The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-06-17
Andrew Johnson. of Tennessee
Sketch Of his Life and Services.


8 tSslcctcl
, Andrew johnson, of Tonnossco. was born
in Raleigh, North Carolina. December %
1908. When he was four years of ago. he
, lost his father who diod from tho effects of
, oxoriioDs TO sayO IA friend from drowning.
AT tho age of ten, he WAS apprenticcd to n
tailor in bis native city, with whom he
served seven ycnrs. His mother was unable
to afford him any educational advantages
and ho never attended school day in his
life.
While learning his trade, howovor, no ro.
solved to mako an effort to educate himself
His anxiety TO DO ablo to read was particu.
larry excited by an Incident which is worthy
OF mention. gentleman of Raleigh was
in tho habit of going into tho tailor's shop
aud reading, whiIo the apprentice and Jour.
neyman were at work. He was on cvceIcn,
reader, and his idvorto book was a volume
ofspeechcs, principally of British statesmen.
johnson bocamo Interested, and bis first am =
btion was to equal him as 4 reader, and
become familiar with those speeches lie
took up the % phabot without an instructor {;
but, by applying to the jaurnoymen with
whom be worked, he obtained little as
sisianco
Having acquired q knowledge OF the let.
tors no applied for tho loan of tho book
which no had 80 often heard read. The
owner mado him present Of it, and gave
m firm in In q l,tt
tho formation of words. Thus his first OK
, crcisos in spoliug were in that book. b,
l perseverance, he soon learned to road anc
y tho honas which he devoted 20 his oduca.
o ton were at night, after ho was through hi.
o daily labor, upon the shop board. IIo nov
r applied himself to books from two to three
= hours every night, after working from ter
4 to twelve hours at his trade.
J. Having completed bis apprenticeship in
!, tho autumn Of 1924, ho went to Laurens
u Court House, 5. G., whore he worked as O
J. Journoyman Tor nearly tsc years. Whilc
o there he became engaged to be married, bu
. tho match was broken oil by tho violent op
T. position Of the girls mother and her friends
;. the ground of objection being Mr.. Johnson
Vt youth and want of pccuniary means. Il
May. 1924, he returned to Raleigh, whcr
y he procured journey work, and romaine
: until September. lla then set out to soc
his fortune in tho West, carrying with hir
S, his mother. who wCs dependent on him 10
9 support. He stopped OF Greenviie. Tom
y and commenced work as n jonrnoyman =
. lle remained there about twelve monthi
i married, and soon af,erward went still fun
r her westward; but, failing to find 5uitnb'
J, place to settle, hc returned to Gtoonvill,
, aud commenced business.
!. Up to this tmo his education was limitc
I" to roodine, as bo never had mn opportunt
y ot learning to write or cipher but, unde
:, the instructions Of his wife, no learned lhos
A. and othor branches. Tho only Time, how
a. over, ho could dovote to them was /
is the dead Of night Tho first ofiico ho ovt
held was that OF Alderman of tho village.
which no wns elected in 1928. lilo wns r,
r. elected to the same Office in 1929 and agni
10 in 1890. In that year no was chosen MAYO
ly which position he held for throo years.
l. In 1885 ho was elected to the LngsIatur
m In tho session Of that yonr, he took decide
y ground against a schoma of informal in
III pr0yemonts, which he contendod would n,
~ only prove u failure, but entail upon Il
: State burdensome debt. Tho moasu
10 was popular, however, and at tho next ele
,o ton, U637,) no was delea,od. lIo becnu
IN n candidate again in 1910. BY this tin
g. many of tho evils he had predicted from Il
internal improvement policy which ho hG
opposed four years previous, wcrc full
:, demonstrated, and ho was olyc ted by a larl
n majority.
"a In IS 40 he served ns Presidential elect,
Il. for tho State at large, on tho Democrat
ID ticket. lie canyassed n large portion of tt
8, State, meeting upon the stump several VIII
s. orators. In l64l ho was elected to I'll
en- State Senate. Ia 1919 no was elected
III Congress, where, by successive elections, /
u served until 1853. During this period
service, no was conspicuous and active
ro. ad'ocating respectively, tho bill for refun,
'ou 'ou ing the hne imposed upon Gen. Johnso,
ap in New Orleans in lsiG, the war msasur,
bel oi Mr.. Pos's ADMINISTRATION, aud hom
stead bill,