Existing comment:
Town Alderman to Vice President:
Road to the Presidency
Andrew Johnson's election as alderman in 1829 marked the beginning of a long political career as a "spokesman for the people." In 1835, after serving as mayor, he was sent to the Tennessee General Assembly, where he served two terms in the house and one in the senate. In 1843, Johnson was elected United States Representative and served five consecutive terms. In 1853, he went on to serve as governor of Tennessee for two consecutive terms, leaving in 1857 when he was sent to the United States Senate.
Until this point in his career, Johnson had been associated primarily with Tennessee and the South. He was a supporter of Southern interests, opposing expanded federal power over the states. Yet he also favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and for him the Constitution and the Union were inseparable.
From Military Governor to Vice President:
In 1862, when Nashville was captured by Union forces during the Civil War, Lincoln appointed Johnson, the Southern unionist, to serve as Tennessee's military governor. Johnson had been given a very difficult task. How could he ensure the state's return to its position as a loyal member of the Union when most Tennesseans were opposed to it?
With few instructions on how to proceed, and having tried more peaceful approaches, he ruled using threats, intimidation, and banishment. For example, he required Tennesseans to sign an oath of loyalty to the Union as a condition for receiving business licenses and other permits related to many of the necessities of everyday life.
Many Southerners considered Johnson to be uncompromising and tyrannical during this period.
Despite Johnson's slow progress in restoring civil government in Tennessee, Northerners, impressed by his commitment to the Union, nominated Johnson as Lincoln's running mate. This was done to win support in the upper South. In 1865, Andrew Johnson became vice president of the United States. |