Andrew Johnson
At a Glance
Term: 17th President of the United States (1865-1869)
Born: December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina
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
Political Party: Democrat; Unionist
Writings: Papers of Andrew Johnson, 8 vols., ed. by L. P. Graf et al. (1967-90)
Died: July 31, 1875, Carter’s Station, Tennessee
Buried: Greeneville, Tennessee
A 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 man to attain the office of President with so little formal education was Abraham Lincoln. Whereas Lincoln is esteemed as America’s greatest President, Johnson, his successor, is ranked as one of the worst. More....
Essays on Andrew Johnson and His Administration
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Andrew Johnson
A Life in Brief • Life Before the Presidency • Campaigns and Elections • Domestic Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Life After the Presidency • Family Life • The American Franchise • Impact and Legacy • Key Events |
| First Lady Eliza Johnson, Martha Johnson |
| Vice President none |
| Secretary of State William H. Seward (1865 - 1869) |
| Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton (1865 - 1868) • Ulysses S. Grant (1867 - 1868) • John M. Schofield (1868 - 1869) |
| Postmaster General William Dennison (1865 - 1866) • Alexander W. Randall (1866 - 1869) |
| Secretary of the Interior John P. Usher (1865 - 1865) • James Harlan (1865 - 1866) • Orville Browning (1866 - 1869) |
| Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch (1865 - 1869) |
| Attorney General James Speed (1865 - 1866) • Henry Stanbery (1866 - 1868) • William M. Evarts (1868 - 1869) |
| Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles (1865 - 1869) |
Consulting Editor: Hans Trefousse
The late Professor Trefousse was a professor emeritus of history at Brooklyn College, The City University of New York (CUNY). His writings include:
First Among Equals: Abraham Lincoln’s Reputation During His Administration ( Fordham University Press, 2005)
Impeachment of a President: Andrew Johnson, the Blacks, and Reconstruction (Fordham University Press, 1999)
Andrew Johnson (American Political Biography Press, 1998)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's Andrew Johnson speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Andrew Johnson or by another President, please click the link below.
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Andrew Johnson.
Watch Historian Ed Ayers’s 2005 presentation at the Miller Center on Reconstruction.
Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Vice Presidency and its relationship to Johnson.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.
Information on Andrew Johnson's Private and Public Papers
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