Tennessee History
Tennessee Presidents
Three U.S. presidents are closely associated with Tennessee: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. Each was born outside Tennessee, but all built major parts of their public lives in the Volunteer State.
Quick fact: Tennessee is often called the home state of three presidents because Jackson, Polk, and Johnson all lived, practiced politics, and are buried in Tennessee.
Andrew Jackson
7th President | Served 1829-1837
Andrew Jackson moved to Tennessee as a young man, became a lawyer, and was elected as Tennessee's first member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He later served in the U.S. Senate and on the Tennessee Supreme Court before becoming one of the best-known military figures of the War of 1812.
Jackson became the seventh president of the United States and served two terms. Known as "Old Hickory," he remains one of the most famous and controversial presidents in American history. His support for Indian Removal led to the forced relocation of Native peoples, including the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.
On January 30, 1835, Jackson became the first U.S. president to experience an assassination attempt. Richard Lawrence fired two pistols at him, but both misfired. Jackson died at the Hermitage near Nashville in 1845.
James K. Polk
11th President | Served 1845-1849
James Knox Polk was born in North Carolina and moved with his family to Tennessee as a child. After studying law, he entered politics and became closely connected with Andrew Jackson's Democratic movement.
Polk served in the Tennessee legislature, represented Tennessee in Congress, became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and later served as governor of Tennessee. In 1845, at age 49, he became the youngest president up to that time.
Polk served one term as the eleventh president. His administration is best remembered for major territorial expansion, including events tied to the Mexican-American War and the idea of Manifest Destiny. He died in Nashville only a few months after leaving office.
Andrew Johnson
17th President | Served 1865-1869
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to Greeneville, Tennessee, as a young man. He worked as a tailor before entering politics, eventually serving as governor of Tennessee and as a U.S. senator.
During the Civil War, Johnson remained loyal to the Union even though Tennessee seceded. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee in 1862, and Johnson later became Lincoln's vice president.
Johnson became the seventeenth president after Lincoln's assassination in 1865. He was the first U.S. president to be impeached, though the Senate fell one vote short of conviction. In 1875, Tennessee returned him to the U.S. Senate, but he died later that year.
