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Andrew Jackson 1767-1845
From 1829 to 1837, Andrew Jackson was
the 7th President of the United States.
They called him
Old Hickory. Some
trivia: Andrew Jackson was the first U.S. president born in a log
cabin.
And if you are interested in "firsts",
Jackson was also the first president to ride in a train. Scroll down
for another first that occurred in the context of an
assassination attempt on President Jackson's life.
STATUE OF MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW
JACKSON
LAFAYETTE PARK, WASHINGTON D.C.
GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON
Andrew Jackson was a general in the
War of 1812
as well as in the
Creek War.
On January 8, 1815, he fought the
British in the
Battle of New Orleans and won a
decisive victory.
GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON
PRESIDENT ANDREW
JACKSON
The 1828 election campaign was bitter
and dirty. And this is some of the dirt that got thrown about:
Andrew Jackson and his wife
Rachel
Donelson Jackson married in 1791. At this point Rachel was
legally still wed to a previous fellow, Lewis Robards. The
error was that she had obtained a permission for divorce but not the
divorce itself. The Jacksons discovered the mistake, the divorce was
granted, and the two re-married in 1794.
The bloodhounds of the scandal press had
a field day. Gossip of adultery and bigamy was nicely spread
throughout the election of 1828.
John
Quincy Adams rode the wave that carried him the highest and
did not fail to exploit this mistake of the Jacksons.
This was just one of the ugly chapters
in the book of the private feuds between Adams and Jackson.
Tragedy struck on December 22, 1828,
when Rachel Jackson died. Her husband blamed her death on the stress
caused by the public whirl about their alleged immoral conduct.
On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson delivered his
First Inaugural Address on the East Portico of the U.S.
Capitol in Washington D.C. This was the first inaugural ceremony
held on the east front of the U.S. Capitol.
Jackson's Vice President was
John C.
Calhoun.
The people liked it, and on March 4, 1833, Jackson gave his
Second Inaugural Address.
Jackson's Vice President was
Martin
Van Buren.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON
On January 30, 1835,
Andrew Jackson became the first U.S. president to experience and
survive an assassination attempt.
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION ON PRESIDENT
ANDREW JACKSON 1835
On said day, President Jackson was attending the state funeral of
South Carolina congressman Warren R. Davis at the Capitol
Building in Washington D.C.
Richard Lawrence, an unemployed
house painter, read in the newspaper that Jackson would attend and
staked out the East Portico.
When Jackson emerged, Lawrence stepped
from behind a pillar 13 feet away and drew two single-shot pistols
at Jackson's back. The cap of one fired, but the bulled didn't fire.
Jackson heard the noise, and charged Lawrence with his cane raised.
Lawrence fired the second pistol, but it also misfired.
Lawrence was apprehended, and tried on
April 11, 1835. U.S. Attorney and Star-Spangled Banner author
Francis
Scott Key charged him with assault with intent
to kill. After 5 minutes, the jury found Lawrence not guilty
by reason of insanity. He was committed to a mental hospital.
In
1861, Richard Lawrence died in the St. Elizabeth's Hospital in
Washington D.C.
See also
Assassinations in History
PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON'S RETIREMENT
Chief Justice Roger
B. Taney was asked for his input in drafting a final message to
the nation. On March 4, 1837, Andrew Jackson packed his bundle,
delivered his
Farewell Address, and left business matters in the hands of
his successor, the 8th U.S. President, Martin Van Buren.
Another first. On March 4, 1837,
it was the first time that an outgoing and an incoming president
rode together in a carriage to the Capitol for the inaugural.
Jackson and Van Buren were friends.
See also
Governments of the United States
And maybe the
American Timeline.
More History
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