When Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president, he had enormous shoes to fill. He became the 17th president following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who was adored by all.
Johnson was famous for getting into heated arguments with Congress time and time again and even faced impeachment. Surprisingly, he stayed in office due to a single vote.
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison served in the Union Army during the American Civil War but ended up being the 23rd president of the United States, a job he excelled at. He was an expert on foreign relations and had a wonderful working relationship with the US Congress during his time in office from 1889 to 1893. In the White House, he was known as “Little Ben” due to the fact that his great grandfather and namesake is founding father Benjamin Harrison.
He is the grandson of William Henry Harrison (Old Tippecanoe), which makes him the only president whose grandfather was also an American president. One of Harrison’s most important contributions as president was his work on advocating and enforcing voting rights for African Americans. He was also responsible for accepting the western states of Montana, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming into the Union.
Pierce’s Hit And Run
Law and order in the 1800s were not quite as good as what we have today and investigating hit and run accidents is no exception. Before he was the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce was arrested for running an elderly woman over with his carriage.
He was cleared of all charges within a year of his time at the White House and historians are unsure if the incident ever occurred.
James Buchanan
Democratic president James Buchanan had nowhere to go but up after his predecessor in office, Franklin Pierce. Historians tell us that he had good intentions and even talked about living up to the incredible standards set by George Washington.
Sadly, the 15th president didn’t fulfill his aspirations and his presidency was nothing like the illustrious first president.
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was president for a single term between the years 1837 to 1841 and through the devastating economic downturn known as the Panic of 1837. The crisis began only three months after Van Buren became president and is considered the first great depression of the United States. At the time, Van Buren came up with an idea to separate the funds of the US Treasury from the government to keep them safe from political maneuvers and differing opinions. This earned him the monikers “Little Magician” and “Sly Fox.” Before he became president, Van Buren was appointed Secretary of State by President Andrew Jackson and later became the minister to Great Britain.
Despite his good work, Van Buren’s presidency was under intense scrutiny due to the financial crisis with numerous banks and businesses forced to shut their doors during his term. In the end, the policies van Buren instated proved themselves and helped the economy to recover, but by the time the change was apparent he was no longer president. Unfortunately, he never received the credit he was due for his actions.