Andrew Johnson

He only stayed in Laurens for about a year and then moved back to Raleigh and wanted to complete his apprenticeship with John Selby. But Selby was no longer the owner of the tailor shop and did not need an apprentice anymore. Since he had no job in Raleigh, in 1826, Andrew, his mother, brother, and stepfather moved to Tennessee.
             They settled in Greeneville, Tennessee and established a tailor's shop by nailing a sign over the door stating, "A. Johnson, Tailor." He then met Eliza McCardle, and they eventually got married on May 17 1827. Eliza was better educated than Andrew and used it to improve his reading and writing skills. She also taught Andrew arithmetic. She continued to practice reading while Johnson worked. The tailor shop improved, and it soon became a gathering place for political discussion. Johnson improved his debating skills by joining a debate club at a small college about four miles away from his house. He walked there once a week. Andrew's wife's encouragement and speaking experience both at his debate club and his shop made him join politics.
             In 1828 Johnson was elected as an alderman of Greeneville, Tennessee, and a couple years after that he became mayor of the town. He won the election to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. In 1837 he was defeated for re-election but in 1839 won a subsequent campaign. He served two terms and after his second he rean for a seat in the Tennessee Senate and won. Andrew was unsuccessful in his effort to create a new state from the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee to be named Frankland.
             Johnson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1843, and won four following elections to retain his seat until 1853. He then wanted to go back to state politics and won the 1853 Tennessee gubernatorial election and re-election in 1855. The night before the Civil War began in 1857, Andrew was elected to the U.