Andrew Johnson: the record and the legends

The Veto President. The 17th president, 1865-1869, from Tennessee. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 17th
In office: 1865-1869
Home state: Tennessee
Party: National Union
Height: 5'10"

The record

RecordIn 1866 Johnson went on a speaking tour called the Swing Around the Circle to fight Congress over Reconstruction. When hecklers shouted at him, he shouted back, city after city, and the tour did him more harm than good.Source: Miller Center, Johnson: Campaigns and Elections
RecordAt 14 Johnson was bound to a tailor in Raleigh. He and his brother ran off, the tailor posted a reward for them, and they spent about two years on the run. At 17 he opened his own tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee.Source: Miller Center, Johnson: Life Before the Presidency
RecordThe House impeached Johnson in 1868. The Senate voted 35 to 19 to remove him, one vote short of the two-thirds it needed, and he finished his term.Source: U.S. Senate, The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868)
RecordThe law Johnson was impeached for breaking, the Tenure of Office Act, was later called unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1926.Source: National Park Service, Why Was Andrew Johnson Impeached?

The legends

LegendJohnson showed up drunk to his swearing-in as vice president in 1865 and gave a rambling 20-minute speech. That part's documented. The idea that he was always drunk isn't. Lincoln told his cabinet it was a bad slip and that Johnson was no drunkard.Source: U.S. Senate, Andrew Johnson's Inauguration

What he cared about

Bringing Southern states back into the Union fast, with broad pardons for former Confederates who took a loyalty oath.
Protecting the president's power from Congress, which he fought with vetoes.
Free public land for small farmers, a cause he pushed as a senator.

The full record

He enslaved at least six people, including two boys bought at 13, until 1863. As president he vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau bill and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and his Reconstruction let Southern states pass Black Codes.

How he fights in POTUS KO

Tailor's bench to a shouting match with the crowd

Johnson didn't know how to let an insult go, from the Senate floor to hecklers in the crowd. In the ring he's a brawler who comes forward swinging.

See POTUS KO

Questions about Andrew Johnson

Was Andrew Johnson removed from office?

The House impeached Johnson in 1868. The Senate voted 35 to 19 to remove him, one vote short of the two-thirds it needed, and he finished his term.

Was Andrew Johnson drunk at his inauguration?

Johnson showed up drunk to his swearing-in as vice president in 1865 and gave a rambling 20-minute speech. That part's documented. The idea that he was always drunk isn't. Lincoln told his cabinet it was a bad slip and that Johnson was no drunkard.

What job did Andrew Johnson have before politics?

At 14 Johnson was bound to a tailor in Raleigh. He and his brother ran off, the tailor posted a reward for them, and they spent about two years on the run. At 17 he opened his own tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee.