Andrew Johnson Historic Site

From the moment the prospect of Republicans impeaching President Clinton became real in 1998, I was fascinated with Andrew Johnson, the only other president to be impeached in American history.

I worked at a now-defunct online publication called IntellectualCapital.com back then and wrote a monthly column about congressional history that tried to draw modern-day lessons from historical events. Johnson’s impeachment during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period seemed ripe for exploring because of Clinton’s woes, so I happily dug into the historical record about Johnson.

The end result was one of my most-read essays ever. Every few weeks over the next year or so, I received e-mails from people who found the article online. My work was cited by others and even became part of some classroom studies in American history classes.

My fascination with Johnson’s presidency continues to this day, so it is no coincidence that the second stop on our tour of presidential homes was at the Johnson historic site in Greeneville, Tenn. I built the trip into our itinerary when my wife and I chose Chattanooga, Tenn., as the spot for this year’s family vacation.

You can get the scoop on Johnson’s home and some of his history in the posts that follow or by clicking on the links in this guide:
— Defender Of The Constitution
— Birthplace Replica
— The Tailor Shop
— The Early Home
— The Homestead
— Cemetery And Memorial
— The Glover Family Tour

Another president named Andrew, also from Tennessee, became a subject of insider conversations during Clinton’s presidential scandal. Andrew Jackson was censured by Congress during his presidency, and some politicians suggested than as an alternative to impeaching Clinton.

I also wrote an essay about Jackson’s censure while at IntellectualCapital, and two years ago for National Journal magazine, I wrote an essay about Jackson’s infamous veto of the Maysville Road bill.

The Glover clan did not have time to visit Jackson’s presidential home in Nashville, The Hermitage, during our trip to Tennessee this year, but we hope to get there soon. We often have occasion to travel through Nashville on the way to visit family in Shreveport, La.