Johnson, Andrew

Life Span
to
    Full name
    Andrew Johnson
    Place of Birth
    Birth Date Certainty
    Exact
    Death Date Certainty
    Exact
    Gender
    Male
    Race
    White
    Sectional choice
    North
    Origins
    Slave State
    No. of Spouses
    1
    No. of Children
    5
    Family
    Jacob Johnson (father), Mary McDonough (mother), Eliza McCardle (wife, 1827)
    Occupation
    Politician
    Military
    Businessman
    Political Parties
    Democratic
    Republican
    Union (Unconditional Union, National Union)
    Government
    President
    Lincoln Administration (1861-65)
    Johnson Administration (1865-69)
    US Senate
    US House of Representatives
    Governor
    State legislature
    Local government
    Military
    Union Army

    Andrew Johnson (Congressional Biographical Directory)

    Reference
    JOHNSON, Andrew,  (father-in-law of David Trotter Patterson), a Representative and a Senator from Tennessee and a Vice President and 17th President of the United States; born in Raleigh, N.C., on December 29, 1808; self-educated; at the age of 13 was apprenticed to a tailor; moved to Tennessee in 1826; employed as a tailor; alderman of Greeneville, Tenn., 1828-1830; mayor of Greeneville 1834-1838; member, State house of representatives 1835-1837, 1839-1841; elected to the State senate in 1841; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1853); chairman, Committee on Public Expenditures (Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses); did not seek renomination, having become a gubernatorial candidate; Governor of Tennessee 1853-1857; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from October 8, 1857, to March 4, 1862, when he resigned; chairman, Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses (Thirty-sixth Congress), Committee on the District of Columbia (Thirty-sixth Congress); appointed by President Abraham Lincoln Military Governor of Tennessee in 1862; elected Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket with Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and was inaugurated on March 4, 1865; became President of the United States on April 15, 1865, upon the death of Abraham Lincoln; wide differences arising between the President and the Congress, a resolution for his impeachment passed the House of Representatives on February 24, 1868; eleven articles were set out in the resolution and the trial before the Senate lasted three months, at the conclusion of which he was acquitted (May 26, 1868) by a vote of thirty-five for conviction to nineteen for acquittal, the necessary two-thirds vote for impeachment not having been obtained; retired to his home in Tennessee upon the expiration of the presidential term, March 3, 1869; unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1869 and to the House of Representatives in 1872; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1875, until his death near Elizabethton, Carter County, Tenn., July 31, 1875; interment in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Greeneville, Greene County, Tenn.
    “Johnson, Andrew,” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=j000116.

    Andrew Johnson (American National Biography)

    Scholarship
    The election of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent secession crisis confronted Johnson with a difficult choice. Should he, like other Tennessee Democrats, uphold southern pretentions, or should he declare his Unionism, a position more popular among the opposition in East Tennessee than among his own party associates? Johnson never hesitated; fully convinced that the Union must be preserved and knowing that there would be no future for him in a southern Confederacy dominated by men like Jefferson Davis, whom he had fought for years, he defied the southern mainstream. After introducing constitutional amendments calling for the direct election of presidents, limitation of the terms of Supreme Court justices, and the division of the remaining territories between free and slave states, on 18-19 December 1860, in a ringing Senate speech in support of these amendments, he called secession treason and demanded that the government enforce the Constitution and the laws. Although he never said that states could be coerced--he wanted individuals to be held to their obedience--he was denounced as a traitor throughout the South. But in the North he became a hero, and his reputation was not diminished by two more antisecession speeches on 5-6 February and 2 March 1861.
    Hans L. Trefousse, "Johnson, Andrew," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/04/04-00566.html.
    Date Event
    Andrew Johnson is born in Raleigh, North Carolina
    Tennessee Democrats nominate Senator Andrew Johnson as their candidate for president
    Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee defends the Union on the floor of the U.S. Senate
    In Memphis, U.S. Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee is hanged in effigy
    In Congress, John J. Crittenden introduces his half of a resolution limiting Union war aims
    In the Senate, Andrew Johnson introduces his half of the joint resolution limiting Union war aims
    The Senate passes the Crittenden-Johnson Resolution that limits U.S. war aims to saving the Union
    In Washington, the U.S. Senate votes 33 to 3 to set up the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War
    In Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives votes for a Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War
    In Washington, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War meets for the first time
    President Lincoln names Andrew Johnson the military governor of Tennessee
    Tennessee military governor Andrew Johnson removes the entire Nashville city council
    The U.S. Senate organizes the impeachment trial of U.S. District Judge West H. Humphreys
    The U.S. Senate trial of U.S. District Judge West H. Humphreys of Tennessee ends with his removal
    Abraham Lincoln is re-elected as President of the United States and Republicans make sweeping electoral gains
    Vice-President Andrew Johnson takes the oath as seventeenth President of the United States
    President Johnson sets May 25th as a day of "special humiliation and prayer" for Abraham Lincoln
    For Christian religious reasons, President Johnson adjusts the day of mourning for Abraham Lincoln to June 1, 1865
    In Washington, President Johnson orders a military trial for John Wilkes Booth's accused fellow plotters
    In Washington, the officers of the military court for John Wilkes Booth's accused fellow plotters are named
    In Washington, membership of the military court for John Wilkes Booth's accused fellow plotters is adjusted
    President Johnson recognizes Virginia's "Alexandria" legislature and appoints Francis Pierpont provisional governor
    In Washington, the accused Lincoln Assassination plotters all plead not guilty before their military court
    In Washington D.C., thousands watch as the victorious Army of the Potomac parades through the city
    In Washington D.C., the second day of the Grand Review sees General Sherman's army parade through the city
    President Johnson appoints long-time judge William L. Sharkey as provisional governor of Mississippi
    President Johnson appoints Andrew Jackson Hamilton as provisional governor of Texas
    - Virginia's "Alexandria" legislature moves back to Richmond for its final session
    President Johnson appoints Lewis E. Parsons, Sr. as provisional governor of Alabama
    President Johnson appoints Benjamin Franklin Perry as provisional governor of South Carolina
    In Washington, President Andrew Johnson approves the sentences passed down to the Lincoln conspirators
    In Washington's Old Penitentiary, the Lincoln conspirators are told their fate in their cells
    President Johnson names former federal judge William Marvin as provisional governor of Florida
    President Johnson orders the surviving Lincoln conspirators to serve their sentences off the coast of Florida
    In Washington, D.C., heavy rainfall damages the White House
    In Washington D.C., the National Police head Lafayette Baker is indicted for false imprisonment and extortion
    In Washington, Mary E. Walker is awarded the Medal of Honor for her services as a Union wartime nurse
    Volunteer Generals Butler and Dix end their Civil War military service
    President Johnson lifts the suspension of Habeas Corpus in all loyal states but retains it in the South
    The third annual celebration of Thanksgiving Day takes place across the country
    In Washington D.C., the trial of former National Police head Lafayette Baker for false imprisonment begins
    At the U.S. Capitol, the Senate passes the Civil Rights Bill of 1866
    In Washington, Frederick Douglass leads a delegation of African-American leaders to the White House
    In Washington, President Johnson vetoes the Freedmen's Bureau Bill
    In Washington, the Senate fails to over-ride President Johnson's veto of the Freedmen's Bureau Bill
    Indiana Republicans meet in convention in Indianapolis and praise President Johnson
    President Johnson dismisses his critic, Jane Grey Swisshelm, from her War Department job
    President Johnson asks the Louisiana legislature to postpone its call for a new constitution.
    Ex-Confederate General George Pickett reaches out to his old West Point friend U.S. Grant for amnesty
    At the U.S. Capitol, the House of Representatives passes the Civil Rights Bill of 1866
    President Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Bill of 1866
    In Washington, the U.S. Senate votes to over-ride the presidential veto of the Civil Rights Bill
    Mexican Ambassador Matias Romero meets with President Johnson seeking assistance for Mexico
    In Washington, House of Representatives votes to overturn the presidential veto of the Civil Rights Bill
    Thousands of African-American citizens in Washington D.C. celebrate the anniversary of their emancipation
    In Washington, DC, Tennessee is readmitted to full representation the United States Congress
    John Ross, for thirty-eight years Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, dies in Washington, D.C.
    President Johnson proclaims the U.S. will not honor Imperial Mexico's blockade of rebel Matamoras.
    President Andrew Johnson's "Swing Around the Circle" speaking tour travels across New Jersey to New York City.
    In Chicago, the cornerstone of the monument at the grave of Stephen Douglas is dedicated.
    The Massachusetts Republican Convention meets and has harsh words for President Johnson.
    In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, disaster strikes for hundreds when a viewing platform collapses.
    In a Cleveland, Ohio speech, Benjamin Butler threatens President Johnson with impeachment.
    President Johnson's Secretary of the Interior, James Harlan of Iowa, resigns.
    President Johnson attends the cornerstone dedication of a new Masonic Temple in Baltimore, Maryland.
    Senator George Williams of Oregon introduces the "Tenure of Office Act" in the U.S. Senate.
    The U.S. Senate passes the initial version of the "Tenure of Office Act" on a vote of twenty-nine for and nine against.
    In Washington D.C., President Johnson vetoes the Colorado Statehood Bill
    The compromise "Tenure of Office Act" passes the U.S. Senate by a vote of twenty-two to ten.
    The compromise "Tenure of Office Act" passes the House of Representatives by a vote of 112 to 41.
    The U.S. Senate fails to override President Johnson's veto of the Colorado Statehood Bill.
    President Johnson rejects the "Tenure of Office Bill" and the Congress over-rides his veto before the day is out.
    The 39th Congress restricts the ability of the White House to dismiss the commanding general of the army.
    President Johnson rejects the amended Reconstruction Act and Congress easily over-rides his veto on the same day.
    - The United States Senate is sitting in special session in Washington DC
    The U.S. Supreme Court rejects Mississippi's challenge to the Military Reconstruction Acts.
    The U.S. Supreme Court rejects Georgia's challenge to the Military Reconstruction Acts.
    President Johnson visits Boston to help dedicate the new Masonic Temple in the city.
    President Johnson relieves Fifth District military governor General Phil Sheridan of his duties.
    The Union League of New York City hosts a massive reception for General Philip Sheridan.
    Date Title
    Andrew Johnson and William B. Carter to Abraham Lincoln, August 6, 1861
    Andrew Johnson to Montgomery Blair, November 24, 1863, Nashville, Tennessee.
    President Andrew Johnson, Reply to a Delegation of Southern Refugees, Washington D.C., April 24, 1865
    Andrew Johnson, Proclamation, Removal of Trade Restrictions in Occupied Southern States, Washington, D.C.
    Andrew Johnson, Proclamation, Reward for the Conspirators, Washington, D.C.
    Andrew Johnson, Amnesty Proclamation, Washington D.C., May 29, 1865
    Andrew Johnson, Proclamation of Reconstruction of North Carolina, Washington, D.C.
    Andrew Johnson, "Proclamation naming Lewis E. Parsons, Jr. provisional governor of Alabama," June 21, 1865, Washington, D.C.
    Andrew Johnson to David Wills, July 3, 1865
    Andrew Johnson, "Remarks to the First Colored Regiment of the District of Columbia," October 10, 1865, Washington D.C.
    Andrew Johnson to James Johnson, October 28, 1865, Washington, D.C.
    Andrew Johnson, "Message to Congress respecting the condition of affairs in the Southern States," December 18, 1865
    Transcript, Meeting between President Andrew Johnson and a Delegation of African-Americans, White House, February 7, 1866
    Andrew Johnson, Speech to visiting delegation of the Virginia Legislature, the White House, Washington, D.C., February 10, 1866
    Andrew Johnson, Freedmen's Bureau Bill veto message, February 19, 1866
    Andrew Johnson, Speech before Washington's Birthday Meeting, Washington, D.C., February 22, 1866
    Andrew Johnson, Civil Rights Bill Veto Message, March 27, 1866
    Andrew Johnson, Proclamation announcing that the Rebellion has ended, April 2, 1866
    Andrew Johnson to Philip H. Sheridan, Washington, DC, August 4, 1866.
    Andrew Johnson, Proclamation Declaring the Insurrection at an End in Texas, and Civil Authority existing throughout the whole of the United States, August 20, 1866, Washington, D.C.
    Date Title
    Fayetteville (NC) Observer, "A Hoax," April 4, 1861
    (Concord) New Hampshire Statesman, “Andrew Johnson,” July 6, 1861
    Edwin M. Stanton to Major General William T. Sherman, April 15, 1865
    Maunsell Bradhurst Field to Editor New York Times, Letter accounting the Passing of President Abraham Lincoln, April 16, 1865
    "The Murder of President Lincoln," New York Times, April 16, 1865
    "The Consequence," Chicago Tribune, April 17, 1865
    Milwaukee (WI) Sentinel, “The Calamity,” April 19, 1865
    George Alfred Townsend, "The Obsequies in Washington," April 19, 1865
    Charges and specifications against the Lincoln Conspirators on trial in Washington, D.C., May 8, 1865
    Transcript, Meeting between President Andrew Johnson and a Delegation of African-Americans, White House, February 7, 1866
    Frederick Douglass, et al, to Andrew Johnson, February 7, 1866
    Editorial, New York World, February 20, 1866
    "The Mask Removed," Chicago Tribune, February 21, 1866
    "The Culprits," Chicago Tribune, February 23, 1866
    "President Johnson and His Enemies," Daily Union and American (Nashville, TN), March 28, 1866
    "The President's Veto," Daily Union and American (Nashville, TN), March 28, 1866
    Brigadier General Davis Tillson to Major General Oliver O. Howard, Augusta, Georgia, April 7, 1866
    An Act to protect all Persons in the United States in their Civil Rights, and to furnish the means for their Vindication, April 9, 1866
    George William Curtis, "The Civil Rights Bill," Harper's Weekly Magazine, April 14, 1866, pp. 226-227.
    Brigadier General Edward D. Townsend to Major General Oliver O. Howard, Washington, D.C., April 17, 1866
    War Department, General Order 26, Washington, DC, May 1, 1866
    Resolutions, Republican Party of Illinois in Convention, August 8, 1866, Springfield, Illinois
    Resolutions, Democratic Party of Maryland in Convention, Baltimore, August 8, 1866.
    Resolutions, the Unconditional Union party of Maryland in Convention, Baltimore, Maryland, August 15, 1866.
    Resolutions, Union League of Philadelphia, August 22, 1866, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
    James M. Ashley, Motion to Impeach the President of the United States, floor of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., January 7, 1867.
    United States Congress, "An Act to provide for the more efficient Government of the Rebel States," March 2, 1867.
    United States Congress, "An Act regulating the Tenure of certain Civil Offices," March 2, 1867
    Chicago Style Entry Link
    Albright, Claude. “Dixon, Doolittle, and Norton: The Forgotten Republican Votes on Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment.” Wisconsin Magazine of History 59 (Winter 1975-1976): 91-100. view record
    Brigance, William Norwood. “Jeremiah Black and Andrew Johnson.” Mississippi Valley Historical Review 19, no. 2 (1932): 205-218. view record
    Cutler, Wayne. "Jackson, Polk, and Johnson: Defenders of the Moral Economy." Tennessee Historical Quarterly 54, no. 3 (1995): 178-189. view record
    Fehrenbacher, Don E. "The Making of a Myth: Lincoln and the Vice-Presidential Nomination in 1864." Civil War History 41, no. 4 (1994): 273-290. view record
    McPherson, James M. The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1964. view record
    Simpson, Brooks D. Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grant and the Politics of War and Reconstruction, 1861-1868. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991. view record
    Simpson, Brooks D. The Reconstruction Presidents. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998. view record
    Trefousse, Hans L. "Thaddeus Stevens and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 101, no. 2 (1999): 50-63. view record
    Trefousse, Hans L. Andrew Johnson: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1989. view record
    Trefousse, Hans L. Impeachment of a President: Andrew Johnson, the Blacks, and Reconstruction. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1975. view record
    How to Cite This Page: "Johnson, Andrew," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/5982.