Andrew Johnson (1808-1875)

1. 1808, Dec. 29

   Born, Raleigh, N.C., to Jacob Johnson (1778-1812) and Mary McDonough Johnson (1783-1856)

2. 1812, May 6

   Mother married Turner Daughtry after death of Jacob Johnson in January

3. 1822, Feb. 18

   Apprenticed to tailor James J. Selby, Raleigh, N.C.

4. 1824, June 15

   Ran away from apprenticeship with his brother William. Selby placed a newspaper advertisement seeking their return.

5. 1824

   Opened a tailor shop, Laurens, S.C.

6. 1826, Sept.

   Moved to Greeneville, Tenn.

7. 1827, Mar.

   Opened a tailor shop, Greeneville, Tenn.

8. 1827, May 17

   Married Eliza McCardle (Oct. 4, 1810-Jan. 15, 1876), daughter of John McCardle (d. 1826) and Sarah Phillips McCardle (d. 1851)

9. 1828, Oct. 25

   Birth of daughter Martha Johnson Patterson (d. July 10, 1901)

10. 1829-1837

    Alderman, Greeneville, Tenn.

11. 1830, Feb. 19

    Birth of son Charles Johnson (d. Apr. 4, 1863)

12. 1832, May 8

    Birth of daughter Mary Johnson Stover Brown (d. Apr. 19, 1883)

13. 1834

    Mayor, Greeneville, Tenn. Reelected in 1837.

14. 1834, Feb. 22

    Birth of son Robert Johnson (d. Apr. 22, 1869)

15. 1835

    Elected to Tennessee house of representatives without a declared political party affiliation

16. 1837

    Defeated for reelection to Tennessee house of representatives

17. 1839

    Reelected as a Democrat to Tennessee house of representatives. Johnson remained affiliated with the Democratic Party for most of his political career.

18. 1841

    Elected to Tennessee senate

19. 1843-1853

    Representative from Tennessee, U.S. House of Representatives

20. 1846, Mar. 27

    First introduced a homestead bill, an issue he would continue to champion in future legislative sessions.

21. 1851, May 5

    Joined the Masons at Greeneville Lodge No. 3

22. 1851

    Purchased home on Main Street, Greeneville, Tenn. (now part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site)

23. 1852, Aug. 5

    Birth of son Andrew (“Frank”) Johnson, Jr. (d. Mar. 12, 1879)

24. 1853-1857

    Governor of Tennessee

25. 1857-1862

    U.S. senator from Tennessee. Remained loyal to the United States after Tennessee seceded from the union on June 8, 1861.

26. 1857, Jan. 31

    Broke arm in train accident

27. 1857, Dec. 22

    Introduced a homestead bill in the Senate

28. 1859, Dec. 20

    Introduced another homestead bill in the Senate. The bill ultimately passed by Congress was vetoed by President James Buchanan in June 1860. Johnson introduced another homestead bill in December 1860, which was not passed. The Homestead Act became law in May 1862.

29. 1861, Dec. 19

    Appointed to Joint Select Committee on the Conduct of the War

30. 1862-1865

    Military governor of Tennessee, with rank of brigadier general

31. 1862, Apr. 24

    Home in Greenville, Tenn., confiscated by Confederate forces

32. 1864, Nov. 8

    Elected vice president of the United States. Ran on National Union Party ticket with incumbent president Abraham Lincoln.

33. 1865, Apr. 15

    Johnson sworn in as 17th president of the United States after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

34. 1865, Apr. 15-1869, Mar. 4

    President of the United States

35. 1865, May 29

    Issued first amnesty proclamation

36. 1866, Feb. 19

    Vetoed Freedmen’s Bureau Bill

37. 1866, Mar. 27

    Vetoed Civil Rights Bill; Congress overrode veto and bill became law on Apr. 9, 1866

38. 1866, July 16

    Vetoed second Freedmen’s Bureau Bill; Congress overrode veto

39. 1866, Aug. 28-Sept. 15

    “Swing Around the Circle” tour during which he faced hecklers at many stops

40. 1867, Mar. 2

    Vetoed the First Reconstruction Act, establishing military districts over states in the former Confederacy

41. 1867, Mar. 2

    Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act over Johnson’s veto, which was intended to prohibit Johnson from removing Edwin McMasters Stanton as secretary of war without Senate approval

42. 1867, Mar. 23

    Johnson vetoed the Second Reconstruction Act, but Congress overrode his veto on the same day.

43. 1867, July 6

    Johnson submitted to Congress a treaty and appropriations request to purchase Alaska from Russia. The House of Representatives did not pass the appropriation until July 14, 1868.

44. 1867, July 19

    Johnson vetoed the Third Reconstruction Act, and again Congress overrode his veto the same day

45. 1867, Aug. 12

    Suspended Stanton as secretary of war, named Ulysses S. Grant as interim secretary. In January 1868, U.S. Senate refused to accept Stanton’s suspension.

46. 1867, Sept. 7

    Issued second amnesty proclamation for former Confederates

47. 1868, Feb. 21

    Removed Stanton as secretary of war, in violation of the Tenure of Office Act

48. 1868, Feb. 24

    U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and approved eleven articles of impeachment on March 3

49. 1868, Mar. 30-May 26

    Impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate

50. 1868, May 26

    Acquitted by one vote in impeachment trial

51. 1868, July 8

    Unsuccessful candidate for presidential nomination on the Democratic Party ticket

52. 1868, Dec. 25

    Granted full amnesty to all former Confederates

53. 1869, Mar. 18

    Departed Washington, D.C., for Greenville, Tenn.

54. 1869, Oct. 22

    Unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate from Tennessee

55. 1872, Nov. 5

    Unsuccessful candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee

56. 1873, June-Aug.

    Health impaired by bout of cholera

57. 1875

    U.S. senator from Tennessee

58. 1875, July 31

    Died after suffering two strokes at his daughter Mary’s home at Carter’s Station, near Elizabethton, Tenn. Interred on Aug. 3, 1875, in what became Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Greenville, Tenn.