Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was born in a log cabin in North Carolina and never attended school.  He moved to Tennessee as a young man where he soon was elected to the state House of Representatives and then to the US House.  In 1853 he became the governor of Tennessee .  He favored the Fugitive Slave law and defended slavery.  Because he opposed the break up of the Union, he won the support of President Abraham Lincoln who appointed him to be military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War.  In 1864, thanks to Lincoln 's backing, he became vice-president of the United States , and after Lincoln 's assassination, president. Opposed to ending slavery, he had a very turbulent presidency, being at loggerheads with members of Congress on how to carry out Reconstruction.  In February 1868, after he tried to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office, Congress voted to impeach him.  By a single vote, the Senate decided not to convict him on the impeachment charges.  After finishing Lincoln 's term of office, he failed to secure his party's nomination to run again and retired to Tennessee .  He died in 1975, shortly after being elected US Senator.  
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