ANDREW JACKSON
Born: March 15, 1767 (Waxhaw, SC)
Died: June 18, 1845 (Hermitage, TN)
Served: 1829-1837
From: Hermitage, TN
Jackson moved to Tennessee as a young man and became a lawyer. He was the first man elected from Tennessee to the House of Representatives, and in 1797 served a year in the US Senate before resigning and becoming a Tennessee Supreme Court judge. He built a large mansion on the outskirts in Nashville, TN known as the "Hermitage" (below). He's widely remembered for killing a man during a duel while defending his wife's honor. Jackson was also a major general and war hero during the War of 1812, where he defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. His military success helped him become the 7th US president, but it was his rough and tough personality which gained him the nickname "Old Hickory". One of the most controversial times of Andrew Jackson's presidency was his policy regarding American Indians. Jackson was a leading advocate of a policy known as the Indian Removal Act, signed into law in 1830. This led to the deaths of over 4000 Cherokee indians as they suffered hardships on the "Trail of Tears". Jackson was also the first US president to have an assasination attempt against him. On January 30th, 1835, a mentally deranged man named Richard Lawrence fired upon Jackson with two pistols, and both were misfired. Angry Jackson proceeded to beat Lawrence with his cane until his personal aides intervened.
JAMES POLK
Born: November 2, 1795 (Mecklenburg County, NC)
Died: June 15, 1849 (Nashville, TN)
Served: 1845-1849
From: Columbia, TN
Polk relocated to Nashville, TN with his family when he was 11 years old. He attended college at the University of North Carolina and then moved back to Tennessee studied law and became a lawyer. While he was away, his father Samuel Polk constructed a two-story Cape Cod home (below), awaiting his arrival as a graduate. He entered politics in 1821, serving in the Tennessee legislature, and becoming a friend of Andrew Jackson. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1835 and 1839, leaving to become Governor of Tennessee. In 1845, at age 49, he became the youngest man to assume the presidency up to his time. He was the 11th US President and only served one term. Polk's presidency is mostly noted for the huge amount of territory acquired by the United States during his administration. His name is also associated with the Manifest Destiny period in history, or the idea that it was "God's will" for the United States to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean.
ANDREW JOHNSON
Born: December 29, 1809 (Raleigh, NC)
Died: July 31, 1875 (Carter's Station, TN)
Served: 1865-1869
From: Greensville, TN
As a run away with his brother from Raleigh to Greeneville at age 16, Johnson was hired as a local tailor and had a quaint Brick Beauty built several years later (below). He rose to become governor of Tennessee, serving from 1853 to 1857; he kept climbing as a Democrat into to the United States Senate and served from 1857 to 1862, and was immediately appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as military governor of Tennessee in 1862 (even when his home state seceded from the Union). Johnson was a staunch Union supporter and gained positive popularity by the general populace. He was elected Vice President of the United States and inaugurated March 4, 1865. He became the 17th President of the United States on April 15, 1865, upon the death of Lincoln. He was the first Vice President to succeed to the U.S. Presidency upon the assassination of a President and the third to succeed upon the death of a President. Johnson became the first president to ever be impeached. His impeachment came about due to his violation of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867. He was acquitted due to the Senate being one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict. Although he was found not guilty, the impeachment abruptly ended his political career. Johnson was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1868 and to the House of Representatives in 1872. However, in 1874, the Tennessee legislature did elect him to the US Senate. Johnson served only 4 months before his death.
Written & re-distributed by Stephanie Brake
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