author
Andrew Johnson
1808–1875
Born into poverty and largely self-taught, he rose from tailor to president at one of the most turbulent moments in American history. His presidency, which began after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, became one of the most contested of the Reconstruction era.
1 Audiobook
State of the Union Addresses
by Andrew Johnson
About the author
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808, he had little formal schooling and learned to read and write later in life. After working as a tailor, he settled in Greeneville, Tennessee, where he built a political career that took him from local office to Congress, the governorship of Tennessee, and the U.S. Senate.
During the Civil War, he stood out as a Southern senator who remained loyal to the Union. Abraham Lincoln chose him as his running mate in 1864, and he became president in April 1865 after Lincoln was assassinated.
His years in the White House were dominated by bitter struggles over Reconstruction. Johnson favored a lenient approach toward the former Confederate states, putting him on a collision course with Congress; in 1868, he became the first U.S. president to be impeached, though he was acquitted by a single vote in the Senate. He later returned to politics and, shortly before his death in 1875, won election once more to the U.S. Senate.