The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
On February 24, 1868 (145 years ago today), President Andrew Johnson became the first President every to be impeached. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson was one of the most dramatic events in presidential history. It occurred during the Reconstruction period and was the result of a lengthy political battle between Johnson and the "Radical Republican" movement that dominated Congress and sought control of Reconstruction policies.
Johnson was impeached on February 24, 1868, in the U.S. House of Representatives on eleven articles of impeachment detailing what were supposed to be "high crimes and misdemeanors", under Article Two of the United States Constitution. The House's primary charge against Johnson was with violation of the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress the previous year. Specifically, he had removed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War from office (whom the Tenure of Office Act was largely designed to protect), and replaced him with Major General Lorenzo Thomas.
The House agreed to the articles of impeachment on March 2, 1868. The trial began three days later in the Senate, with Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. Trial concluded on May 26 with Johnson's acquittal. The votes for conviction was 35 for guilty, 19 for not guilty, one less than the required two-thirds majority required for conviction and removal from office.
The impeachment and subsequent trial gained a historical reputation as an act of political expedience, rather than necessity, based on Johnson's defiance of an unconstitutional piece of legislation and with little regard for the will of the public (which, despite the unpopularity of Johnson, opposed the impeachment). Most historians agree that the supposed grounds for impeachment were not "high crimes and misdemeanors" and were really just a political gambit to try and replace a President that Congress disliked.
Until the impeachment of Bill Clinton 131 years later, it was the only presidential impeachment in the history of the United States.
Johnson was impeached on February 24, 1868, in the U.S. House of Representatives on eleven articles of impeachment detailing what were supposed to be "high crimes and misdemeanors", under Article Two of the United States Constitution. The House's primary charge against Johnson was with violation of the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress the previous year. Specifically, he had removed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War from office (whom the Tenure of Office Act was largely designed to protect), and replaced him with Major General Lorenzo Thomas.
The House agreed to the articles of impeachment on March 2, 1868. The trial began three days later in the Senate, with Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. Trial concluded on May 26 with Johnson's acquittal. The votes for conviction was 35 for guilty, 19 for not guilty, one less than the required two-thirds majority required for conviction and removal from office.
The impeachment and subsequent trial gained a historical reputation as an act of political expedience, rather than necessity, based on Johnson's defiance of an unconstitutional piece of legislation and with little regard for the will of the public (which, despite the unpopularity of Johnson, opposed the impeachment). Most historians agree that the supposed grounds for impeachment were not "high crimes and misdemeanors" and were really just a political gambit to try and replace a President that Congress disliked.
Until the impeachment of Bill Clinton 131 years later, it was the only presidential impeachment in the history of the United States.