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Andrew Jackson

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Andrew Jackson
Rank:7th (1829-1837)
Followed:John Quincy Adams
Succeeded by:Martin Van Buren
Date of BirthMarch 15, 1767
Place of Birth:Waxhaw, South Carolina
Date of Death:June 8, 1845
Place of Death:The Hermitage, Nashville, Tennessee
First Lady:Rachel Donelson Robards
Occupation:lawyer, soldier
Political Party:Democrat
Vice President:

Andrew Jackson was the 7th (1829-1837) President of the United States, sometimes called "Old Hickory."

He was responsible for Indian Removal, and thus The Trail of Tears, in an unconstitutional defiance of a Supreme Court ruling.

Jackson was the first U.S. president who was outside the original Revolutionary circle. Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison were notable figures in the War of Independence and the formation of the U.S. Constitution. James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War. John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams. Jackson's election represented a significant break from that past.

Jackson is remembered for introducing the spoils system to American politics. Upon his election as President, a sizable number of people holding positions in Washington, DC, offices found that they had suddenly been replaced by supporters of Jackson, who had worked to ensure his election. This practice has endured in political circles in the United States ever since.

As President, Jackson worked to dismantle the United States Bank, which had been instrumental in the growth of the U.S. economy but was then seen by some as favoring privileged sectors of the economy over farmers and laborers. The absence of a central bank, however, did not impair economic growth.

His wife died just prior to his taking office as President. She, Rachel Donelson Robards, had divorced her first husband (Col. Lewis Robards, sometimes mistakenly cited as "Roberts"), but there were some questions about the legality of the divorce, and she was never accepted in polite society, which Jackson deeply resented. His only child was an adopted son, Andrew, Jr. In his will, Andrew, Sr., left his granddaughter "several" slaves, his two grandsons each one male slave, and his daughter-in-law four female slaves, one of whom he had bought for her and the other three of whom were a household servant of his and her two daughters.

Jackson was wounded in a duel as a young man.

Jackson's portrait appears on the U.S. $20 bill.

Related articles

Places named for Andrew Jackson

The story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson's life together was told in Irving Stone's best-selling 1951 biographical novel The President's Lady, which was made into the 1953 movie of the same title, starring Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, John McIntire, and Carl Betz and directed by Henry Levin.