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Andrew Jackson

Nickname: "Old Hickory"

Born: March 15, 1767, in Waxhaw, South Carolina
Died: June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee

Father: Andrew Jackson
Mother: Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson
Married: Rachel Donelson Robards (1767-1828), in August 1791 and in a second ceremony on January 17, 1794
Children: Andrew Jackson, Jr. (adopted)

Religion: Presbyterian
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Lawyer, soldier
Political Party: Democratic
Other Government Positions:

• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1796-97
• United States Senator, 1797-98
• Justice on Tennessee Supreme Court, 1798-1804
• Governor of the Florida Territory, 1821
• United States Senator, 1823-25

Presidential Election Results:

Year		Popular Votes	Electoral Votes
1824	John Q. Adams Andrew Jackson Henry Clay W. H. Crawford	108,740 153,544 47,136 46,618	84 99 37 41
1828	Andrew Jackson John Q. Adams	647,286 508,064	178 83
1832	Andrew Jackson Henry Clay William Wirt John Floyd (Votes Not Cast)	687,502 530,189 --- ---	219 49 7 11 2

Vice Presidents: John C. Calhoun (1829-1832); Martin Van Buren (1832-1837)
Cabinet:

Secretary of State

Martin Van Buren (1829-31)

Edward Livingston (1831-33)

Louis McLane (1833-34)

John Forsyth (1834-37)

Secretary of the Treasury

Samuel D. Ingham (1829-31)

Louis McLane (1831-33)

William J. Duane (1833)

Roger B. Taney (1833-34)

Levi Woodbury (1834-37)

Secretary of War

John H. Eaton (1829-31)

Lewis Cass (1831-36)

Attorney General

John M. Berrien (1829-31)

Roger B. Taney (1831-33)

Benjamin F. Butler (1833-37)

Postmaster General

William T. Barry (1829-35)

Amos Kendall (1835-37)

Secretary of the Navy

John Branch (1829-31)

Levi Woodbury (1831-34)

Mahlon Dickerson (1834-37)

Notable Events:

1829

• Estate of James Smithson funded the establishment of the Smithsonian.
• About 2,000 of Jackson's supporters given government jobs. Jackson also set up a "kitchen cabinet" of informal advisers.

  1831
  

• Samuel F. Smith wrote "My Country, 'tis of Thee."

  1832
  

• Jackson reelected.
• Jackson vetoed the rechartering of 2nd Bank leading to the creation of the Whig Party.
• South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariff laws. Federal troops sent to South Carolina on December 10.

  1835
  

• U.S. became debt free (briefly) for the only time in history.

  1836
  

• 6000 Mexicans defeated 190 Americans in 12 days at the Alamo on March 6.
• The Specie Circular ordered that gold and silver were the only currency acceptable for the purchase of federal lands, issued on July 11.

Internet Biographies:

Andrew Jackson -- from The Presidents of the United States of America

Compiled by the White House.

Andrew Jackson -- from The American Presidency

Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography, written by Joseph G. Tregle, Jr. of Louisiana State University in New Orleans, along with suggestions for further reading.

Andrew Jackson -- from The American President

From the PBS series The American President, this biography covers his early life, his presidency, and his legacy. Also includes quotations, links to other websites, and lesson plans.

Andrew Jackson -- from DiscoverySchool.com

Complete biography powered by World Book Online.

A Brief Biography of Andrew Jackson, 1767 - 1845 -- from From Revolution to Reconstruction

This not-so-brief biography was written by Hal Morris for the American Revolution HTML project. This original material goes into detail about his triumphs and controversies.

Andrew Jackson -- from the North Carolina Encyclopedia

A very text-rich biography on this North Carolina native.

First Inaugural Address (1829)

Second Inaugural Address (1833)

Andrew Jackson State Park

This memorial to Jackson, located on 360-acres in Lancaster, South Carolina, includes a museum, campgrounds and resources for other outdoor activities.

The Hermitage

The home of Andrew Jackson. A brief description, history, archaelogical plans and tourist information.

• Jackson was the only president who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

• Jackson was the only president to have been a prisoner of war. He was thirteen when he joined the South Carolina militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. After his capture, he was ordered to clean the boots of a British officer. Jackson refused. The officer then drew his sword and slashed Jackson across the forehead, leaving a scar.

• Jackson was the first president born in a log cabin.

• Jackson was involved in many duels. A duel on May 30, 1806 against Charles Dickinson was over some unflattering remarks made about Jackson's wife. In this duel Jackson was wounded. After he was hit, he took aim and fired at Dickinson. Jackson's gun misfired. As Dickinson was forced to stand his ground, Jackson took aim once again and killed Dickinson. The bullet that wounded Jackson was lodged near his heart and could not be safely removed. He carried that bullet in his chest for the rest of his days.

• Jackson was the first president to ride on a railroad train.

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