Andrew Johnson 1865 - 1869

Born: 1808, Raleigh, NC
Died: 1875

As a child Andrew Johnson was a tailor's apprentice who later opened his own shop in Tennessee. A champion of the common man, he taught himself reading and the rudiments of law, and entered politics as a Democrat. The only Southern Senator who remained loyal to the Union when the South seceded, Johnson was chosen by the National Union League (a coalition of Republicans and War Democrats) to run with Lincoln in 1864.

When the President was assassinated, Johnson tried to restore southern prosperity and pride, but lacking Lincoln's genius and hard-won reputation as a man of his word, Johnson never had a chance. sharing Lincoln's desire for reconstruction instead of retribution, Johnson offered amnesty to those who pledged allegiance to the Union. But many Southern states were enacting racially discriminatory "black codes," angering the Radical Republicans in Congress. They responded with a volley of laws passed over the President's vetoes, and placed the South under military occupation. In 1868 the House initiated impeachment proceedings against Johnson for firing his Secretary of War, but the Senate fell one vote short of conviction. Johnson's one success was in buying Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

Seventeenth President
National Union