Andrew Johnson served as the 17th President of the United States from 1865 to 1869. A Tennessee Democrat born in North Carolina in 1808, he was the only Southern senator to stay loyal to the Union and became Lincoln’s running mate on the National Union ticket in 1864.
He took office after Lincoln’s assassination and soon clashed with Congress over how to rebuild the South.
Key Moments
Johnson vetoed many Reconstruction bills, and Congress overrode several, including the Civil Rights Act of 1866. In 1868 the House impeached him, and the Senate acquitted him by a single vote. His administration also completed the Alaska Purchase from Russia in 1867.
Did You Know
Johnson never attended school and learned to write as an adult while working as a tailor. In 1875 he returned to Washington as a U.S. senator, the only former president to do so.
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