Andrew Johnson Birthplace Structure
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 35° 47.580 W 078° 37.979
17S E 713909 N 3963574
This is the structure where Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States was born, now located about a mile from where it originally stood.
Waymark Code: WMA56
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2006
Views: 251
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh on Dec. 29, 1808 in the kitchen of a home that once stood about a mile away near the State Capitol. This kitchen was purchased by the Colonial Dames in 1904 and later donated to the City of Raleigh. It was installed at Mordecai Park in Raleigh along with other historic buildings.
Born to a poor family and self educated, Johnson was apprenticed to a tailor but ran away to Tennessee. He became a tailor in Greeneville, Tenn., but soon went into politics, where he rose steadily.
He served in the House of Representatives (1843–54), as governor of Tennessee (1853–57), and as a senator (1857–62). Politically he was a Jacksonian Democrat and his specialty was the fight for a more equitable land policy.
Alone among the Southern Senators, he stood by the Union during the Civil War. In 1862, he became war governor of Tennessee and carried out a thankless and difficult job with great courage. Johnson became Lincoln's running mate in 1864 as a result of an attempt to give the ticket a nonpartisan and nonsectional character.
Succeeding to the presidency on Lincoln's death, Johnson sought to carry out Lincoln's policy, but without his political skill. The result was a hopeless conflict with the Radical Republicans who dominated Congress, passed measures over Johnson's vetoes, and attempted to limit the power of the executive concerning appointments and removals.
The conflict culminated with Johnson's impeachment for attempting to remove his disloyal secretary of war in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act, which required senatorial concurrence for such dismissals. The opposition failed by one vote to get the two thirds necessary for conviction.
After his presidency, Johnson maintained an interest in politics and in 1875 was again elected to the Senate. He died near Carter Station, Tenn., on July 31, 1875.
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The Kitchen Where Andrew Johnson was Born:
Historic Marker on Stone in Front of the Kitchen:
“Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States,
was born in this house on December 29, 1808.
At that time the house stood on Fayetteville Street.
In July 1904, it was purchased by the Colonial Dames
and later presented to the City of Raleigh.”