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The Andrew Johnson residence in Greeneville, Tennessee, where he leapt up the political ladder
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President Andrew Johnson Was Born in Raleigh, North Carolina
December 29, 1808
A gifted political speaker, Johnson climbed the political ladder quickly. In 1829, he won his first office as an alderman, or county councilman. In rapid succession he became mayor of Greenville, a member of the Tennessee state legislature, U.S. congressman, governor of Tennessee, and U.S. senator. In Congress, Johnson was a strong advocate of America's westward expansion. He did not, however, make friends among his Southern compatriots. He was the only Southerner in Congress who firmly supported the Union throughout both the secession crisis and the Civil War. After federal forces captured portions of Tennessee, Lincoln appointed Johnson military governor of the state. Johnson took the job in the face of lynch mobs and bullets.
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