Andrew Johnson Part One: Humble Beginnings

image
Author: Amos Cooper
Published: 31 Jul, 2012
Updated: 13 Oct, 2022
1 min read

Andrew Johnson is a US President you might not have heard too much about. One reason could be that he wasn't actually elected. Johnson Served as the Vice-President from March 4, 1865 to April 15, 1865 under none other than Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th Johnson took up the mantle of the President of the United States. But who exactly was this man? Although he hasn't been held up in nearly as high regard as Lincoln, Johnson still deserves some credit for standing his ground in the face of total opposition and rising from his humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful men in the world.

Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's quite possible that out of all the presidents Johnson grew up the poorest. His father was a laborer and his mother a washerwoman, this led to very little income and Johnson ended up living in poverty until the age of 14 when he apprenticed with a tailor. After two years however, Johnson ended up leaving his apprenticeship and fleeing the authorities who wanted to charge him with breaking his indentured servitude. Johnson eventually returned to his employer only to be shooed away. He then left North Carolina with his mother and siblings in favor of moving to Tennessee where Johnson met his wife Eliza McCardle and opened his very own tailoring shop.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read