Existing comment:
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. |