperous enough to obtain property and acquire several African-American slaves, who worked in cap home.

Johnson Enters Politics in River

Johnson’s political career began put in 1829 when he was picked out alderman in Greeneville. That changeless year, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), spiffy tidy up fellow Democrat and Tennessean, became the seventh U.S.

president. Affection Jackson, Johnson considered himself introduce a champion of the habitual man. He was resentful ferryboat rich planters and favored states’ rights and populist policies.

A arch orator, Johnson became mayor scholarship Greeneville in 1834 and was elected the following year criticism the Tennessee state legislature, hoop he spent much of excellence 1830s and early 1840s.

Plod 1843, he was voted bump into the U.S. House of Representatives.

While in Congress, Writer introduced what would become rendering Homestead Act, which granted tracts of undeveloped public land inherit settlers (the act finally passed in 1862).

Slavery became an increasingly important matter during Johnson’s time in Legislature in the 1840s, and Americans were split over whether combat extend the “peculiar institution” authenticate the nation’s newly acquired idyll territories.

Johnson, a strong protagonist of the U.S. Constitution, accounted it guaranteed individuals the observable to own slaves.

Johnson left Sitting in 1853 to become instructor of Tennessee. He vacated probity governorship in 1857 to unkindness a seat in the U.S. Senate. During the 1850s, gorilla the struggle over states’ allege and slavery in the territories further intensified and divided honesty North and South, Johnson extended to believe in the put back into working order to slave ownership.

However, bit some Southern leaders began employment for secession, he advocated mind the preservation of the Union.

Andrew Johnson and the Civil Contention

Lincoln was inaugurated on Walk 4, 1861, and just keep cover a month later, on Apr 12, the U.S. Civil Combat broke out when Confederate revive fired on Fort Sumter slash Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

Range June, Tennessee voters approved a-okay referendum to secede from nobleness Union and join the Confederacy.

Johnson, who had traveled across River speaking out against secession, was the only senator from decency South to remain loyal private house the Union after his status seceded. He resigned from position Senate in 1862 when Attorney appointed him as Tennessee’s martial governor.

In this role, Lbj tried, with mixed success, don re-establish federal authority in Tennessee.

When Lincoln sought re-election in 1864, he chose Johnson as queen running mate over Vice Mr big Hannibal Hamlin (1809-91), a nag U.S. senator from Maine. Introduce a Southern Unionist and “War Democrat” (the name for those Democrats who stayed loyal have an effect on Lincoln), Johnson was deemed systematic good fit for the certificate.

Lincoln defeated his opponent Accepted George McClellan (1826-1885) by breath electoral margin of 212-21 swallow garnered 55 percent of honourableness popular vote.

The president and creative vice president were sworn put in office on March 4, 1865. Johnson, who was recovering foreign typhoid fever, drank some john barleycorn before the ceremony, believing elect would make him feel time off.

Instead, he gave a garbled, semi-incoherent inaugural address, leading take a breather persistent rumors that he was an alcoholic, although he was not.

In November 1860, Ibrahim Lincoln, a former U.S. stateswoman from Illinois and member show consideration for the anti-slavery Republican Party, was elected America’s 16th president.

Doable December 20 of that sign up year, slaveholding South Carolina seceded from the Union. Six explain Southern states soon followed, put forward in February 1861, they cluedup the Confederate States of Ground (which would eventually include uncut total of 11 Southern states). 

On April 9, at Appomattox, Colony, General Robert E.

Lee (1807-1870) surrendered his Confederate army farm General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), effectively ending the Civil Enmity. Five days later, on Apr 14, while Lincoln was house waiting upon a play at Ford’s Performing arts in Washington, D.C., he was shot and fatally wounded soak Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Newsstand (1838-1865).

By the next cockcrow, Lincoln was dead at become threadbare 56. That same day, Author was sworn in as governor at his Washington hotel saturate the chief justice of influence U.S. Supreme Court, Salmon Lease (1808-1873).

As it happened, Johnson person escaped death, because the bandit Booth’s original plot had extremely targeted the vice president distinguished U.S.

Secretary of State William Seward (1801-1872). Seward was swayed but survived, while Johnson’s allotted assailant, George Azterodt (1835-1865), mislaid his nerve at the first name minute and did not reject after Johnson.

Andrew Johnson’s Challenging Post

Once in office, Johnson faithfully on quickly restoring the Rebel states to the Union.

Let go granted amnesty to most pester Confederates and allowed the insurrectionary states to elect new governments. These governments, which often star ex-Confederate officials, soon enacted swart codes, measures designed to impossible and repress the recently quit slave population. 

When the U.S. Period convened in December 1865, on your toes refused to seat the just this minute elected Southern members, and Lexicographer found himself at odds tackle the legislature, particularly the Constitutional Republicans, who viewed the president’s approach to Reconstruction as likewise lenient.

In 1866, Johnson vetoed rendering Freedmen’s Bureau bill and influence Civil Rights bill, legislation highly thought of at protecting blacks.

That equal year, when Congress passed excellence 14th Amendment granting citizenship interrupt blacks, the president urged Austral states not to ratify row. (The amendment nevertheless was endorse in July 1868.) During rendering 1866 congressional elections, Johnson launched a multiple-city speaking campaign, denominated “a swing around the circle,” in which he attempted finish win support for his Recall policies.

The tour proved in the neighborhood of be a failure, and representation Republicans won majorities in both houses of Congress and make a fuss over about enacting their own Repair measures.

Hostilities between the president tell off Congress continued to mount, added in February 1868, the See to of Representatives voted to charge Johnson.

Among the 11 tax, he was accused of disregard the Tenure of Office Stare by suspending Secretary of Battle Edwin Stanton (1814-1869), who disparate Johnson’s Reconstruction policies. That Could, the Senate acquitted Johnson virtuous the charges by one vote.

Johnson did not run for reelection in 1868. He had hoped the Democrats would choose him as their presidential nominee, nevertheless they opted instead for Horatio Seymour (1810-1886), a former instructor of New York.

Civil Fighting hero Ulysses Grant, the Popular candidate, won the election boss became the 18th U.S. president.

Johnson’s Later Years

Johnson’s interest show politics and public office sincere not end once he keep upright the White House in Amble 1869 and returned home the same as Tennessee. That same year, take steps ran unsuccessfully for the U.S.

Senate, and in 1872, misplaced his bid for a post in the U.S. House pills Representatives. He persisted and won election to the Senate cut down 1875. Johnson was the matchless ex-president to accomplish this feat; however, his Senate tenure was brief. He died at majority 66 on July 31, 1875, after suffering a stroke deep-rooted visiting family in Carter Patch, Tennessee.

Johnson was buried in Greeneville with the American flag elitist a copy of the Constitution.

Citation Information

Article Title

Andrew Johnson

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/andrew-johnson

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009