Andrew Jackson
Best known as: 7th president of the USA
Occupation: Lawyer, military leader, politician
Nickname: Old Hickory
Nationality: American
Religion: Presbyterian
Political party: Democrat
Born: March 15, 1743, in Waxhaw, on the border of North and South Carolina
Died: June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage
Remains: buried at the Hermitage
Education: attended law school at Salisbury, North Carolina
Military service:
- Fought in the Revolutionary War when he was a teenager
- General during the War of 1812, won the famous Battle of New Orleans
- Fought in the First Seminole War in 1817
- Member of the House of Representatives (1796-1797)
- Senator (1797, resigned and 1823-1825, also resigned)
- Judge on Tennessee's Supreme Court (1798-1804)
- President of the U.S. (1829-1837)
Short biography:
Andrew Jackson rose from obscure origins to become one of the most powerful politicians of his era. In fact, because of Jackson's forceful personality, the time in which he was in power was known as the Jacksonian Era, or the Age of Jackson. Jackson began his military career early in life, serving in the Revolutionary War as a teenager. When he was captured by the British, he was ordered to clean an officer's boots, but he refused, and the officer slashed Jackson's face with a sword, giving him a scar on his cheek that remained all his life. After the war, Jackson became a lawyer and served in Congress. When the War of 1812 broke out, Jackson was eager to serve his country. In 1815 he won the Battle of New Orleans, which made him a hero even though, unknown to Jackson, the battle actually took place after the war ended. Jackson ran for president in 1824 but was defeated by John Quincy Adams in a close election, in which Adams was accused of making a bargain with Henry Clay, who became Adams's Secretaty of State after convincing the House of Representatives to choose Adams as president. In 1828 Jackson won the presidency. He used his two terms in office to solidify the power of the federal government, passing the Force Bill in 1833 to force South Carolina to obey a federal tariff. Jackson was a supporter of slavery and opposed rights for Native Americans, as he passed the Indian Removal Act in 1835, forbidding Indians from living west of the Mississippi River. Another of Jackson's enemies was the Second Bank of the United States, which he believed favored the Northeastern States and the rich and powerful. By placing the Bank's funds in state banks, which became known as "pet banks," Jackson succeeded in destroying the Bank's power. Finally, another lasting achievement of Jackson's presidency was the "spoils system," in which presidents gave government jobs to their friends and supporters.
Wife: Rachel Donelson
Friends: Martin Van Buren, James Polk, Aaron Burr
Vice president: John Calhoun (1829-1832), Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)
Cabinet:
- Secretary of State: Martin Van Buren (1829-1831), Edward Livingston (1831-1833), Louis McLand (1833-1834), John Forsyth (1834-1837)
- Secretary of the Treasury: Samuel Ingham (1829-1831), Louis McLane (1831-1833), William Duane (1833), Roger B. Taney (1833-1834), Levi Woodbury (1834-1837)
- Secretary of War: John H. Eaton (1829-1831), Lewis Cass (1831-1836)
- Attorney General: John M. Berrien (1829-1831), Roger B. Taney (1831-1833), Benjamin F. Butler (1833-1837)
- Postmaster General: William T. Barry (1829-1835), Amos Kendall (1835-1837)
- Secretary of the Navy: John Branch (1829-1831), Levi Woodbury (1831-1834), Mahlon Dickerson (1834-1837)
Brothers: Robert and Hugh
Enemies: John Quincy Adams, Nicholas Biddle (president of the Bank of the U.S.), George Washington (Jackson opposed him while serving in the House of Representatives), John Calhoun
Fun facts:
- Jackson was the first president who was born in a log cabin.
- When Jackson was 13 years old, he became a courier in a local regiment during the Revolutionary War. At age 14, he was captured by the British and refused to clean an officer's boots. As a result, the officer slashed his face and left hand, and these scars lasted for all of Jackson's life. He was the last president to be a veteran of the Revolutionary War and the only one to be a prisoner of war.
- The U.S. government was free of debt for the only time in history during Jackson's presidency.
- Jackson was the first president to ride on a train.
- Politicians are known to kiss babies to gain favor among the voters. Jackson is the first president to experience this, but he refused to kiss the baby, instead handing it off to Secretary of War John Eaton.
- In keeping with his image as a man of the people, Jackson often held parties at the White House to which anyone could come. At the last celebration he held during his term in office, he served a 1,400 pound wheel of cheddar cheese, which was eaten in two hours.
- Jackson was not a fan of paper money; he preferred coins. Ironically, his picture is on the $20 bill.
- His favorite flavor of jam was blackberry.
- Andrew Johnson admired Jackson and wanted to be just like him.
- At Jackson's funeral, his pet parrot was removed for swearing.
