Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh NC on December 19, 1808. After reaching adulthood, he settled in Greeneville, where he was elected councilman and later mayor. His political career advanced through the state general assembly (1835), the United States House of Representatives (1843), the governorship of Tennessee (1853), and the United States Senate (1857). Although a slave owner, he opposed secession and tried to keep Tennessee in the Union. Abraham Lincoln made him the military governor of occupied Tennessee in 1862.
In 1864, the Republican added Johnson to the ticket with Lincoln for balance. After Lincoln's assassination, he became President and his conciliatory policies towards the South put him at odds with the proponents of harsh Reconstruction. In 1868, he was impeached by the United States House of Representatives for violating the Tenure of Office Act. He was acquitted in two votes in the United States Senate, each time by one vote. He was denied renomination, but remained politically active. He was returned to the United States Senate in 1874, died in 1875.
