Andrew Johnson (1808 – 1875) [cite this] More images » Life in Brief: Andrew Johnson gives truth to the saying that in America, anyone can grow up to become President. Born in a log cabin in North Carolina to nearly illiterate parents, Andrew Johnson did not master the basics of reading, grammar, or math until he met h… more life in brief » Essays about Andrew Johnson Life in Brief Life in Brief: Andrew Johnson gives truth to the saying that in America, anyone can grow up to become President. Born in a log cabin in North Carolina to nearly illiterate parents, Andrew Johnson did not master the basics of reading, grammar, or math until he met his wife at the age of seventeen. The only other ma… Life Before the Presidency Life Before the Presidency: Andrew Johnson was born in a log cabin to nearly illiterate parents on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father, Jacob Johnson, had scratched out a living as a hotel porter and bank janitor in Raleigh. Tragically, Jacob died while trying to save two of his wealthy employers from dro… Campaigns and Elections Campaigns and Elections: The Campaign and Election of 1864 Uncertain about his chances for reelection in 1864, President Lincoln tried to balance the ticket by convincing Republican delegates to their National Union Convention to drop Hannibal Hamlin of Maine as vice president in favor of Andrew Johnson, who was the most p…Domestic Affairs Domestic Affairs: On April 15, six weeks after Andrew Johnson was sworn in as vice president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Had the assassin's plot gone as planned, Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Secretary of State William Seward would have also been killed. As it turned out, co-consp…Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs: Although Andrew Johnson's presidency was marked by significant chaos and administrative ineptitude on the home front, Secretary of State William H. Seward ably managed its foreign affairs. In 1866, the Russian minister to the United States indicated that Czar Alexander II might be willing to sel…Life After the Presidency Life After the Presidency: After President Johnson lost the Democratic Party nomination for the 1868 presidential election, he finished his term in office and then returned to Tennessee. "I have performed my duty to my God, my country, and my family," he insisted as he left Washington. "I have nothing to fear.&…Family Life Family Life: Life in the White House for Andrew Johnson's family was an ongoing cavalcade of visitors and activity. Because his wife, Eliza, was a semi-invalid and kept to her room most of the time, suffering from tuberculosis, Johnson asked his two daughters, Martha and Mary, a widow, to live in the Wh…The American Franchise The American Franchise: During Andrew Johnson's presidency, the composition of the American electorate underwent revolutionary change. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, in conjunction with Congressional Reconstruction, set the stage for extending suffrage to hundreds of thousands of African American males. Con…Impact and Legacy Impact and Legacy: For the most part, historians view Andrew Johnson as the worst possible person to have served as President at the end of the American Civil War. Because of his gross incompetence in federal office and his incredible miscalculation of the extent of public support for his policies, Johnson is judged a… About His Administration First Lady Eliza Johnson, Martha Johnson Vice President none Secretary of State William H. Seward (1865–1869) Secretary of the Interior Orville Browning (1866–1869) James Harlan (1865–1866) John P. Usher (1865) Attorney General William M. Evarts (1868–1869) Henry Stanbery (1866–1868) James Speed (1865–1866) Postmaster General Alexander W. Randall (1866–1869) William Dennison (1865–1866) Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch (1865–1869) Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles (1865–1869) Secretary of War John M. Schofield (1868–1869) Ulysses S. Grant (1867–1868) Edwin M. Stanton (1865–1868) Facts about Andrew Johnson Term: 17th President of the United States (1865 – 1869) Born: December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina Political Party: Democrat; Unionist Died: July 31, 1875 Nickname: None Religion: No formal affiliation Marriage: May 17, 1827, to Eliza McCardle (1810–1876) Children: Martha (1828–1901), Charles (1830–1863), Mary (1832–1883), Robert (1834–1869), Andrew (1852–1879) Career: Tailor; Public Official Buried: Greeneville, Tennessee WritingsPapers of Andrew Johnson, 8 vols., ed. by L. P. Graf et al. (1967-1990) Andrew Johnson Image Gallery More images » The grief of the nation is still fresh. December 4, 1865 Citation Information Consulting Editor Elizabeth R. Varon Professor Varon is the Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History at the University of Virginia. Her writings include: Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2013) Disunion!: The Coming of the American Civil War, 1789-1859 (University of North Carolina Press, 2008) Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy (Oxford University Press, 2003) We Mean to Be Counted: White Women and Politics in Antebellum Virginia (University of North Carolina Press, 1998) Ulysses S. Grant » « Abraham Lincoln American President has changed! Click here to take a short survey and tell us what you think!