Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father was Jacob Johnson and his mother was Mary McDonough Johnson. He received no formal education, but was trained as a tailor. Upon the death of Abraham Lincoln, Vice-President Johnson was sworn into office and served as our 17^th President from April 15, 1865 to March 3, 1869.

     Andrew Johnson started life as a tailor, but, early on, he got involved in public service. He became an Alderman and then Mayor of Greenville, Tennessee. He later served in the Tennessee Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. He became Governor of Tennessee and was elected to the U.S. Senate.  During the Civil War, he was Military Governor of Tennessee.

     Mr. Johnson married Eliza McCardle in 1827. They had five children: Martha, Charles, Mary, Robert and Andrew. President Johnson was an honorable man who tried to reconstruct the South after the Civil War, but he did so while Congress was not in session. When Congress reconvened, there were many radical members who were vehemently opposed to what Johnson had done. They passed many laws that restricted the President’s powers. When Johnson violated one of these laws, he was impeached, but he escaped conviction in the Senate by one vote.

     President Andrew Johnson died on July 31, 1875 in Carter’s Station, Tennessee.  He was a U.S. Senator at the time.