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Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was initiated on February 24, 1868, when the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, for "high crimes and misdemeanors". The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were afterwards specified in eleven articles of impeachment adopted by the House on March 2 and 3, 1868. The primary charge against Johnson was that he had violated the Tenure of Office Act. Specifically, that he had acted to remove from office Edwin Stanton and to replace him with Brevet Major General Lorenzo Thomas as secretary of war ad interim. The Tenure of Office had been passed by Congress in March 1867 over Johnson's veto with the primary intent of protecting Stanton from being fired without the Senate's consent. Stanton often sided with the Radical Republican faction and did not have a good relationship with Johnson.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Copy of the House resolution to impeach President Johnson, adopted February 24, 1868
AccusedAndrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States
DateFebruary 24, 1868 (1868-02-24) to May 26, 1868 (1868-05-26)
OutcomeAcquitted by the U.S. Senate, remained in office
ChargesEleven high crimes and misdemeanors
CauseViolating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to replace Edwin Stanton, the secretary of war, while Congress was not in session and other alleged abuses of presidential power
Key congressional votes
Voting in the U.S. House of Representatives
AccusationHigh crimes and misdemeanors
Votes in favor126
Votes against47
ResultApproved resolution of impeachment
Voting in the U.S. Senate
AccusationArticle XI
Votes in favor35 "guilty"
Votes against19 "not guilty"
ResultAcquitted (36 "guilty" votes necessary for a conviction)
AccusationArticle II
Votes in favor35 "guilty"
Votes against19 "not guilty"
ResultAcquitted (36 "guilty" votes necessary for a conviction)
AccusationArticle III
Votes in favor35 "guilty"
Votes against19 "not guilty"
ResultAcquitted (36 "guilty" votes necessary for a conviction)
The Senate held a roll call vote on only 3 of the 11 articles before adjourning as a court.

Johnson was the first United States president to be impeached. After the House formally adopted the articles of impeachment, they forwarded them to the United States Senate for adjudication. The trial in the Senate began on March 5, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. On May 16, the Senate voted against convicting Johnson on one of the articles, with its 35–19 vote in favor of conviction falling one vote short of the necessary two-thirds majority. A 10-day recess of the Senate trial was called before reconvening to convict him on additional articles. On May 26, the Senate voted against convicting the president on two more articles by margins identical to the first vote. After this, the trial was adjourned sine die without votes being held on the remaining eight articles of impeachment.

The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson had important political implications for the balance of federal legislative-executive power. It maintained the principle that Congress should not remove the president from office simply because its members disagreed with him over policy, style, and administration of the office. It also resulted in diminished presidential influence on public policy and overall governing power, fostering a system of governance which future-President Woodrow Wilson referred to in the 1880s as "Congressional Government".

Background edit

Presidential Reconstruction edit

 
President Andrew Johnson

Tensions between the executive and legislative branches had been high prior to Johnson's ascension to the presidency. Following Union Army victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863, President Lincoln began contemplating the issue of how to bring the South back into the Union. He wished to offer an olive branch to the rebel states by pursuing a lenient plan for their reintegration. The forgiving tone of the president's plan, plus the fact that he implemented it by presidential directive without consulting Congress, incensed Radical Republicans, who countered with a more stringent plan. Their proposal for Southern reconstruction, the Wade–Davis Bill, passed both houses of Congress in July 1864, but was pocket vetoed by the president and never took effect.[1][2]

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, just days after the Army of Northern Virginia's surrender at Appomattox, briefly lessened the tension over who would set the terms of peace. The Radicals, while suspicious of new president Andrew Johnson and his policies, believed based on his record that he would defer or at least acquiesce to their hardline proposals. Though a Tennessee Democrat, Johnson had fiercely criticized Southern secession. After Tennessee joined the states leaving the Union, he chose to stay in Washington, rather than resign his U.S. Senate seat. Later, when Union troops occupied Tennessee, Johnson was appointed military governor. He exercised his powers in that office vigorously, frequently stating that "treason must be made odious and traitors punished".[2]

After Johnson became president, however, he embraced Lincoln's more lenient policies, thus rejecting the Radicals and setting the stage for a showdown with Congress.[3] During the first months of his presidency, Johnson issued proclamations of general amnesty for most former Confederates, both government and military officers, and oversaw creation of new governments in the hitherto rebellious states—governments dominated by ex-Confederate officials.[4] In February 1866, Johnson vetoed legislation extending the Freedmen's Bureau and expanding its powers; Congress was unable to override the veto. Afterward, Johnson denounced Radical Republicans Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Senator Charles Sumner, along with abolitionist Wendell Phillips, as traitors.[5] Later, Johnson vetoed a Civil Rights Act and a second Freedmen's Bureau bill. The Senate and the House each mustered the two-thirds majority necessary to override both vetoes.[5]

At an impasse with Congress, Johnson offered himself directly to the American public as a "tribune of the people". In the late summer of 1866, the president embarked on a national "Swing Around the Circle" speaking tour, where he asked his audiences for their support in his battle against the Congress and urged voters to elect representatives to Congress in the upcoming midterm election who supported his policies. The tour backfired on Johnson, however, when reports of his undisciplined, vitriolic speeches and ill-advised confrontations with hecklers swept the nation. Contrary to his hopes, the 1866 elections led to veto-proof Republican majorities in both houses of Congress.[6][7][8] As a result, Radicals were able to take control of Reconstruction, passing a series of Reconstruction Acts—each one over the president's veto—addressing requirements for Southern states to be fully restored to the Union. The first of these acts divided those states, excluding Johnson's home state of Tennessee, into five military districts, and each state's government was put under the control of the U.S. military. Additionally, these states were required to enact new constitutions, ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, and guarantee voting rights for black males.[2][6][9]

Previous efforts to impeach Johnson edit

First inquiry edit

On January 7, 1867, the House of Representatives voted to launch an impeachment inquiry against Johnson, to be run by the House Committee on the Judiciary. Since the resolution only created an inquiry and did not actually directly impeach the president as many Radical Republicans wanted to do, it was seen as offering Republicans a chance to register their displeasure with Johnson without actually formally impeaching him.[10] Many Republicans felt safe in the belief that any impeachment resolution would die a quiet death in the Judiciary Committee.[11] The House Committee on the Judiciary initially sided 4–5 on June 3, 1867, against recommending against forwarding articles of impeachment to the full House.[10] However, on November 25, 1867, the House Committee on the Judiciary, which had not previously forwarded the result of its inquiry to the full House, reversed their previous decision due to a change of mind by one of its member and voted 5–4 to recommend impeachment. In a December 7, 1867, vote, the full House rejected impeachment by a 108–57 vote in which more Republicans voted against impeachment than for it.[12][13][14]

Launch of a second inquiry edit

On January 27, 1868, Rufus P. Spalding moved that the rules be suspended so that he could present a resolution resolving that the House Select Committee on Reconstruction be authorized to conduct a new impeachment inquiry into Johnson for, "what combinations have been made or attempted to be made to obstruct the due execution of the laws," and that the committee have leave to report at any time.[15][16] The motion to consider the resolution was agreed to by a vote of 103–37,[15][16] and the House voted to approve the resolution by a vote of 99–31.[15][16] No Democrats voted for the resolution, while the only Republicans who cast votes against it were Elihu B. Washburne and William Windom.[16][17] On February 10, 1868, the House voted to transfer any further responsibility over impeachment away from the Committee on the Judiciary and to the Select Committee on Reconstruction.[18][19]

Despite Thadeus Stevens being the chair of the committee,[20] the membership of the House Committee on Reconstruction was not initially favorable to impeachment. It had four (Republican) members that had voted for impeachment in December 1867, and five members (three Republicans and two Democrats) that had voted against it.[21] At a February 13, 1868, committee meeting, a vote on a motion to table consideration of a resolution proposed by Stevens to impeach Johnson had effectively signaled that five of the committee's members still stood opposed to impeachment, unchanged in their position since the December 1867 vote. After the February 13 vote, it momentarily appeared that the prospect of impeachment was dead.[19][22][23]

Tenure of Office Act edit

Congress' control of the military Reconstruction policy was mitigated by Johnson's command of the military as president. However, Johnson had inherited Lincoln's appointee Edwin M. Stanton as secretary of war. Stanton was a staunch Radical Republican who would comply with congressional Reconstruction policies as long as he remained in office.[24] To ensure that Stanton would not be replaced, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867 over Johnson's veto. The act required the president to seek the Senate's advice and consent before relieving or dismissing any member of his cabinet (an indirect reference to Stanton) or, indeed, any federal official whose initial appointment had previously required its advice and consent.[25][26]

Johnson's dismissal of Secretary of War Stanton edit

 
"The Situation", a Harper's Weekly editorial cartoon shows Secretary of War Stanton aiming a cannon labeled "Congress" to defeat Johnson. The rammer is "Tenure of Office Bill" and cannonballs on the floor are "Justice".

The Tenure of Office Act was put in place to prevent the president from dismissing an officer that had been previously appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate without the Senate's approval to remove them.[27] Per the law, if the president dismissed such an officer when the Senate was in recess, and the Senate voted upon reconvening against ratifying the removal, the president would be required to reinstate the individual.[28] Because the Tenure of Office Act did permit the president to suspend such officials when Congress was out of session, after Johnson failed to obtain Stanton's resignation, he instead suspended Stanton on August 5, 1867, which gave him the opportunity to appoint General Ulysses S. Grant, then serving as commanding general of the Army, to serve as the interim secretary of war.[29] When the Senate adopted a resolution of non-concurrence with Stanton's dismissal in December 1867, Grant told Johnson he was going to resign, fearing punitive legal action.[26] Contrary to Johnson's belief that Grant had agreed to remain in office,[30] when the Senate voted and reinstated Stanton in January 1868, Grant immediately resigned, before the president had an opportunity to appoint a replacement.[31] Johnson was furious at Grant, accusing him of lying during a stormy cabinet meeting. The March 1868 publication of several angry messages between Johnson and Grant led to a complete break between the two. As a result of these letters, Grant solidified his standing as the front-runner for the 1868 Republican presidential nomination.[29][32]

Johnson complained about Stanton's restoration to office and searched desperately for someone to replace Stanton who would be acceptable to the Senate. He first proposed the position to General William Tecumseh Sherman, an enemy of Stanton, who turned down his offer.[33] Sherman subsequently suggested to Johnson that Radical Republicans and moderate Republicans would be amenable to replacing Stanton with Jacob Dolson Cox, but he found the president to be no longer interested in appeasement.[34] On February 21, 1868, the president appointed Lorenzo Thomas, a brevet major general in the Army, as secretary of war ad interim. Johnson thereupon informed the Senate of his decision. Thomas personally delivered the president's dismissal notice to Stanton, who rejected the legitimacy of the decision. Rather than vacate his office, Stanton barricaded himself inside and ordered Thomas arrested for violating the Tenure of Office Act.[35] Thomas remained under arrest for several days before being released, and having the charge against him dropped after Stanton realized that the case against Thomas would provide the courts with an opportunity to review the constitutionality of the Tenure of Office Act.[36]

Johnson's opponents in Congress were outraged by his actions; the president's challenge to congressional authority—with regard to both the Tenure of Office Act and post-war reconstruction—had, in their estimation, been tolerated for long enough.[2] In swift response, an impeachment resolution was introduced in the House by Representatives Thaddeus Stevens and John Bingham. Expressing the widespread sentiment among House Republicans, Representative William D. Kelley (on February 22, 1868) declared:

Sir, the bloody and untilled fields of the ten unreconstructed states, the unsheeted ghosts of the two thousand murdered negroes in Texas, cry, if the dead ever evoke vengeance, for the punishment of Andrew Johnson.[37][38]

Passage of the impeachment resolution edit

Presentation of the resolution by John Covode edit

 
John Covode's single sentence impeachment resolution, presented on February 21, 1868

On February 21, 1868, the day that Johnson attempted to replace Stanton with Lorenzo Thomas, the chair of the Select Committee on Reconstruction, Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens, submitted a resolution to the House resolving that the evidence taken on impeachment by the previous (1867) impeachment inquiry run by the Committee on the Judiciary be referred to the Select Committee on Reconstruction, which was overseeing the ongoing second impeachment inquiry. Stevens' resolution also resolved that the Committee on Reconstruction "have leave to report at any time". The resolution was approved by the House.[15] Soon after, a one sentence resolution to impeach Johnson, written by John Covode, was presented to the House. The resolution read,

Resolved, That Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors.[39][40][41][42]

No charges were specified in the resolution by Covode.[43] News reports stated that the introduction of the resolution was met with audible laughter by Democratic members of the House.[44] George S. Boutwell made a successful motion to refer the resolution to the Select Committee on Reconstruction.[42][20] Because the resolution had been presented in the late afternoon, the house adjourned without the question being brought to a vote on whether to adopt it. But there was an expectation that it would be debated following day and soon after brought to such a vote.[45]

Committee approval of the resolution edit

In the morning of February 22, 1868, the Committee on Reconstruction approved an amended version of the impeachment resolution in a 7–2 party-line vote.[46][47] The amended resolution read,

Resolved, That Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors in office.[48]

House debate edit

At 3pm on February 22, 1868, along with the slightly amended version of Covode's impeachment resolution, Stevens presented a majority report from the Select Committee on Reconstruction opining that Johnson should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.[15][20][48][49] The impeachment resolution was debated at length on both February 22 and 24.[15] During the debate on the resolution, Republican members of the House Select Committee on Reconstruction argued that Johnson's effort to dismiss Stanton and appoint Thomas ad interim was a specific violation of the Tenure of Office Act.[15]

Republicans that had voted against the previous impeachment resolution on December 7, 1867, now voiced support for impeaching Johnson, seeing an impeachment of Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act as being grounded in an offense indictable under federal law.[15] James F. Wilson expressed an opinion representative of those expressed during debate by many Republicans that had previously voted against the impeachment resolution brought by the Judiciary Committee at the close of the first impeachment inquiry against Johnson. Ahead of the vote on that previous resolution, Wilson had been tasked by the Judiciary Committee's dissenting members with presenting their argument against impeaching Johnson at that time. Now Wilson expressed support for impeaching Johnson,[15] declaring that,

The considerations which weighed upon my mind and molded my conduct in the case with which the Committee on the Judiciary of this House was charged are not to be found in the present case.[15]

Wilson opined that in the previous impeachment vote, Johnson had not committed any action that was a crime under either common law or statute. Wilson declared that Johnson had mistakenly been emboldened after he was not impeached in December 1867 and had proceeded to commit an act that constituted clear impeachable conduct,[15] declaring,

He mistook our judgment for cowardice, and worked on until he has presented to us, as a sequence, a high misdemeanor known to the law and defined by statute.[15]

Thaddeus Stevens expressed his opinion that impeachment was a purely political process. In the closing remarks of formal debate, Stevens expressed his opinion that the case to be brought against Johnson should be broader than just his violation of the Tenure of Office Act.[15] Before the resolution would be voted on by the House, Thaddeus Stevens, who is considered to have been the leader of the forces behind the push for impeachment, gave a final speech that is described as having brought those in the House chamber to "rapt attention".[50] In the speech, Stevens remarked,

This is not to be the temporary triumph of a political party, but is to endure in its consequence until this whole continent shall be filled with a free and untrammeled people or shall be a nest of shrinking, cowardly slaves.[37][18][15]

Vote edit

The resolution was put to a vote on February 24, 1868, three days after Johnson moved to dismiss and replace Stanton. Per the record of the Congressional Globe, the House of Representatives voted 126–47 (with 17 members not voting) in favor of a resolution to impeach the president for high crimes and misdemeanors,[37][20][18][51] This marked the first time that a president of the United States had been impeached.[18] There is a record keeping discrepancy, however. While the Congressional Globe recorded the vote as being 126–47 (with Republicans William Henry Koontz and Francis Thomas being absent), the United States House Journal had recorded the vote as being 128–47 (recording Koontz and Thomas as being present and voting in support of the resolution).[18][52][51][53] The Office of the House Historian uses the Congressional Globe tally on its website.[53]

Almost all of the House Republican caucus that was present voted in support of the impeachment resolution. While every vote cast by those that were elected as a member of the Republican Party was in support of the impeachment resolution, Samuel Fenton Cary (an independent Republican from Ohio), and Thomas E. Stewart (a "Conservative Republican" from New York) voted against it. Both Cary and Stewart caucused with the Republicans.[54] Every Democrat present voted against impeachment.[18] Fifteen Republicans and one Democrat were absent for the vote.[17][52] Speaker Schuyler Colfax, a Republican, also did not vote, as House rules do not require the speaker to vote during ordinary legislative proceedings unless their vote would be decisive or if the vote is being cast by ballot.[17][52][55]

All of the 126 votes in favor of impeachment came from members of the Republican caucus (125 from members of the Republican Party, and one from independent Republican Lewis Selye). Of the 47 votes against impeachment, 44 came from members of the Democratic Party, with the other three votes coming from Conservative Charles E. Phelps, Conservative Republican Thomas E. Stewart, and independent Republican Fenton Cary.[17][52]

Resolution providing for the impeachment of
Andrew Johnson, President of the United States[a]
[17][18][51][52][53]
February 24, 1868 Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 125 000 000 001 126
Nay 044 000 001 001 001 047
Comparative bar chart
Vote Vote total
"Yea" votes
126
"Nay" votes
47
Absent/not voting
17
Votes by member[17][52]
District Member Party Vote
Kentucky 8 George Madison Adams Democrat Nay
Iowa 3 William B. Allison Republican Yea
Massachusetts 2 Oakes Ames Republican Yea
Missouri 9 George Washington Anderson Republican Yea
Maryland 2 Stevenson Archer Democrat Nay
Tennessee 6 Samuel Mayes Arnell Republican Yea
Nevada at-large Delos R. Ashley Republican Yea
Ohio 10 James Mitchell Ashley Republican Yea
California 1 Samuel Beach Axtell Democrat Nay
New York 21 Alexander H. Bailey Republican Yea
Illinois 12 Jehu Baker Republican Yea
Massachusetts 8 John Denison Baldwin Republican Yea
Massachusetts 6 Nathaniel P. Banks Republican Yea
New York 2 Demas Barnes Democrat Nay
Connecticut 4 William Henry Barnum Democrat Nay
Michigan 1 Fernando C. Beaman Republican Yea
Ohio 8 John Beatty Republican Yea
Kentucky 7 James B. Beck Democrat Nay
Missouri 8 John F. Benjamin Republican Absent
New Hampshire 3 Jacob Benton Republican Yea
Ohio 16 John Bingham Republican Yea
Maine 3 James G. Blaine Republican Yea
Michigan 3 Austin Blair Republican Yea
Massachusetts 7 George S. Boutwell Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 6 Benjamin Markley Boyer Democrat Nay
Illinois 7 Henry P. H. Bromwell Republican Yea
New York 8 James Brooks Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 7 John Martin Broomall Republican Yea
Ohio 9 Ralph Pomeroy Buckland Republican Yea
Illinois 10 Albert G. Burr Democrat Nay
Massachusetts 5 Benjamin Butler Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 10 Henry L. Cake Republican Yea
Ohio 2 Samuel Fenton Cary Independent Republican Nay
New York 7 John Winthrop Chanler Democrat Nay
New York 22 John C. Churchill Republican Yea
Ohio 6 Reader W. Clarke Republican Yea
Kansas at-large Sidney Clarke Republican Yea
Wisconsin 3 Amasa Cobb Republican Yea
Indiana 6 John Coburn Republican Yea
Indiana 9 Schuyler Colfax Republican Did not vote (speaker)α
Illinois 6 Burton C. Cook Republican Yea
New York 13 Thomas Cornell Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 21 John Covode Republican Yea
Illinois 8 Shelby Moore Cullom Republican Yea
Massachusetts 10 Henry L. Dawes Republican Yea
Rhode Island 2 Nathan F. Dixon II Republican Absent
Iowa 5 Grenville M. Dodge Republican Yea
Minnesota 2 Ignatius L. Donnelly Republican Absent
Michigan 6 John F. Driggs Republican Yea
Ohio 17 Ephraim R. Eckley Republican Yea
Ohio 1 Benjamin Eggleston Republican Yea
New Hampshire 1 Jacob Hart Ela Republican Absent
Wisconsin 4 Charles A. Eldredge Democrat Nay
Massachusetts 1 Thomas D. Eliot Republican Yea
Illinois 2 John F. Farnsworth Republican Yea
New York 16 Orange Ferriss Republican Yea
Michigan 4 Thomas W. Ferry Republican Yea
New York 19 William C. Fields Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 20 Darwin Abel Finney Republican Absent
New York 4 John Fox Democrat Nay
Ohio 19 James A. Garfield Republican Absent
Pennsylvania 8 James Lawrence Getz Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 15 Adam John Glossbrenner Democrat Nay
Kentucky 3 Jacob Golladay Democrat Nay
Missouri 4 Joseph J. Gravely Republican Yea
New York 15 John Augustus Griswold Republican Yea
Kentucky 5 Asa Grover Democrat Nay
New Jersey 2 Charles Haight Democrat Nay
New Jersey 5 George A. Halsey Republican Yea
Illinois 4 Abner C. Harding Republican Yea
Tennessee 7 Isaac Roberts Hawkins Republican Absent
California 2 William Higby Republican Yea
New Jersey 4 John Hill Republican Yea
Indiana 4 William S. Holman Democrat Nay
Massachusetts 4 Samuel Hooper Republican Yea
Wisconsin 2 Benjamin F. Hopkins Republican Yea
Connecticut 2 Julius Hotchkiss Democrat Nay
Iowa 6 Asahel W. Hubbard Republican Yea
West Virginia 1 Chester D. Hubbard Republican Yea
Connecticut 1 Richard D. Hubbard Democrat Nay
New York 17 Calvin T. Hulburd Republican Yea
New York 30 James M. Humphrey Democrat Nay
Indiana 3 Morton C. Hunter Republican Yea
Illinois 5 Ebon C. Ingersoll Republican Yea
Rhode Island 1 Thomas Jenckes Republican Yea
California 3 James A. Johnson Democrat Nay
Kentucky 6 Thomas Laurens Jones Democrat Nay
Illinois 1 Norman B. Judd Republican Yea
Indiana 5 George Washington Julian Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 4 William D. Kelley Republican Yea
New York 25 William H. Kelsey Republican Yea
Indiana 2 Michael C. Kerr Democrat Nay
New York 12 John H. Ketcham Republican Yea
West Virginia 2 Bethuel Kitchen Republican Yea
Kentucky 4 J. Proctor Knott Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 16 William Henry Koontz Republican Absent
New York 20 Addison H. Laflin Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 24 George Van Eman Lawrence Republican Yea
Ohio 4 William Lawrence Republican Yea
Missouri 7 Benjamin F. Loan Republican Yea
New York 26 William S. Lincoln Republican Yea
Illinois at-large John A. Logan Republican Yea
Iowa 4 William Loughridge Republican Yea
Maine 1 John Lynch Republican Yea
Oregon at-large Rufus Mallory Republican Yea
Illinois 11 Samuel S. Marshall Democrat Nay
New York 18 James M. Marvin Republican Yea
Tennessee 2 Horace Maynard Republican Absent
New York 23 Dennis McCarthy Republican Yea
Missouri 5 Joseph W. McClurg Republican Yea
Missouri 3 James Robinson McCormick Democrat Nay
Maryland 1 Hiram McCullough Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 13 Ulysses Mercur Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 14 George Funston Miller Republican Yea
New Jersey 1 William Moore Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 22 James K. Moorhead Republican Yea
Ohio 13 George W. Morgan Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 17 Daniel Johnson Morrell Republican Yea
New York 5 John Morrissey Democrat Nay
Tennessee 4 James Mullins Republican Yea
Ohio 5 William Mungen Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 3 Leonard Myers Republican Yea
Missouri 2 Carman A. Newcomb Republican Yea
Indiana 1 William E. Niblack Democrat Nay
Delaware at-large John A. Nicholson Democrat Nay
Tennessee 8 David Alexander Nunn Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 2 Charles O'Neill Republican Yea
Indiana 8 Godlove Stein Orth Republican Yea
Wisconsin 1 Halbert E. Paine Republican Yea
Maine 2 Sidney Perham Republican Yea
Maine 4 John A. Peters Republican Yea
Maryland 3 Charles E. Phelps Conservative Nay
Maine 5 Frederick Augustus Pike Republican Yea
Missouri 1 William A. Pile Republican Yea
Ohio 15 Tobias A. Plants Republican Yea
Vermont 2 Luke P. Poland Republican Yea
West Virginia 3 Daniel Polsley Republican Yea
New York 24 Theodore M. Pomeroy Republican Absent
Iowa 2 Hiram Price Republican Yea
New York 14 John V. L. Pruyn Democrat Nay
Pennsylvania 1 Samuel J. Randall Democrat Nay
Illinois 13 Green Berry Raum Republican Yea
New York 10 William H. Robertson Republican Yea
New York 3 William Erigena Robinson Democrat Absent
Illinois 9 Lewis W. Ross Democrat Nay
Wisconsin 5 Philetus Sawyer Republican Yea
Ohio 3 Robert C. Schenck Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 19 Glenni William Scofield Republican Yea
New York 28 Lewis Selye Independent Republican Yea
Indiana 11 John P. C. Shanks Republican Yea
Ohio 7 Samuel Shellabarger Republican Yea
New Jersey 3 Charles Sitgreaves Democrat Nay
Vermont 3 Worthington Curtis Smith Republican Yea
Ohio 18 Rufus P. Spalding Republican Yea
Connecticut 3 Henry H. Starkweather Republican Yea
New Hampshire 2 Aaron Fletcher Stevens Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 9 Thaddeus Stevens Republican Yea
New York 6 Thomas E. Stewart Conservative Republican Nay
Tennessee 3 William Brickly Stokes Republican Yea
Maryland 5 Frederick Stone Democrat Nay
New York 1 Stephen Taber Democrat Nay
Nebraska at-large John Taffe Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 5 Caleb Newbold Taylor Republican Yea
Maryland 4 Francis Thomas Republican Absent
Tennessee 5 John Trimble Republican Absent
Kentucky 1 Lawrence S. Trimble Democrat Nay
Michigan 5 Rowland E. Trowbridge Republican Yea
Massachusetts 3 Ginery Twichell Republican Yea
Michigan 2 Charles Upson Republican Yea
New York 31 Henry Van Aernam Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 11 Daniel Myers Van Auken Democrat Nay
New York 29 Burt Van Horn Republican Yea
Missouri 6 Robert T. Van Horn Republican Absent
Ohio 12 Philadelph Van Trump Democrat Nay
New York 11 Charles Van Wyck Republican Yea
New York 27 Hamilton Ward Republican Yea
Wisconsin 6 Cadwallader C. Washburn Republican Yea
Indiana 7 Henry D. Washburn Republican Absent
Massachusetts 9 William B. Washburn Republican Yea
Illinois 3 Elihu B. Washburne Republican Yea
Ohio 14 Martin Welker Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 23 Thomas Williams Republican Yea
Indiana 10 William Williams Republican Absent
Iowa 1 James F. Wilson Republican Yea
Ohio 11 John Thomas Wilson Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 18 Stephen Fowler Wilson Republican Yea
Minnesota 1 William Windom Republican Yea
New York 9 Fernando Wood Democrat Nay
Vermont 1 Frederick E. Woodbridge Republican Yea
Pennsylvania 12 George Washington Woodward Democrat Nay
Notes:
Schuyler Colfax was serving as Speaker of the House. Per House rules, "the Speaker is not required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings, except when such vote would be decisive or when the House is engaged in voting by ballot."[55]

Adoption of the articles of impeachment edit

After the House passed the impeachment resolution, its attention turned to the adoption of articles of impeachment which the Senate would try Johnson on. The approach of having the vote to impeach be an entirely separate vote from the adoption of article(s) of impeachment differs from the approach that has been practiced in more recent United States federal impeachments, in which impeachment has occurred directly through the adoption of article(s) of impeachment. However, the manner in which Johnson was impeached appears to have been the standard order of procedure for nineteenth century federal impeachments in the United States, as each of the five previous impeachments of federal officials that had led to a Senate trial had been conducted the same way, with votes to impeach occurring before votes on articles of impeachment.[18]

Drafting of the articles edit

 
Illustration of the seven-member committee meeting to draft the articles of impeachment. From left to right: Thaddeus Stevens, James F. Wilson, Hamilton Ward (back of head), John A. Logan, George S. Boutwell, George Washington Julian, John Bingham

After the vote to impeach, Stevens submitted a pair of resolutions that both created a two-person committee tasked with presenting to the Senate bar the impeachment resolution that had been passed and informing the Senate that the House would "in due time" exhibit specific articles of impeachment, and which also created a seven-person committee to prepare and report articles of impeachment. The resolutions gave that seven-person committee the power to subpoena people, papers, and records, and to record sworn testimony. After procedural votes, the House approved both of Stevens' resolutions in a single 124–42 vote. No members of the Republican Party voted against it, while no members of the Democratic Party voted for it.[17][56] Before the House adjourned for the evening, Speaker Schuyler Colfax appointed John Bingham and Thaddeus Stevens to the two-person committee tasked with informing the Senate of Johnson's impeachment, and also appointed John Bingham, George S. Boutwell, and Thaddeus Stevens (all of whom had been members of the Select Committee on Reconstruction) along with George Washington Julian, House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman James F. Wilson, John A. Logan, and Hamilton Ward to the seven-person committee tasked with writing the articles of impeachment.[18]

 
Illustration of Thaddeus Stevens and John Bingham notifying the Senate bar of the impeachment on February 25, 1868

On the morning of February 25, 1868, the Senate was informed by the two-person committee of Bingham and Stevens that Johnson had been impeached and that articles of impeachment would be created.[57][58] Later that day, Stevens reported to the House that the committee had gone before the bar of the Senate on behalf of the House.[58] Later on February 25, Ellihu B. Washburne moved to suspend the rules and order that, once the special committee tasked with preparing the articles of impeachment reported those articles, the House would immediately hold a full-house vote on the articles, and set the rules for speeches and debate on the articles. The House voted 106–37 to approve Washburne's motion.[59] Later that day, George S. Boutwell presented two resolutions to enable the committee of seven that had been appointed to prepare and report the articles of impeachment to sit during sessions of the House. These resolutions were passed 105–36.[60]

Thaddeus Stevens felt that Radical Republicans on the committee were yielding too much to moderates to limit the scope of the violations of law that the articles of impeachment would charge Johnson with. He wrote Benjamin F. Butler, proposing that, while Stevens worked to add two more additional articles to the seven already written by the committee, Butler would write his own separate article of impeachment from outside of the committee. Butler accepted this proposal.[18]

The committee of seven initially delivered ten proposed articles of impeachment to the House on February 29, 1868.[18] These would be revised and reduced to nine articles before being voted on on March 2.[19]

Votes on the articles edit

One week after it voted to impeach Johnson, the House adopted eleven articles of impeachment against the president.[20] The first nine articles were approved on March 2, while the last two were approved on March 3, 1868. The third and fourth articles each received a single Democratic vote in support of them (George W. Morgan for the third and Charles Haight for the fourth article).[17][53][61][62] The tenth article was the only to have Republican opposition, with twelve Republicans casting votes against it. However, two other members of the Republican caucus that were not formally part of the Republican Party (Samuel Fenton Cary, an independent Republican from Ohio, and Thomas E. Stewart, a "Conservative Republican" from New York) voted against nearly every article of impeachment (with Stewart having been absent from the vote on the fourth article).[17][63][64][65]

Votes by member[17][63][64][65]
District Member Party Votes on articles
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
Kentucky 8 George Madison Adams Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Iowa 3 William B. Allison Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Massachusetts 2 Oakes Ames Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 9 George Washington Anderson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Absent
Maryland 2 Stevenson Archer Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Tennessee 6 Samuel Mayes Arnell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Nevada at-large Delos R. Ashley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Ohio 10 James Mitchell Ashley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
California 1 Samuel Beach Axtell Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
New York 21 Alexander H. Bailey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Illinois 12 Jehu Baker Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Massachusetts 8 John Denison Baldwin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Massachusetts 6 Nathaniel P. Banks Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
New York 2 Demas Barnes Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Connecticut 4 William Henry Barnum Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Michigan 1 Fernando C. Beaman Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 8 John Beatty Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Kentucky 7 James B. Beck Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Missouri 8 John F. Benjamin Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
New Hampshire 3 Jacob Benton Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Ohio 16 John Bingham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Maine 3 James G. Blaine Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Michigan 3 Austin Blair Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Massachusetts 7 George S. Boutwell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 6 Benjamin Markley Boyer Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
Illinois 7 Henry P. H. Bromwell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
New York 8 James Brooks Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Pennsylvania 7 John Martin Broomall Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 9 Ralph Pomeroy Buckland Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Illinois 10 Albert G. Burr Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay
Massachusetts 5 Benjamin Butler Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 10 Henry L. Cake Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 2 Samuel Fenton Cary Independent Republican Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New York 7 John Winthrop Chanler Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
New York 22 John C. Churchill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 6 Reader W. Clarke Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Kansas at-large Sidney Clarke Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Wisconsin 3 Amasa Cobb Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 6 John Coburn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Indiana 9 Schuyler Colfax Republican Did not vote (speaker)α
Illinois 6 Burton C. Cook Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 13 Thomas Cornell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
Pennsylvania 21 John Covode Republican Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Illinois 8 Shelby Moore Cullom Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Massachusetts 10 Henry L. Dawes Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Rhode Island 2 Nathan F. Dixon II Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
Iowa 5 Grenville M. Dodge Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Minnesota 2 Ignatius L. Donnelly Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Michigan 6 John F. Driggs Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 17 Ephraim R. Eckley Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Ohio 1 Benjamin Eggleston Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New Hampshire 1 Jacob Hart Ela Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Wisconsin 4 Charles A. Eldredge Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent
Massachusetts 1 Thomas D. Eliot Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Illinois 2 John F. Farnsworth Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
New York 16 Orange Ferriss Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Michigan 4 Thomas W. Ferry Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 19 William C. Fields Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Pennsylvania 20 Darwin Abel Finney Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
New York 4 John Fox Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
Ohio 19 James A. Garfield Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 8 James Lawrence Getz Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay
Pennsylvania 15 Adam John Glossbrenner Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
Kentucky 3 Jacob Golladay Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Missouri 4 Joseph J. Gravely Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 15 John Augustus Griswold Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Nay Yea
Kentucky 5 Asa Grover Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New Jersey 2 Charles Haight Democrat Nay Nay Nay Yea Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New Jersey 5 George A. Halsey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Illinois 4 Abner C. Harding Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Tennessee 7 Isaac Roberts Hawkins Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
California 2 William Higby Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
New Jersey 4 John Hill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 4 William S. Holman Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Massachusetts 4 Samuel Hooper Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Wisconsin 2 Benjamin F. Hopkins Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Connecticut 2 Julius Hotchkiss Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Iowa 6 Asahel W. Hubbard Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
West Virginia 1 Chester D. Hubbard Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Connecticut 1 Richard D. Hubbard Democrat Absent Absent Nay Nay Absent Absent Absent Absent Nay Absent Absent
New York 17 Calvin T. Hulburd Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 30 James M. Humphrey Democrat Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Indiana 3 Morton C. Hunter Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Illinois 5 Ebon C. Ingersoll Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Rhode Island 1 Thomas Jenckes Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
California 3 James A. Johnson Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Kentucky 6 Thomas Laurens Jones Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Illinois 1 Norman B. Judd Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 5 George Washington Julian Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 4 William D. Kelley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 25 William H. Kelsey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 2 Michael C. Kerr Democrat Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New York 12 John H. Ketcham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
West Virginia 2 Bethuel Kitchen Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Kentucky 4 J. Proctor Knott Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Pennsylvania 16 William Henry Koontz Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 20 Addison H. Laflin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Pennsylvania 24 George Van Eman Lawrence Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 4 William Lawrence Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 7 Benjamin F. Loan Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 26 William S. Lincoln Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Illinois at-large John A. Logan Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Iowa 4 William Loughridge Republican Yea Absent Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Maine 1 John Lynch Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Oregon at-large Rufus Mallory Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Illinois 11 Samuel S. Marshall Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New York 18 James M. Marvin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Tennessee 2 Horace Maynard Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 23 Dennis McCarthy Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 5 Joseph W. McClurg Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 3 James Robinson McCormick Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Maryland 1 Hiram McCullough Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Pennsylvania 13 Ulysses Mercur Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 14 George Funston Miller Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New Jersey 1 William Moore Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 22 James K. Moorhead Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Ohio 13 George W. Morgan Democrat Nay Nay Yea Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Pennsylvania 17 Daniel Johnson Morrell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 5 John Morrissey Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Tennessee 4 James Mullins Republican Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Ohio 5 William Mungen Democrat Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Pennsylvania 3 Leonard Myers Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 2 Carman A. Newcomb Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 1 William E. Niblack Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Delaware at-large John A. Nicholson Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay
Tennessee 8 David Alexander Nunn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Pennsylvania 2 Charles O'Neill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 8 Godlove Stein Orth Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Wisconsin 1 Halbert E. Paine Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
Maine 2 Sidney Perham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Maine 4 John A. Peters Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Maryland 3 Charles E. Phelps Conservative Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Maine 5 Frederick Augustus Pike Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Missouri 1 William A. Pile Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Ohio 15 Tobias A. Plants Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea
Vermont 2 Luke P. Poland Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea
West Virginia 3 Daniel Polsley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 24 Theodore M. Pomeroy Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Iowa 2 Hiram Price Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
New York 14 John V. L. Pruyn Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Pennsylvania 1 Samuel J. Randall Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
Illinois 13 Green Berry Raum Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 10 William H. Robertson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea
New York 3 William Erigena Robinson Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Illinois 9 Lewis W. Ross Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Wisconsin 5 Philetus Sawyer Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 3 Robert C. Schenck Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 19 Glenni William Scofield Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 28 Lewis Selye Independent Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Indiana 11 John P. C. Shanks Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 7 Samuel Shellabarger Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
New Jersey 3 Charles Sitgreaves Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Vermont 3 Worthington Curtis Smith Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Ohio 18 Rufus P. Spalding Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Connecticut 3 Henry H. Starkweather Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New Hampshire 2 Aaron Fletcher Stevens Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Pennsylvania 9 Thaddeus Stevens Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 6 Thomas E. Stewart Conservative Republican Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Tennessee 3 William Brickly Stokes Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Absent
Maryland 5 Frederick Stone Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
New York 1 Stephen Taber Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Nebraska at-large John Taffe Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 5 Caleb Newbold Taylor Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Maryland 4 Francis Thomas Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Tennessee 5 John Trimble Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Kentucky 1 Lawrence S. Trimble Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Michigan 5 Rowland E. Trowbridge Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Massachusetts 3 Ginery Twichell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Michigan 2 Charles Upson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
New York 31 Henry Van Aernam Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 11 Daniel Myers Van Auken Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
New York 29 Burt Van Horn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Absent
Missouri 6 Robert T. Van Horn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Ohio 12 Philadelph Van Trump Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
New York 11 Charles Van Wyck Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
New York 27 Hamilton Ward Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Wisconsin 6 Cadwallader C. Washburn Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea
Indiana 7 Henry D. Washburn Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Massachusetts 9 William B. Washburn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Illinois 3 Elihu B. Washburne Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent Absent
Ohio 14 Martin Welker Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Pennsylvania 23 Thomas Williams Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea
Indiana 10 William Williams Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent
Iowa 1 James F. Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Ohio 11 John Thomas Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
Pennsylvania 18 Stephen Fowler Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent
Minnesota 1 William Windom Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay Yea
New York 9 Fernando Wood Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay
Vermont 1 Frederick E. Woodbridge Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Nay Yea
Pennsylvania 12 George Washington Woodward Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Absent
Notes:
Schuyler Colfax was serving as Speaker of the House. Per House rules, "the Speaker is not required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings, except when such vote would be decisive or when the House is engaged in voting by ballot."[55]

March 2, 1868 edit

 
Illustration of Thaddeus Stevens speaking during March 2, 1868, debate
 
Set of illustrations. The illustration on the left depicts Democratic Congressman Albert G. Burr (left) sleeping while Republican Congressman John Winthrop Chanler delivers a loud speech during debate on the adoption of articles of impeachment. The image on right depicts reports rushing to the telegraph office as soon as the articles of impeachment were published.

The House debated the proposed articles on March 1 and 2, 1868.[19] On March 2, the House voted to ratify the nine articles of impeachment referred to it by the committee of seven. These articles were "strictly legalistic" and molded on criminal indictment. Eight concerned the violation of the Tenure of Office Act, while the ninth accused him of violating the Command of Army Act by pressuring General William H. Emory to ignore Acting Secretary of War Grant and instead take orders directly from Johnson.[18]

After a series of speeches during debate, Thaddeus Stevens took the floor to criticize the committee of seven for going too easy on Johnson,[18] declaring,

Never was so great a malefactor so gently treated as Andrew Johnson. The people have been unwilling to blot the records of their country by mingling his crimes with their shame—shame for endurance for so long a time of his great crimes and misdemeanor.[18]

Stevens argued that the articles put before the house had failed to address just how much Johnson had imperiled the governing structure of the United States.[18]

After Stevens delivered his remarks, which closed out debate, Boutwell brought forward revised articles, with the number of articles proposed by the committee being decreased from ten to nine.[19] Benjamin Butler then submitted his own lengthy impeachment article, inspired by Stevens' request to him. Butlers' proposed article stated no clear violation of law, but instead charged Johnson with attempting, "to bring into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach the Congress of the United States."[18] The article was written in response to speeches that Johnson had made during his "Swing Around the Circle".[66] Butler's remarks on his impeachment resolution were very long, and this frustrated many, even including Stevens. The House quickly rejected Butler's article before approving all nine articles from the committee one by one.[18]

March 2, 1868, vote totals
Article introduced by Benjamin Butler
[18][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea
Detailed roll call not reported by the Congressional Globe
048
Nay  Y 074
First
article
[17][53][68][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 127 000 000 000 127
Nay 040 000 000 001 001 042
Second
article
[53][62][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 124 000 000 000 124
Nay 039 000 000 001 001 041
Third
article
[53][61][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 001 123 000 000 000 124
Nay 038 000 000 001 001 040
Fourth
article
[53][69][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 001 116 000 000 000 117
Nay 039 000 000 000 001 040
Fifth
article
[53][70][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 127 000 000 000 127
Nay 040 000 000 001 001 042
Sixth
article
[53][71][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 127 000 000 000 127
Nay 040 000 000 001 001 042
Seventh
article
[53][72][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 127 000 000 000 127
Nay 040 000 000 001 001 042
Eighth
article
[53][73][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 127 000 000 000 127
Nay 040 000 000 001 001 042
Ninth
article
[17][53][74][67]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 108 000 000 000 108
Nay 039 000 000 001 001 041

March 3, 1868 edit

After the March 2 adoption of articles of impeachment, the House appointed the impeachment managers that would serve as prosecutors in the impeachment trial before the Senate. The following day, in hopes of strengthening the case that they would bring before the Senate, the impeachment managers requested that the House consider additional charges.[18] First, the managers reported the article previously proposed by Butler, which they reintroduced as the tenth article. It was approved.[18][15] After this, an eleventh article drafted by Thaddeus Stevens and James F. Wilson was approved.[18] The eleventh article accused Johnson of violating his oath of office to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" by declaring that the 39th United States Congress was unconstitutional because it only represented some of the United States (with unreconstructed states being excluded) and therefore lacked legislative powers or the power to propose amendments to the Constitution of the United States.[57]

March 3, 1868, vote totals
Tenth
article
[17][53][63]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 088 000 000 000 088
Nay 031 012 000 001 001 045
Eleventh
article
[17][53][64]
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent Republican
Yea  Y 000 109 000 000 000 109
Nay 030 000 000 001 001 032

Summary of the articles edit

 
Signature of Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax (upper right) and an attestation of Edward McPherson, clerk of the United States House of Representatives (lower left) on an official copy of the eleven articles of impeachment

Both the first eight articles and the eleventh article adopted in the House related to Johnson violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to dismiss Secretary of War Stanton. In addition, several of these articles also accused Johnson of violating other acts, and the eleventh article also accused Johnson of violating his oath of office.[18][20][57][75] The first article specifically alleged that Johnson's February 21, 1868, order to remove Stanton was made with intent to violate the Tenure of Office Act. The second and third articles argued that the appointment of Thomas as secretary of war ad interim was similarly done with intent to violate the Tenure of Office Act. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh articles alleged conspiring between Johnson, Thomas, and others to oust Stanton. The sixth article also alleged a conspiracy to forcefully seize the property of the United States Department of War. The eighth article specifically alleged that the appointment of Thomas ad interim was with the intent of unlawfully controlling the property of the Department of War. The eleventh article effectively provided a restatement of the first nine articles.[20][76]

The ninth article focused on an accusation that Johnson had violated the Command of Army Act, a charge reiterated by the eleventh article. The tenth article charged Johnson with attempting, "to bring into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt, and reproach the Congress of the United States", but did not cite a clear violation of the law.[18][20][57][75]

The eleven articles presented the following charges:

  • Article 1: That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act in his February 21, 1868, order to remove Secretary of War Stanton[20]
  • Article 2: That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act by sending "a letter of authority" to Lorenzo Thomas regarding his appointment to be acting Secretary of War when there was, in fact, no legal vacancy, because Secretary Stanton had been removed in violation of the Tenure of Office Act[20]
  • Article 3: That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act by appointing Lorenzo Thomas to be acting Secretary of War when there was, in fact, no legal vacancy, because Secretary Stanton had been removed in violation of the Tenure of Office Act[20]
  • Article 4: That Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas and others "unlawfully to hinder and prevent Edwin M. Stanton, then and there Secretary of the Department of War" from carrying out his duties[20]
  • Article 5: That Johnson had conspired with Lorenzo Thomas and others to "prevent and hinder the execution" of the Tenure of Office Act[20]
  • Article 6: That Johnson had violated both the Tenure of Office Act and An Act to Define and Punish Certain Conspiracies by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas "by force to seize, take, and possess the property of the United States in the Department of War" under control of Secretary Stanton in violation of, thereby committing a high crime in office[20]
  • Article 7: That Johnson had violated the Office Act and An Act to Define by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas "by force to seize, take, and possess the property of the United States in the Department of War" under control of Secretary Stanton, thereby committing a high misdemeanor in office[20]
  • Article 8: That Johnson had unlawfully sought "to control the disbursements of the moneys appropriated for the military service and for the Department of War", by moving to remove Secretary Stanton and appoint Lorenzo Thomas[20]
  • Article 9: That Johnson had violated the Command of Army Act by unlawfully instructing Major General William H. Emory to ignore as unconstitutional the 1867 Army Appropriations Act language that all orders issued by the President and Secretary of War "relating to military operations ... shall be issued through the General of the Army"[18][20][77]
  • Article 10: That Johnson had on numerous occasions, made "with a loud voice, certain intemperate, inflammatory, and scandalous harangues, and did therein utter loud threats and bitter menaces ... against Congress [and] the laws of the United States duly enacted thereby, amid the cries, jeers and laughter of the multitudes then assembled and within hearing"[20]
  • Article 11: That Johnson had violated his oath of office to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" by unlawfully and unconstitutionally challenging the authority of the 39th Congress to legislate due to unreconstructed southern states had not been readmitted to the Union; violated the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Stanton; contrived to fail to execute the Command of Army Act, which directs that executive orders to the military be issued through the General of the Army; and prevented the execution of an act entitled "An act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel states".[20][57][75]

Trial edit

 
Illustration of Bingham presenting the articles of impeachment to the Senate

The articles of impeachment were presented to the Senate by John Bingham on March 4, 1868.[26][57][78] As prescribed by the U.S. Constitution, chief justice of the United States Salmon P. Chase presided over the trial.[26] The extent of Chase's authority as presiding officer to render unilateral rulings was a frequent point of contention. Chase maintained that deciding certain procedural questions on his own was his prerogative, but the Senate challenged several of his rulings.[79]

The House appointed seven members to serve as House impeachment managers, equivalent to prosecutors: John Bingham, George S. Boutwell, Benjamin Butler, John A. Logan, Thaddeus Stevens, Thomas Williams, and James F. Wilson.[80] The president's defense team was made up of Benjamin Robbins Curtis, William M. Evarts, William S. Groesbeck, Thomas Amos Rogers Nelson, and Henry Stanbery. On the advice of counsel, the president did not appear at the trial.[26]

Proceedings edit

 
Andrew Johnson impeachment trial admission ticket dated March 24, 1868

The Senate trial opened on March 4, 1868,[57][26] and was conducted mostly in open session. The Senate chamber galleries were often filled to capacity. Public interest was so great that the Senate issued admission passes for the first time in its history. For each day of the trial, 1,000 color coded tickets were printed, granting admittance for a single day.[26][81]

 
Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial as illustrated by Theodore R. Davis in Harper's Weekly

The impeachment managers argued that Johnson had explicitly violated the Tenure of Office Act by dismissing Stanton without the consent of the Senate. They contended that U.S. presidents were obligated to carry out and honor the laws passed by the United States Congress, regardless of whether they believed them to be constitutional, arguing that, otherwise, presidents would be allowed to regularly disobey the will of Congress (which they argued, as elected representatives, represented the will of the American people).[57][19][82]

The defense both questioned the criminality of the alleged offenses and raised doubts about Johnson's intent. One of the points made by the defense was that ambiguity existed in the Tenure of Office Act that left open a vagueness as to whether it was actually applicable to Johnson's firing of Stanton. They also argued that the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional, and that Johnson's intent in firing Stanton had been to test the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court of the United States (and that Johnson was entitled to do so). They further argued that, even if the law were constitutional, that presidents should not be removed from office for misconstruing their constitutional rights. They further argued that Johnson was acting in the interest of the necessity of keeping the Department of War functional by appointing Lorenzo Thomas as an interim officer, and that he had caused no public harm in doing so. They also argued that the Republican Party was using impeachment as a political tool. The defense asserted the view that presidents should not be removed from office by impeachment for political misdeeds, as this is what elections were meant for.[57][19][82]

Verdict edit

 
Judgment of the Senate

The Senate was composed of 54 members representing 27 states (10 former Confederate states had not yet been readmitted to representation in the Senate) at the time of the trial. At its conclusion, senators voted on three of the articles of impeachment. On each occasion the vote was 35–19, with 35 senators voting guilty and 19 not guilty. As the constitutional threshold for a conviction in an impeachment trial is a two-thirds majority guilty vote, 36 votes in this instance, Johnson was not convicted. He remained in office through the end of his term on March 4, 1869, though without influence on public policy.[6] All nine Senate Democrats voted against conviction.[83] Ten Republicans refused to support their party and voted against conviction.[84]

The first vote was taken on May 16 for the eleventh article. Prior to the vote, Samuel Pomeroy told Senator Ross that if Ross voted for acquittal that Ross would become the subject of an investigation for bribery.[85] Afterward, in hopes of persuading at least one senator who voted not guilty to change his vote, the Senate adjourned for 10 days before continuing voting on the other articles. During the hiatus, the House passed a resolution to launch an investigation by the impeachment managers of alleged "improper or corrupt means used to influence the determination of the Senate".[86] Despite the Radical Republican leadership's heavy-handed efforts to change the outcome, when votes were cast on May 26 for the second and third articles, the results were the same as the first. After this, the Senate voted to adjourn the trial sine die.[87]

After the trial, Butler conducted hearings on the widespread reports that Republican senators had been bribed to vote for Johnson's acquittal. In Butler's hearings, and in subsequent inquiries, there was increasing evidence that some acquittal votes were acquired by promises of patronage jobs and cash bribes. Political deals were struck as well. Grimes received assurances that acquittal would not be followed by presidential reprisals; Johnson agreed to enforce the Reconstruction Acts, and to appoint General John Schofield to succeed Stanton. Nonetheless, the investigations never resulted in charges, much less convictions, against anyone.[88]

Moreover, there is evidence that the prosecution attempted to bribe the senators voting for acquittal to switch their votes to conviction. Senator Fessenden was offered the ministership to Great Britain. Prosecutor Butler said, "Tell [Senator Ross] that if he wants money there is a bushel of it here to be had."[89] Butler's investigation also boomeranged when it was discovered that Senator Pomeroy, who voted for conviction, had written a letter to Johnson's postmaster general seeking a $40,000 bribe for Pomeroy's acquittal vote along with three or four others in his caucus.[90] Butler was himself told by Wade that Wade would appoint Butler as secretary of state when Wade assumed the presidency after a Johnson conviction.[91] An opinion that Senator Ross was mercilessly persecuted for his courageous vote to sustain the independence of the presidency as a branch of the federal government is the subject of an entire chapter in President John F. Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage.[92] That opinion has been rejected by some scholars, such as Ralph Roske, and endorsed by others, such as Avery Craven.[93][94]

None of the Republican senators who voted for acquittal ever again served in an elected office.[95] Although they were under intense pressure to change their votes to conviction during the trial, afterward public opinion rapidly shifted around to their viewpoint. Some senators who voted for conviction, such as John Sherman and even Charles Sumner, later changed their minds.[93][96][97]

Articles of Impeachment, U.S. Senate judgment
(36 "guilty" votes necessary for a conviction)
May 16, 1868
Article XI
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican
Yea (guilty) 00 35 35
Nay (not guilty)  Y 09 10 19
May 26, 1868
Article II
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican
Yea (guilty) 00 35 35
Nay (not guilty)  Y 09 10 19
May 26, 1868
Article III
Party Total votes
Democratic Republican
Yea (guilty) 00 35 35
Nay (Not guilty)  Y 09 10 19
Detail of roll call
Senator Party–state Art. XI
vote
Art. II
vote
Art. III
vote
Henry B. Anthony
R–RI
Yea Yea Yea
James A. Bayard Jr.
D–DE
Nay Nay Nay
Charles R. Buckalew
D–PA
Nay Nay Nay
Simon Cameron
R–PA
Yea Yea Yea
Alexander G. Cattell
R–NJ
Yea Yea Yea
Zachariah Chandler
R–MI
Yea Yea Yea
Cornelius Cole
R–CA
Yea Yea Yea
Roscoe Conkling
R–NY
Yea Yea Yea
John Conness
R–CA
Yea Yea Yea
Henry W. Corbett
R–OR
Yea Yea Yea
Aaron H. Cragin
R–NH
Yea Yea Yea
Garrett Davis
D–KY
Nay Nay Nay
James Dixon
R–CT
Nay Nay Nay
James Rood Doolittle
R–WI
Nay Nay Nay
Charles D. Drake
R–MO
Yea Yea Yea
George F. Edmunds
R–VT
Yea Yea Yea
Orris S. Ferry
R–CT
Yea Yea Yea
William P. Fessenden
R–ME
Nay Nay Nay
Joseph S. Fowler
R–TN
Nay Nay Nay
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
R–NJ
Yea Yea Yea
James W. Grimes
R–IA
Nay Nay Nay
James Harlan
R–IA
Yea Yea Yea
John B. Henderson
R–MO
Nay Nay Nay
Thomas A. Hendricks
D–IN
Nay Nay Nay
Jacob M. Howard
R–MI
Yea Yea Yea
Timothy O. Howe
R–WI
Yea Yea Yea
Reverdy Johnson
D–MD
Nay Nay Nay
Thomas C. McCreery
D–KY
Nay Nay Nay
Edwin D. Morgan
R–NY
Yea Yea Yea
Justin S. Morrill
R–VT
Yea Yea Yea
Lot M. Morrill
R–ME
Yea Yea Yea
Oliver P. Morton
R–IN
Yea Yea Yea
Daniel Sheldon Norton
R–MN
Nay Nay Nay
James W. Nye
R–NV
Yea Yea Yea
David T. Patterson
D–TN
Nay Nay Nay
James W. Patterson
R–NH
Yea Yea Yea
Samuel C. Pomeroy
R–KS
Yea Yea Yea
Alexander Ramsey
R–MN
Yea Yea Yea
Edmund G. Ross
R–KS
Nay Nay Nay
Willard Saulsbury Sr.
D–DE
Nay Nay Nay
John Sherman
R–OH
Yea Yea Yea
William Sprague IV
R–RI
Yea Yea Yea
William M. Stewart
R–NV
Yea Yea Yea
Charles Sumner
R–MA
Yea Yea Yea
John Milton Thayer
R–NE
Yea Yea Yea
Thomas Tipton
R–NE
Yea Yea Yea
Lyman Trumbull
R–IL
Nay Nay Nay
Peter G. Van Winkle
R–WV
Nay Nay Nay
George Vickers
D–MD
Nay Nay Nay
Benjamin Wade
R–OH
Yea Yea Yea
Waitman T. Willey
R–WV
Yea Yea Yea
George Henry Williams
R–OR
Yea Yea Yea
Henry Wilson
R–MA
Yea Yea Yea
Richard Yates
R–IL
Yea Yea Yea
Sources: [98][83]

Later analysis of Johnson's impeachment edit

In 1887, the Tenure of Office Act was repealed by Congress, and subsequent rulings by the United States Supreme Court seemed to support Johnson's position that he was entitled to fire Stanton without congressional approval. The Supreme Court's ruling on a similar piece of later legislation in Myers v. United States (1926) affirmed the ability of the president to remove a postmaster without congressional approval, and the dictum of the majority opinion stated, "that the Tenure of Office Act of 1867...was invalid".[99]

Lyman Trumbull of Illinois (one of the ten Republican senators whose refusal to vote for conviction prevented Johnson's removal from office) noted in his speech explaining his vote for acquittal, that, had Johnson been convicted, the main source of the American presidency's political power (the freedom for a president to disagree with the Congress without consequences) would have been destroyed, as would Constitution's system of checks and balances.[100] Indeed, the impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson had long-lasting effects on the separation of powers. It established the rule that Congress should not remove the president due to a conflict over the structure of their administration. It also resulted in diminished presidential influence on public policy and overall governing power, fostering a system of governance which future-President Woodrow Wilson referred to in the 1880s as "Congressional Government".[6]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ There is a record keeping discrepancy for the February 24, 1868 vote to impeach Johnson. While the Congressional Globe recorded the vote as being 126–47 (with Republicans William Henry Koontz and Francis Thomas both being recorded as absent), the United States House Journal recorded the vote as being 128–47 (with Koontz and Thomas both being recorded present and voting in support of the resolution).[18][52][51][53] The Office of the House Historian uses the Congressional Globe tally on its website,[53] and, therefore, this article also uses that tally.

References edit

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  77. ^ Stathis, Stephen W. (1994). "Impeachment and Trial of President Andrew Johnson: A View from the Iowa Congressional Delegation". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 24 (1): 29–47. ISSN 0360-4918. JSTOR 27551191. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
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Further reading edit

  • Benedict, Michael Les. "A New Look at the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson", Political Science Quarterly, Sep 1973, Vol. 88 Issue 3, pp. 349–67 in JSTOR
  • Benedict, Michael Les. The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson (1973), 212 pp; the standard scholarly history online edition
  • Brown, H. Lowell. High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Presidential Impeachment (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2010). pp. 35–61 on Johnson.
  • DeWitt, David M. The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson (1903), old monograph online edition
  • Hearn, Chester G. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (2000) popular history
  • McKitrick, Eric L. Andrew Johnson and Reconstruction (1960) influential analysis
  • Rable, George C. "Forces of Darkness, Forces of Light: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson and the Paranoid Style", Southern Studies (1978) 17#2, pp. 151–73
  • Sefton, James E. "The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: A Century of Writing", Civil War History, June 1968, Vol. 14 Issue 2, pp. 120–47
  • Sigelman, Lee, Christopher J. Deering, and Burdett A. Loomis. "'Wading Knee Deep in Words, Words, Words': Senatorial Rhetoric in the Johnson and Clinton Impeachment Trials". Congress & the Presidency 28#2 (2001) pp. 119–39.
  • Stathis, Stephen W. "Impeachment and Trial of President Andrew Johnson: A View from the Iowa Congressional Delegation", Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 24, No. 1, (Winter, 1994), pp. 29–47 in JSTOR
  • Stewart, David O. Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy (2009)
  • Trefousse, Hans L. "The Acquittal of Andrew Johnson and the Decline of the Radicals", Civil War History, June 1968, Vol. 14 Issue 2, pp. 148–61
  • Trefousse, Hans L. Andrew Johnson: A Biography (1989) major scholarly biography excerpt and text search
  • Trefousse, Hans L. Impeachment of a President: Andrew Johnson, the Blacks, and Reconstruction (1999)
  • Wineapple, Brenda (2019). The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0812998368.
  • Zelizer, Julian E., ed. The American Congress: The Building of Democracy (Houghton Mifflin. 2004) pp. 239–249, on the press. online

External links edit

  • Andrew Johnson Impeachment Trial (1868), essay and other resources, www.famous-trials.com, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School
  • The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, excerpts from 1865 to 1869 Harper's Weekly articles along with other information (a HarpWeek website)
  • Interview with William Rehnquist on Grand Inquests: The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson, 1992, Booknotes, C-SPAN
  • Research guide, Library of Congress

impeachment, andrew, johnson, impeachment, andrew, johnson, initiated, february, 1868, when, united, states, house, representatives, passed, resolution, impeach, andrew, johnson, 17th, president, united, states, high, crimes, misdemeanors, alleged, high, crime. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was initiated on February 24 1868 when the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Andrew Johnson the 17th president of the United States for high crimes and misdemeanors The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were afterwards specified in eleven articles of impeachment adopted by the House on March 2 and 3 1868 The primary charge against Johnson was that he had violated the Tenure of Office Act Specifically that he had acted to remove from office Edwin Stanton and to replace him with Brevet Major General Lorenzo Thomas as secretary of war ad interim The Tenure of Office had been passed by Congress in March 1867 over Johnson s veto with the primary intent of protecting Stanton from being fired without the Senate s consent Stanton often sided with the Radical Republican faction and did not have a good relationship with Johnson Impeachment of Andrew JohnsonCopy of the House resolution to impeach President Johnson adopted February 24 1868AccusedAndrew Johnson 17th President of the United StatesDateFebruary 24 1868 1868 02 24 to May 26 1868 1868 05 26 OutcomeAcquitted by the U S Senate remained in officeChargesEleven high crimes and misdemeanorsCauseViolating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to replace Edwin Stanton the secretary of war while Congress was not in session and other alleged abuses of presidential powerKey congressional votesVoting in the U S House of RepresentativesAccusationHigh crimes and misdemeanorsVotes in favor126Votes against47ResultApproved resolution of impeachmentVoting in the U S SenateAccusationArticle XIVotes in favor35 guilty Votes against19 not guilty ResultAcquitted 36 guilty votes necessary for a conviction AccusationArticle IIVotes in favor35 guilty Votes against19 not guilty ResultAcquitted 36 guilty votes necessary for a conviction AccusationArticle IIIVotes in favor35 guilty Votes against19 not guilty ResultAcquitted 36 guilty votes necessary for a conviction The Senate held a roll call vote on only 3 of the 11 articles before adjourning as a court Johnson was the first United States president to be impeached After the House formally adopted the articles of impeachment they forwarded them to the United States Senate for adjudication The trial in the Senate began on March 5 with Chief Justice Salmon P Chase presiding On May 16 the Senate voted against convicting Johnson on one of the articles with its 35 19 vote in favor of conviction falling one vote short of the necessary two thirds majority A 10 day recess of the Senate trial was called before reconvening to convict him on additional articles On May 26 the Senate voted against convicting the president on two more articles by margins identical to the first vote After this the trial was adjourned sine die without votes being held on the remaining eight articles of impeachment The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson had important political implications for the balance of federal legislative executive power It maintained the principle that Congress should not remove the president from office simply because its members disagreed with him over policy style and administration of the office It also resulted in diminished presidential influence on public policy and overall governing power fostering a system of governance which future President Woodrow Wilson referred to in the 1880s as Congressional Government Contents 1 Background 1 1 Presidential Reconstruction 1 2 Previous efforts to impeach Johnson 1 2 1 First inquiry 1 2 2 Launch of a second inquiry 1 3 Tenure of Office Act 1 4 Johnson s dismissal of Secretary of War Stanton 2 Passage of the impeachment resolution 2 1 Presentation of the resolution by John Covode 2 2 Committee approval of the resolution 2 3 House debate 2 4 Vote 3 Adoption of the articles of impeachment 3 1 Drafting of the articles 3 2 Votes on the articles 3 2 1 March 2 1868 3 2 2 March 3 1868 3 3 Summary of the articles 4 Trial 4 1 Proceedings 4 2 Verdict 5 Later analysis of Johnson s impeachment 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksBackground editPresidential Reconstruction edit nbsp President Andrew JohnsonTensions between the executive and legislative branches had been high prior to Johnson s ascension to the presidency Following Union Army victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863 President Lincoln began contemplating the issue of how to bring the South back into the Union He wished to offer an olive branch to the rebel states by pursuing a lenient plan for their reintegration The forgiving tone of the president s plan plus the fact that he implemented it by presidential directive without consulting Congress incensed Radical Republicans who countered with a more stringent plan Their proposal for Southern reconstruction the Wade Davis Bill passed both houses of Congress in July 1864 but was pocket vetoed by the president and never took effect 1 2 The assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14 1865 just days after the Army of Northern Virginia s surrender at Appomattox briefly lessened the tension over who would set the terms of peace The Radicals while suspicious of new president Andrew Johnson and his policies believed based on his record that he would defer or at least acquiesce to their hardline proposals Though a Tennessee Democrat Johnson had fiercely criticized Southern secession After Tennessee joined the states leaving the Union he chose to stay in Washington rather than resign his U S Senate seat Later when Union troops occupied Tennessee Johnson was appointed military governor He exercised his powers in that office vigorously frequently stating that treason must be made odious and traitors punished 2 After Johnson became president however he embraced Lincoln s more lenient policies thus rejecting the Radicals and setting the stage for a showdown with Congress 3 During the first months of his presidency Johnson issued proclamations of general amnesty for most former Confederates both government and military officers and oversaw creation of new governments in the hitherto rebellious states governments dominated by ex Confederate officials 4 In February 1866 Johnson vetoed legislation extending the Freedmen s Bureau and expanding its powers Congress was unable to override the veto Afterward Johnson denounced Radical Republicans Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Senator Charles Sumner along with abolitionist Wendell Phillips as traitors 5 Later Johnson vetoed a Civil Rights Act and a second Freedmen s Bureau bill The Senate and the House each mustered the two thirds majority necessary to override both vetoes 5 At an impasse with Congress Johnson offered himself directly to the American public as a tribune of the people In the late summer of 1866 the president embarked on a national Swing Around the Circle speaking tour where he asked his audiences for their support in his battle against the Congress and urged voters to elect representatives to Congress in the upcoming midterm election who supported his policies The tour backfired on Johnson however when reports of his undisciplined vitriolic speeches and ill advised confrontations with hecklers swept the nation Contrary to his hopes the 1866 elections led to veto proof Republican majorities in both houses of Congress 6 7 8 As a result Radicals were able to take control of Reconstruction passing a series of Reconstruction Acts each one over the president s veto addressing requirements for Southern states to be fully restored to the Union The first of these acts divided those states excluding Johnson s home state of Tennessee into five military districts and each state s government was put under the control of the U S military Additionally these states were required to enact new constitutions ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and guarantee voting rights for black males 2 6 9 Previous efforts to impeach Johnson edit Main article Efforts to impeach Andrew Johnson First inquiry edit Main article First impeachment inquiry against Andrew Johnson On January 7 1867 the House of Representatives voted to launch an impeachment inquiry against Johnson to be run by the House Committee on the Judiciary Since the resolution only created an inquiry and did not actually directly impeach the president as many Radical Republicans wanted to do it was seen as offering Republicans a chance to register their displeasure with Johnson without actually formally impeaching him 10 Many Republicans felt safe in the belief that any impeachment resolution would die a quiet death in the Judiciary Committee 11 The House Committee on the Judiciary initially sided 4 5 on June 3 1867 against recommending against forwarding articles of impeachment to the full House 10 However on November 25 1867 the House Committee on the Judiciary which had not previously forwarded the result of its inquiry to the full House reversed their previous decision due to a change of mind by one of its member and voted 5 4 to recommend impeachment In a December 7 1867 vote the full House rejected impeachment by a 108 57 vote in which more Republicans voted against impeachment than for it 12 13 14 Launch of a second inquiry edit Main article Second impeachment inquiry against Andrew Johnson On January 27 1868 Rufus P Spalding moved that the rules be suspended so that he could present a resolution resolving that the House Select Committee on Reconstruction be authorized to conduct a new impeachment inquiry into Johnson for what combinations have been made or attempted to be made to obstruct the due execution of the laws and that the committee have leave to report at any time 15 16 The motion to consider the resolution was agreed to by a vote of 103 37 15 16 and the House voted to approve the resolution by a vote of 99 31 15 16 No Democrats voted for the resolution while the only Republicans who cast votes against it were Elihu B Washburne and William Windom 16 17 On February 10 1868 the House voted to transfer any further responsibility over impeachment away from the Committee on the Judiciary and to the Select Committee on Reconstruction 18 19 Despite Thadeus Stevens being the chair of the committee 20 the membership of the House Committee on Reconstruction was not initially favorable to impeachment It had four Republican members that had voted for impeachment in December 1867 and five members three Republicans and two Democrats that had voted against it 21 At a February 13 1868 committee meeting a vote on a motion to table consideration of a resolution proposed by Stevens to impeach Johnson had effectively signaled that five of the committee s members still stood opposed to impeachment unchanged in their position since the December 1867 vote After the February 13 vote it momentarily appeared that the prospect of impeachment was dead 19 22 23 Tenure of Office Act edit Main article Tenure of Office Act 1867 Congress control of the military Reconstruction policy was mitigated by Johnson s command of the military as president However Johnson had inherited Lincoln s appointee Edwin M Stanton as secretary of war Stanton was a staunch Radical Republican who would comply with congressional Reconstruction policies as long as he remained in office 24 To ensure that Stanton would not be replaced Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867 over Johnson s veto The act required the president to seek the Senate s advice and consent before relieving or dismissing any member of his cabinet an indirect reference to Stanton or indeed any federal official whose initial appointment had previously required its advice and consent 25 26 Johnson s dismissal of Secretary of War Stanton edit nbsp The Situation a Harper s Weekly editorial cartoon shows Secretary of War Stanton aiming a cannon labeled Congress to defeat Johnson The rammer is Tenure of Office Bill and cannonballs on the floor are Justice The Tenure of Office Act was put in place to prevent the president from dismissing an officer that had been previously appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate without the Senate s approval to remove them 27 Per the law if the president dismissed such an officer when the Senate was in recess and the Senate voted upon reconvening against ratifying the removal the president would be required to reinstate the individual 28 Because the Tenure of Office Act did permit the president to suspend such officials when Congress was out of session after Johnson failed to obtain Stanton s resignation he instead suspended Stanton on August 5 1867 which gave him the opportunity to appoint General Ulysses S Grant then serving as commanding general of the Army to serve as the interim secretary of war 29 When the Senate adopted a resolution of non concurrence with Stanton s dismissal in December 1867 Grant told Johnson he was going to resign fearing punitive legal action 26 Contrary to Johnson s belief that Grant had agreed to remain in office 30 when the Senate voted and reinstated Stanton in January 1868 Grant immediately resigned before the president had an opportunity to appoint a replacement 31 Johnson was furious at Grant accusing him of lying during a stormy cabinet meeting The March 1868 publication of several angry messages between Johnson and Grant led to a complete break between the two As a result of these letters Grant solidified his standing as the front runner for the 1868 Republican presidential nomination 29 32 Johnson complained about Stanton s restoration to office and searched desperately for someone to replace Stanton who would be acceptable to the Senate He first proposed the position to General William Tecumseh Sherman an enemy of Stanton who turned down his offer 33 Sherman subsequently suggested to Johnson that Radical Republicans and moderate Republicans would be amenable to replacing Stanton with Jacob Dolson Cox but he found the president to be no longer interested in appeasement 34 On February 21 1868 the president appointed Lorenzo Thomas a brevet major general in the Army as secretary of war ad interim Johnson thereupon informed the Senate of his decision Thomas personally delivered the president s dismissal notice to Stanton who rejected the legitimacy of the decision Rather than vacate his office Stanton barricaded himself inside and ordered Thomas arrested for violating the Tenure of Office Act 35 Thomas remained under arrest for several days before being released and having the charge against him dropped after Stanton realized that the case against Thomas would provide the courts with an opportunity to review the constitutionality of the Tenure of Office Act 36 Johnson s opponents in Congress were outraged by his actions the president s challenge to congressional authority with regard to both the Tenure of Office Act and post war reconstruction had in their estimation been tolerated for long enough 2 In swift response an impeachment resolution was introduced in the House by Representatives Thaddeus Stevens and John Bingham Expressing the widespread sentiment among House Republicans Representative William D Kelley on February 22 1868 declared Sir the bloody and untilled fields of the ten unreconstructed states the unsheeted ghosts of the two thousand murdered negroes in Texas cry if the dead ever evoke vengeance for the punishment of Andrew Johnson 37 38 Passage of the impeachment resolution editPresentation of the resolution by John Covode edit nbsp John Covode s single sentence impeachment resolution presented on February 21 1868On February 21 1868 the day that Johnson attempted to replace Stanton with Lorenzo Thomas the chair of the Select Committee on Reconstruction Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens submitted a resolution to the House resolving that the evidence taken on impeachment by the previous 1867 impeachment inquiry run by the Committee on the Judiciary be referred to the Select Committee on Reconstruction which was overseeing the ongoing second impeachment inquiry Stevens resolution also resolved that the Committee on Reconstruction have leave to report at any time The resolution was approved by the House 15 Soon after a one sentence resolution to impeach Johnson written by John Covode was presented to the House The resolution read Resolved That Andrew Johnson President of the United States be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors 39 40 41 42 No charges were specified in the resolution by Covode 43 News reports stated that the introduction of the resolution was met with audible laughter by Democratic members of the House 44 George S Boutwell made a successful motion to refer the resolution to the Select Committee on Reconstruction 42 20 Because the resolution had been presented in the late afternoon the house adjourned without the question being brought to a vote on whether to adopt it But there was an expectation that it would be debated following day and soon after brought to such a vote 45 Committee approval of the resolution editIn the morning of February 22 1868 the Committee on Reconstruction approved an amended version of the impeachment resolution in a 7 2 party line vote 46 47 The amended resolution read Resolved That Andrew Johnson President of the United States be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors in office 48 House debate edit At 3pm on February 22 1868 along with the slightly amended version of Covode s impeachment resolution Stevens presented a majority report from the Select Committee on Reconstruction opining that Johnson should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors 15 20 48 49 The impeachment resolution was debated at length on both February 22 and 24 15 During the debate on the resolution Republican members of the House Select Committee on Reconstruction argued that Johnson s effort to dismiss Stanton and appoint Thomas ad interim was a specific violation of the Tenure of Office Act 15 Republicans that had voted against the previous impeachment resolution on December 7 1867 now voiced support for impeaching Johnson seeing an impeachment of Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act as being grounded in an offense indictable under federal law 15 James F Wilson expressed an opinion representative of those expressed during debate by many Republicans that had previously voted against the impeachment resolution brought by the Judiciary Committee at the close of the first impeachment inquiry against Johnson Ahead of the vote on that previous resolution Wilson had been tasked by the Judiciary Committee s dissenting members with presenting their argument against impeaching Johnson at that time Now Wilson expressed support for impeaching Johnson 15 declaring that The considerations which weighed upon my mind and molded my conduct in the case with which the Committee on the Judiciary of this House was charged are not to be found in the present case 15 Wilson opined that in the previous impeachment vote Johnson had not committed any action that was a crime under either common law or statute Wilson declared that Johnson had mistakenly been emboldened after he was not impeached in December 1867 and had proceeded to commit an act that constituted clear impeachable conduct 15 declaring He mistook our judgment for cowardice and worked on until he has presented to us as a sequence a high misdemeanor known to the law and defined by statute 15 Thaddeus Stevens expressed his opinion that impeachment was a purely political process In the closing remarks of formal debate Stevens expressed his opinion that the case to be brought against Johnson should be broader than just his violation of the Tenure of Office Act 15 Before the resolution would be voted on by the House Thaddeus Stevens who is considered to have been the leader of the forces behind the push for impeachment gave a final speech that is described as having brought those in the House chamber to rapt attention 50 In the speech Stevens remarked This is not to be the temporary triumph of a political party but is to endure in its consequence until this whole continent shall be filled with a free and untrammeled people or shall be a nest of shrinking cowardly slaves 37 18 15 Vote edit The resolution was put to a vote on February 24 1868 three days after Johnson moved to dismiss and replace Stanton Per the record of the Congressional Globe the House of Representatives voted 126 47 with 17 members not voting in favor of a resolution to impeach the president for high crimes and misdemeanors 37 20 18 51 This marked the first time that a president of the United States had been impeached 18 There is a record keeping discrepancy however While the Congressional Globe recorded the vote as being 126 47 with Republicans William Henry Koontz and Francis Thomas being absent the United States House Journal had recorded the vote as being 128 47 recording Koontz and Thomas as being present and voting in support of the resolution 18 52 51 53 The Office of the House Historian uses the Congressional Globe tally on its website 53 Almost all of the House Republican caucus that was present voted in support of the impeachment resolution While every vote cast by those that were elected as a member of the Republican Party was in support of the impeachment resolution Samuel Fenton Cary an independent Republican from Ohio and Thomas E Stewart a Conservative Republican from New York voted against it Both Cary and Stewart caucused with the Republicans 54 Every Democrat present voted against impeachment 18 Fifteen Republicans and one Democrat were absent for the vote 17 52 Speaker Schuyler Colfax a Republican also did not vote as House rules do not require the speaker to vote during ordinary legislative proceedings unless their vote would be decisive or if the vote is being cast by ballot 17 52 55 All of the 126 votes in favor of impeachment came from members of the Republican caucus 125 from members of the Republican Party and one from independent Republican Lewis Selye Of the 47 votes against impeachment 44 came from members of the Democratic Party with the other three votes coming from Conservative Charles E Phelps Conservative Republican Thomas E Stewart and independent Republican Fenton Cary 17 52 Resolution providing for the impeachment ofAndrew Johnson President of the United States a 17 18 51 52 53 February 24 1868 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 125 00 0 00 0 00 1 126Nay 0 44 00 0 00 1 00 1 00 1 0 47Comparative bar chart Vote Vote total Yea votes 126 Nay votes 47Absent not voting 17Votes by member 17 52 District Member Party VoteKentucky 8 George Madison Adams Democrat NayIowa 3 William B Allison Republican YeaMassachusetts 2 Oakes Ames Republican YeaMissouri 9 George Washington Anderson Republican YeaMaryland 2 Stevenson Archer Democrat NayTennessee 6 Samuel Mayes Arnell Republican YeaNevada at large Delos R Ashley Republican YeaOhio 10 James Mitchell Ashley Republican YeaCalifornia 1 Samuel Beach Axtell Democrat NayNew York 21 Alexander H Bailey Republican YeaIllinois 12 Jehu Baker Republican YeaMassachusetts 8 John Denison Baldwin Republican YeaMassachusetts 6 Nathaniel P Banks Republican YeaNew York 2 Demas Barnes Democrat NayConnecticut 4 William Henry Barnum Democrat NayMichigan 1 Fernando C Beaman Republican YeaOhio 8 John Beatty Republican YeaKentucky 7 James B Beck Democrat NayMissouri 8 John F Benjamin Republican AbsentNew Hampshire 3 Jacob Benton Republican YeaOhio 16 John Bingham Republican YeaMaine 3 James G Blaine Republican YeaMichigan 3 Austin Blair Republican YeaMassachusetts 7 George S Boutwell Republican YeaPennsylvania 6 Benjamin Markley Boyer Democrat NayIllinois 7 Henry P H Bromwell Republican YeaNew York 8 James Brooks Democrat NayPennsylvania 7 John Martin Broomall Republican YeaOhio 9 Ralph Pomeroy Buckland Republican YeaIllinois 10 Albert G Burr Democrat NayMassachusetts 5 Benjamin Butler Republican YeaPennsylvania 10 Henry L Cake Republican YeaOhio 2 Samuel Fenton Cary Independent Republican NayNew York 7 John Winthrop Chanler Democrat NayNew York 22 John C Churchill Republican YeaOhio 6 Reader W Clarke Republican YeaKansas at large Sidney Clarke Republican YeaWisconsin 3 Amasa Cobb Republican YeaIndiana 6 John Coburn Republican YeaIndiana 9 Schuyler Colfax Republican Did not vote speaker aIllinois 6 Burton C Cook Republican YeaNew York 13 Thomas Cornell Republican YeaPennsylvania 21 John Covode Republican YeaIllinois 8 Shelby Moore Cullom Republican YeaMassachusetts 10 Henry L Dawes Republican YeaRhode Island 2 Nathan F Dixon II Republican AbsentIowa 5 Grenville M Dodge Republican YeaMinnesota 2 Ignatius L Donnelly Republican AbsentMichigan 6 John F Driggs Republican YeaOhio 17 Ephraim R Eckley Republican YeaOhio 1 Benjamin Eggleston Republican YeaNew Hampshire 1 Jacob Hart Ela Republican AbsentWisconsin 4 Charles A Eldredge Democrat NayMassachusetts 1 Thomas D Eliot Republican YeaIllinois 2 John F Farnsworth Republican YeaNew York 16 Orange Ferriss Republican YeaMichigan 4 Thomas W Ferry Republican YeaNew York 19 William C Fields Republican YeaPennsylvania 20 Darwin Abel Finney Republican AbsentNew York 4 John Fox Democrat NayOhio 19 James A Garfield Republican AbsentPennsylvania 8 James Lawrence Getz Democrat NayPennsylvania 15 Adam John Glossbrenner Democrat NayKentucky 3 Jacob Golladay Democrat NayMissouri 4 Joseph J Gravely Republican YeaNew York 15 John Augustus Griswold Republican YeaKentucky 5 Asa Grover Democrat NayNew Jersey 2 Charles Haight Democrat NayNew Jersey 5 George A Halsey Republican YeaIllinois 4 Abner C Harding Republican YeaTennessee 7 Isaac Roberts Hawkins Republican AbsentCalifornia 2 William Higby Republican YeaNew Jersey 4 John Hill Republican YeaIndiana 4 William S Holman Democrat NayMassachusetts 4 Samuel Hooper Republican YeaWisconsin 2 Benjamin F Hopkins Republican YeaConnecticut 2 Julius Hotchkiss Democrat NayIowa 6 Asahel W Hubbard Republican YeaWest Virginia 1 Chester D Hubbard Republican YeaConnecticut 1 Richard D Hubbard Democrat NayNew York 17 Calvin T Hulburd Republican YeaNew York 30 James M Humphrey Democrat NayIndiana 3 Morton C Hunter Republican YeaIllinois 5 Ebon C Ingersoll Republican YeaRhode Island 1 Thomas Jenckes Republican YeaCalifornia 3 James A Johnson Democrat NayKentucky 6 Thomas Laurens Jones Democrat NayIllinois 1 Norman B Judd Republican YeaIndiana 5 George Washington Julian Republican YeaPennsylvania 4 William D Kelley Republican YeaNew York 25 William H Kelsey Republican YeaIndiana 2 Michael C Kerr Democrat NayNew York 12 John H Ketcham Republican YeaWest Virginia 2 Bethuel Kitchen Republican YeaKentucky 4 J Proctor Knott Democrat NayPennsylvania 16 William Henry Koontz Republican AbsentNew York 20 Addison H Laflin Republican YeaPennsylvania 24 George Van Eman Lawrence Republican YeaOhio 4 William Lawrence Republican YeaMissouri 7 Benjamin F Loan Republican YeaNew York 26 William S Lincoln Republican YeaIllinois at large John A Logan Republican YeaIowa 4 William Loughridge Republican YeaMaine 1 John Lynch Republican YeaOregon at large Rufus Mallory Republican YeaIllinois 11 Samuel S Marshall Democrat NayNew York 18 James M Marvin Republican YeaTennessee 2 Horace Maynard Republican AbsentNew York 23 Dennis McCarthy Republican YeaMissouri 5 Joseph W McClurg Republican YeaMissouri 3 James Robinson McCormick Democrat NayMaryland 1 Hiram McCullough Democrat NayPennsylvania 13 Ulysses Mercur Republican YeaPennsylvania 14 George Funston Miller Republican YeaNew Jersey 1 William Moore Republican YeaPennsylvania 22 James K Moorhead Republican YeaOhio 13 George W Morgan Democrat NayPennsylvania 17 Daniel Johnson Morrell Republican YeaNew York 5 John Morrissey Democrat NayTennessee 4 James Mullins Republican YeaOhio 5 William Mungen Democrat NayPennsylvania 3 Leonard Myers Republican YeaMissouri 2 Carman A Newcomb Republican YeaIndiana 1 William E Niblack Democrat NayDelaware at large John A Nicholson Democrat NayTennessee 8 David Alexander Nunn Republican YeaPennsylvania 2 Charles O Neill Republican YeaIndiana 8 Godlove Stein Orth Republican YeaWisconsin 1 Halbert E Paine Republican YeaMaine 2 Sidney Perham Republican YeaMaine 4 John A Peters Republican YeaMaryland 3 Charles E Phelps Conservative NayMaine 5 Frederick Augustus Pike Republican YeaMissouri 1 William A Pile Republican YeaOhio 15 Tobias A Plants Republican YeaVermont 2 Luke P Poland Republican YeaWest Virginia 3 Daniel Polsley Republican YeaNew York 24 Theodore M Pomeroy Republican AbsentIowa 2 Hiram Price Republican YeaNew York 14 John V L Pruyn Democrat NayPennsylvania 1 Samuel J Randall Democrat NayIllinois 13 Green Berry Raum Republican YeaNew York 10 William H Robertson Republican YeaNew York 3 William Erigena Robinson Democrat AbsentIllinois 9 Lewis W Ross Democrat NayWisconsin 5 Philetus Sawyer Republican YeaOhio 3 Robert C Schenck Republican YeaPennsylvania 19 Glenni William Scofield Republican YeaNew York 28 Lewis Selye Independent Republican YeaIndiana 11 John P C Shanks Republican YeaOhio 7 Samuel Shellabarger Republican YeaNew Jersey 3 Charles Sitgreaves Democrat NayVermont 3 Worthington Curtis Smith Republican YeaOhio 18 Rufus P Spalding Republican YeaConnecticut 3 Henry H Starkweather Republican YeaNew Hampshire 2 Aaron Fletcher Stevens Republican YeaPennsylvania 9 Thaddeus Stevens Republican YeaNew York 6 Thomas E Stewart Conservative Republican NayTennessee 3 William Brickly Stokes Republican YeaMaryland 5 Frederick Stone Democrat NayNew York 1 Stephen Taber Democrat NayNebraska at large John Taffe Republican YeaPennsylvania 5 Caleb Newbold Taylor Republican YeaMaryland 4 Francis Thomas Republican AbsentTennessee 5 John Trimble Republican AbsentKentucky 1 Lawrence S Trimble Democrat NayMichigan 5 Rowland E Trowbridge Republican YeaMassachusetts 3 Ginery Twichell Republican YeaMichigan 2 Charles Upson Republican YeaNew York 31 Henry Van Aernam Republican YeaPennsylvania 11 Daniel Myers Van Auken Democrat NayNew York 29 Burt Van Horn Republican YeaMissouri 6 Robert T Van Horn Republican AbsentOhio 12 Philadelph Van Trump Democrat NayNew York 11 Charles Van Wyck Republican YeaNew York 27 Hamilton Ward Republican YeaWisconsin 6 Cadwallader C Washburn Republican YeaIndiana 7 Henry D Washburn Republican AbsentMassachusetts 9 William B Washburn Republican YeaIllinois 3 Elihu B Washburne Republican YeaOhio 14 Martin Welker Republican YeaPennsylvania 23 Thomas Williams Republican YeaIndiana 10 William Williams Republican AbsentIowa 1 James F Wilson Republican YeaOhio 11 John Thomas Wilson Republican YeaPennsylvania 18 Stephen Fowler Wilson Republican YeaMinnesota 1 William Windom Republican YeaNew York 9 Fernando Wood Democrat NayVermont 1 Frederick E Woodbridge Republican YeaPennsylvania 12 George Washington Woodward Democrat NayNotes a Schuyler Colfax was serving as Speaker of the House Per House rules the Speaker is not required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings except when such vote would be decisive or when the House is engaged in voting by ballot 55 Adoption of the articles of impeachment editMain article Articles of impeachment adopted against Andrew Johnson After the House passed the impeachment resolution its attention turned to the adoption of articles of impeachment which the Senate would try Johnson on The approach of having the vote to impeach be an entirely separate vote from the adoption of article s of impeachment differs from the approach that has been practiced in more recent United States federal impeachments in which impeachment has occurred directly through the adoption of article s of impeachment However the manner in which Johnson was impeached appears to have been the standard order of procedure for nineteenth century federal impeachments in the United States as each of the five previous impeachments of federal officials that had led to a Senate trial had been conducted the same way with votes to impeach occurring before votes on articles of impeachment 18 Drafting of the articles edit nbsp Illustration of the seven member committee meeting to draft the articles of impeachment From left to right Thaddeus Stevens James F Wilson Hamilton Ward back of head John A Logan George S Boutwell George Washington Julian John BinghamAfter the vote to impeach Stevens submitted a pair of resolutions that both created a two person committee tasked with presenting to the Senate bar the impeachment resolution that had been passed and informing the Senate that the House would in due time exhibit specific articles of impeachment and which also created a seven person committee to prepare and report articles of impeachment The resolutions gave that seven person committee the power to subpoena people papers and records and to record sworn testimony After procedural votes the House approved both of Stevens resolutions in a single 124 42 vote No members of the Republican Party voted against it while no members of the Democratic Party voted for it 17 56 Before the House adjourned for the evening Speaker Schuyler Colfax appointed John Bingham and Thaddeus Stevens to the two person committee tasked with informing the Senate of Johnson s impeachment and also appointed John Bingham George S Boutwell and Thaddeus Stevens all of whom had been members of the Select Committee on Reconstruction along with George Washington Julian House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman James F Wilson John A Logan and Hamilton Ward to the seven person committee tasked with writing the articles of impeachment 18 nbsp Illustration of Thaddeus Stevens and John Bingham notifying the Senate bar of the impeachment on February 25 1868On the morning of February 25 1868 the Senate was informed by the two person committee of Bingham and Stevens that Johnson had been impeached and that articles of impeachment would be created 57 58 Later that day Stevens reported to the House that the committee had gone before the bar of the Senate on behalf of the House 58 Later on February 25 Ellihu B Washburne moved to suspend the rules and order that once the special committee tasked with preparing the articles of impeachment reported those articles the House would immediately hold a full house vote on the articles and set the rules for speeches and debate on the articles The House voted 106 37 to approve Washburne s motion 59 Later that day George S Boutwell presented two resolutions to enable the committee of seven that had been appointed to prepare and report the articles of impeachment to sit during sessions of the House These resolutions were passed 105 36 60 Thaddeus Stevens felt that Radical Republicans on the committee were yielding too much to moderates to limit the scope of the violations of law that the articles of impeachment would charge Johnson with He wrote Benjamin F Butler proposing that while Stevens worked to add two more additional articles to the seven already written by the committee Butler would write his own separate article of impeachment from outside of the committee Butler accepted this proposal 18 The committee of seven initially delivered ten proposed articles of impeachment to the House on February 29 1868 18 These would be revised and reduced to nine articles before being voted on on March 2 19 Votes on the articles edit One week after it voted to impeach Johnson the House adopted eleven articles of impeachment against the president 20 The first nine articles were approved on March 2 while the last two were approved on March 3 1868 The third and fourth articles each received a single Democratic vote in support of them George W Morgan for the third and Charles Haight for the fourth article 17 53 61 62 The tenth article was the only to have Republican opposition with twelve Republicans casting votes against it However two other members of the Republican caucus that were not formally part of the Republican Party Samuel Fenton Cary an independent Republican from Ohio and Thomas E Stewart a Conservative Republican from New York voted against nearly every article of impeachment with Stewart having been absent from the vote on the fourth article 17 63 64 65 Votes by member 17 63 64 65 District Member Party Votes on articles1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11thKentucky 8 George Madison Adams Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayIowa 3 William B Allison Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMassachusetts 2 Oakes Ames Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 9 George Washington Anderson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent AbsentMaryland 2 Stevenson Archer Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayTennessee 6 Samuel Mayes Arnell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentNevada at large Delos R Ashley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaOhio 10 James Mitchell Ashley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaCalifornia 1 Samuel Beach Axtell Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentNew York 21 Alexander H Bailey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentIllinois 12 Jehu Baker Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentMassachusetts 8 John Denison Baldwin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaMassachusetts 6 Nathaniel P Banks Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaNew York 2 Demas Barnes Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentConnecticut 4 William Henry Barnum Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMichigan 1 Fernando C Beaman Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 8 John Beatty Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaKentucky 7 James B Beck Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMissouri 8 John F Benjamin Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentNew Hampshire 3 Jacob Benton Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentOhio 16 John Bingham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMaine 3 James G Blaine Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaMichigan 3 Austin Blair Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMassachusetts 7 George S Boutwell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 6 Benjamin Markley Boyer Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentIllinois 7 Henry P H Bromwell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentNew York 8 James Brooks Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayPennsylvania 7 John Martin Broomall Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 9 Ralph Pomeroy Buckland Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentIllinois 10 Albert G Burr Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay NayMassachusetts 5 Benjamin Butler Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 10 Henry L Cake Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 2 Samuel Fenton Cary Independent Republican Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew York 7 John Winthrop Chanler Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentNew York 22 John C Churchill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 6 Reader W Clarke Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaKansas at large Sidney Clarke Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaWisconsin 3 Amasa Cobb Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 6 John Coburn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaIndiana 9 Schuyler Colfax Republican Did not vote speaker aIllinois 6 Burton C Cook Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 13 Thomas Cornell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaPennsylvania 21 John Covode Republican Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentIllinois 8 Shelby Moore Cullom Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMassachusetts 10 Henry L Dawes Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentRhode Island 2 Nathan F Dixon II Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaIowa 5 Grenville M Dodge Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentMinnesota 2 Ignatius L Donnelly Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMichigan 6 John F Driggs Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 17 Ephraim R Eckley Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentOhio 1 Benjamin Eggleston Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew Hampshire 1 Jacob Hart Ela Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentWisconsin 4 Charles A Eldredge Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay AbsentMassachusetts 1 Thomas D Eliot Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIllinois 2 John F Farnsworth Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaNew York 16 Orange Ferriss Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMichigan 4 Thomas W Ferry Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 19 William C Fields Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentPennsylvania 20 Darwin Abel Finney Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentNew York 4 John Fox Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentOhio 19 James A Garfield Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 8 James Lawrence Getz Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent NayPennsylvania 15 Adam John Glossbrenner Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentKentucky 3 Jacob Golladay Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMissouri 4 Joseph J Gravely Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 15 John Augustus Griswold Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Nay YeaKentucky 5 Asa Grover Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew Jersey 2 Charles Haight Democrat Nay Nay Nay Yea Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew Jersey 5 George A Halsey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIllinois 4 Abner C Harding Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaTennessee 7 Isaac Roberts Hawkins Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentCalifornia 2 William Higby Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaNew Jersey 4 John Hill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 4 William S Holman Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMassachusetts 4 Samuel Hooper Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaWisconsin 2 Benjamin F Hopkins Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaConnecticut 2 Julius Hotchkiss Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayIowa 6 Asahel W Hubbard Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentWest Virginia 1 Chester D Hubbard Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaConnecticut 1 Richard D Hubbard Democrat Absent Absent Nay Nay Absent Absent Absent Absent Nay Absent AbsentNew York 17 Calvin T Hulburd Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 30 James M Humphrey Democrat Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayIndiana 3 Morton C Hunter Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIllinois 5 Ebon C Ingersoll Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaRhode Island 1 Thomas Jenckes Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaCalifornia 3 James A Johnson Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayKentucky 6 Thomas Laurens Jones Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayIllinois 1 Norman B Judd Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 5 George Washington Julian Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 4 William D Kelley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 25 William H Kelsey Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 2 Michael C Kerr Democrat Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew York 12 John H Ketcham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaWest Virginia 2 Bethuel Kitchen Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaKentucky 4 J Proctor Knott Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayPennsylvania 16 William Henry Koontz Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 20 Addison H Laflin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaPennsylvania 24 George Van Eman Lawrence Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 4 William Lawrence Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 7 Benjamin F Loan Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 26 William S Lincoln Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIllinois at large John A Logan Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIowa 4 William Loughridge Republican Yea Absent Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaMaine 1 John Lynch Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOregon at large Rufus Mallory Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaIllinois 11 Samuel S Marshall Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew York 18 James M Marvin Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaTennessee 2 Horace Maynard Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 23 Dennis McCarthy Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 5 Joseph W McClurg Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 3 James Robinson McCormick Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMaryland 1 Hiram McCullough Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentPennsylvania 13 Ulysses Mercur Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 14 George Funston Miller Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew Jersey 1 William Moore Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 22 James K Moorhead Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentOhio 13 George W Morgan Democrat Nay Nay Yea Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayPennsylvania 17 Daniel Johnson Morrell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 5 John Morrissey Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentTennessee 4 James Mullins Republican Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentOhio 5 William Mungen Democrat Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayPennsylvania 3 Leonard Myers Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 2 Carman A Newcomb Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 1 William E Niblack Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayDelaware at large John A Nicholson Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay NayTennessee 8 David Alexander Nunn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentPennsylvania 2 Charles O Neill Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 8 Godlove Stein Orth Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaWisconsin 1 Halbert E Paine Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaMaine 2 Sidney Perham Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMaine 4 John A Peters Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentMaryland 3 Charles E Phelps Conservative Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentMaine 5 Frederick Augustus Pike Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMissouri 1 William A Pile Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentOhio 15 Tobias A Plants Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent YeaVermont 2 Luke P Poland Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent YeaWest Virginia 3 Daniel Polsley Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 24 Theodore M Pomeroy Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaIowa 2 Hiram Price Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaNew York 14 John V L Pruyn Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayPennsylvania 1 Samuel J Randall Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentIllinois 13 Green Berry Raum Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 10 William H Robertson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent YeaNew York 3 William Erigena Robinson Democrat Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentIllinois 9 Lewis W Ross Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayWisconsin 5 Philetus Sawyer Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 3 Robert C Schenck Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 19 Glenni William Scofield Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 28 Lewis Selye Independent Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentIndiana 11 John P C Shanks Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 7 Samuel Shellabarger Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentNew Jersey 3 Charles Sitgreaves Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayVermont 3 Worthington Curtis Smith Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaOhio 18 Rufus P Spalding Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaConnecticut 3 Henry H Starkweather Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew Hampshire 2 Aaron Fletcher Stevens Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentPennsylvania 9 Thaddeus Stevens Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 6 Thomas E Stewart Conservative Republican Nay Nay Nay Absent Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayTennessee 3 William Brickly Stokes Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent AbsentMaryland 5 Frederick Stone Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentNew York 1 Stephen Taber Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNebraska at large John Taffe Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 5 Caleb Newbold Taylor Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMaryland 4 Francis Thomas Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaTennessee 5 John Trimble Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentKentucky 1 Lawrence S Trimble Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayMichigan 5 Rowland E Trowbridge Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMassachusetts 3 Ginery Twichell Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaMichigan 2 Charles Upson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaNew York 31 Henry Van Aernam Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 11 Daniel Myers Van Auken Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentNew York 29 Burt Van Horn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent AbsentMissouri 6 Robert T Van Horn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaOhio 12 Philadelph Van Trump Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayNew York 11 Charles Van Wyck Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaNew York 27 Hamilton Ward Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaWisconsin 6 Cadwallader C Washburn Republican Yea Yea Absent Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea YeaIndiana 7 Henry D Washburn Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentMassachusetts 9 William B Washburn Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIllinois 3 Elihu B Washburne Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Absent AbsentOhio 14 Martin Welker Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaPennsylvania 23 Thomas Williams Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea YeaIndiana 10 William Williams Republican Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent AbsentIowa 1 James F Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaOhio 11 John Thomas Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaPennsylvania 18 Stephen Fowler Wilson Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent AbsentMinnesota 1 William Windom Republican Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Yea Nay YeaNew York 9 Fernando Wood Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay NayVermont 1 Frederick E Woodbridge Republican Yea Yea Yea Absent Yea Yea Yea Yea Absent Nay YeaPennsylvania 12 George Washington Woodward Democrat Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Absent AbsentNotes a Schuyler Colfax was serving as Speaker of the House Per House rules the Speaker is not required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings except when such vote would be decisive or when the House is engaged in voting by ballot 55 March 2 1868 edit nbsp Illustration of Thaddeus Stevens speaking during March 2 1868 debate nbsp Set of illustrations The illustration on the left depicts Democratic Congressman Albert G Burr left sleeping while Republican Congressman John Winthrop Chanler delivers a loud speech during debate on the adoption of articles of impeachment The image on right depicts reports rushing to the telegraph office as soon as the articles of impeachment were published The House debated the proposed articles on March 1 and 2 1868 19 On March 2 the House voted to ratify the nine articles of impeachment referred to it by the committee of seven These articles were strictly legalistic and molded on criminal indictment Eight concerned the violation of the Tenure of Office Act while the ninth accused him of violating the Command of Army Act by pressuring General William H Emory to ignore Acting Secretary of War Grant and instead take orders directly from Johnson 18 After a series of speeches during debate Thaddeus Stevens took the floor to criticize the committee of seven for going too easy on Johnson 18 declaring Never was so great a malefactor so gently treated as Andrew Johnson The people have been unwilling to blot the records of their country by mingling his crimes with their shame shame for endurance for so long a time of his great crimes and misdemeanor 18 Stevens argued that the articles put before the house had failed to address just how much Johnson had imperiled the governing structure of the United States 18 After Stevens delivered his remarks which closed out debate Boutwell brought forward revised articles with the number of articles proposed by the committee being decreased from ten to nine 19 Benjamin Butler then submitted his own lengthy impeachment article inspired by Stevens request to him Butlers proposed article stated no clear violation of law but instead charged Johnson with attempting to bring into disgrace ridicule hatred contempt and reproach the Congress of the United States 18 The article was written in response to speeches that Johnson had made during his Swing Around the Circle 66 Butler s remarks on his impeachment resolution were very long and this frustrated many even including Stevens The House quickly rejected Butler s article before approving all nine articles from the committee one by one 18 March 2 1868 vote totalsArticle introduced by Benjamin Butler 18 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea Detailed roll call not reported by the Congressional Globe 0 48Nay nbsp Y 0 74Firstarticle 17 53 68 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 127 00 0 00 0 00 0 127Nay 0 40 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 42Secondarticle 53 62 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 124 00 0 00 0 00 0 124Nay 0 39 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 41Thirdarticle 53 61 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 1 123 00 0 00 0 00 0 124Nay 0 38 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 40Fourtharticle 53 69 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 1 116 00 0 00 0 00 0 117Nay 0 39 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 1 0 40Fiftharticle 53 70 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 127 00 0 00 0 00 0 127Nay 0 40 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 42Sixtharticle 53 71 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 127 00 0 00 0 00 0 127Nay 0 40 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 42Seventharticle 53 72 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 127 00 0 00 0 00 0 127Nay 0 40 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 42Eightharticle 53 73 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 127 00 0 00 0 00 0 127Nay 0 40 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 42Nintharticle 17 53 74 67 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 108 00 0 00 0 00 0 108Nay 0 39 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 41March 3 1868 edit After the March 2 adoption of articles of impeachment the House appointed the impeachment managers that would serve as prosecutors in the impeachment trial before the Senate The following day in hopes of strengthening the case that they would bring before the Senate the impeachment managers requested that the House consider additional charges 18 First the managers reported the article previously proposed by Butler which they reintroduced as the tenth article It was approved 18 15 After this an eleventh article drafted by Thaddeus Stevens and James F Wilson was approved 18 The eleventh article accused Johnson of violating his oath of office to take care that the laws be faithfully executed by declaring that the 39th United States Congress was unconstitutional because it only represented some of the United States with unreconstructed states being excluded and therefore lacked legislative powers or the power to propose amendments to the Constitution of the United States 57 March 3 1868 vote totalsTentharticle 17 53 63 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 0 88 00 0 00 0 00 0 0 88Nay 0 31 0 12 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 45Eleventharticle 17 53 64 Party Total votesDemocratic Republican Conservative Conservative Republican Independent RepublicanYea nbsp Y 00 0 109 00 0 00 0 00 0 109Nay 0 30 00 0 00 0 00 1 00 1 0 32Summary of the articles edit nbsp Signature of Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax upper right and an attestation of Edward McPherson clerk of the United States House of Representatives lower left on an official copy of the eleven articles of impeachmentBoth the first eight articles and the eleventh article adopted in the House related to Johnson violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to dismiss Secretary of War Stanton In addition several of these articles also accused Johnson of violating other acts and the eleventh article also accused Johnson of violating his oath of office 18 20 57 75 The first article specifically alleged that Johnson s February 21 1868 order to remove Stanton was made with intent to violate the Tenure of Office Act The second and third articles argued that the appointment of Thomas as secretary of war ad interim was similarly done with intent to violate the Tenure of Office Act The fourth fifth sixth and seventh articles alleged conspiring between Johnson Thomas and others to oust Stanton The sixth article also alleged a conspiracy to forcefully seize the property of the United States Department of War The eighth article specifically alleged that the appointment of Thomas ad interim was with the intent of unlawfully controlling the property of the Department of War The eleventh article effectively provided a restatement of the first nine articles 20 76 The ninth article focused on an accusation that Johnson had violated the Command of Army Act a charge reiterated by the eleventh article The tenth article charged Johnson with attempting to bring into disgrace ridicule hatred contempt and reproach the Congress of the United States but did not cite a clear violation of the law 18 20 57 75 The eleven articles presented the following charges Article 1 That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act in his February 21 1868 order to remove Secretary of War Stanton 20 Article 2 That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act by sending a letter of authority to Lorenzo Thomas regarding his appointment to be acting Secretary of War when there was in fact no legal vacancy because Secretary Stanton had been removed in violation of the Tenure of Office Act 20 Article 3 That Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act by appointing Lorenzo Thomas to be acting Secretary of War when there was in fact no legal vacancy because Secretary Stanton had been removed in violation of the Tenure of Office Act 20 Article 4 That Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas and others unlawfully to hinder and prevent Edwin M Stanton then and there Secretary of the Department of War from carrying out his duties 20 Article 5 That Johnson had conspired with Lorenzo Thomas and others to prevent and hinder the execution of the Tenure of Office Act 20 Article 6 That Johnson had violated both the Tenure of Office Act and An Act to Define and Punish Certain Conspiracies by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas by force to seize take and possess the property of the United States in the Department of War under control of Secretary Stanton in violation of thereby committing a high crime in office 20 Article 7 That Johnson had violated the Office Act and An Act to Define by conspiring with Lorenzo Thomas by force to seize take and possess the property of the United States in the Department of War under control of Secretary Stanton thereby committing a high misdemeanor in office 20 Article 8 That Johnson had unlawfully sought to control the disbursements of the moneys appropriated for the military service and for the Department of War by moving to remove Secretary Stanton and appoint Lorenzo Thomas 20 Article 9 That Johnson had violated the Command of Army Act by unlawfully instructing Major General William H Emory to ignore as unconstitutional the 1867 Army Appropriations Act language that all orders issued by the President and Secretary of War relating to military operations shall be issued through the General of the Army 18 20 77 Article 10 That Johnson had on numerous occasions made with a loud voice certain intemperate inflammatory and scandalous harangues and did therein utter loud threats and bitter menaces against Congress and the laws of the United States duly enacted thereby amid the cries jeers and laughter of the multitudes then assembled and within hearing 20 Article 11 That Johnson had violated his oath of office to take care that the laws be faithfully executed by unlawfully and unconstitutionally challenging the authority of the 39th Congress to legislate due to unreconstructed southern states had not been readmitted to the Union violated the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Stanton contrived to fail to execute the Command of Army Act which directs that executive orders to the military be issued through the General of the Army and prevented the execution of an act entitled An act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel states 20 57 75 Trial editMain article Impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson nbsp Illustration of Bingham presenting the articles of impeachment to the SenateThe articles of impeachment were presented to the Senate by John Bingham on March 4 1868 26 57 78 As prescribed by the U S Constitution chief justice of the United States Salmon P Chase presided over the trial 26 The extent of Chase s authority as presiding officer to render unilateral rulings was a frequent point of contention Chase maintained that deciding certain procedural questions on his own was his prerogative but the Senate challenged several of his rulings 79 The House appointed seven members to serve as House impeachment managers equivalent to prosecutors John Bingham George S Boutwell Benjamin Butler John A Logan Thaddeus Stevens Thomas Williams and James F Wilson 80 The president s defense team was made up of Benjamin Robbins Curtis William M Evarts William S Groesbeck Thomas Amos Rogers Nelson and Henry Stanbery On the advice of counsel the president did not appear at the trial 26 Proceedings edit nbsp Andrew Johnson impeachment trial admission ticket dated March 24 1868The Senate trial opened on March 4 1868 57 26 and was conducted mostly in open session The Senate chamber galleries were often filled to capacity Public interest was so great that the Senate issued admission passes for the first time in its history For each day of the trial 1 000 color coded tickets were printed granting admittance for a single day 26 81 nbsp Andrew Johnson s impeachment trial as illustrated by Theodore R Davis in Harper s WeeklyThe impeachment managers argued that Johnson had explicitly violated the Tenure of Office Act by dismissing Stanton without the consent of the Senate They contended that U S presidents were obligated to carry out and honor the laws passed by the United States Congress regardless of whether they believed them to be constitutional arguing that otherwise presidents would be allowed to regularly disobey the will of Congress which they argued as elected representatives represented the will of the American people 57 19 82 The defense both questioned the criminality of the alleged offenses and raised doubts about Johnson s intent One of the points made by the defense was that ambiguity existed in the Tenure of Office Act that left open a vagueness as to whether it was actually applicable to Johnson s firing of Stanton They also argued that the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional and that Johnson s intent in firing Stanton had been to test the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court of the United States and that Johnson was entitled to do so They further argued that even if the law were constitutional that presidents should not be removed from office for misconstruing their constitutional rights They further argued that Johnson was acting in the interest of the necessity of keeping the Department of War functional by appointing Lorenzo Thomas as an interim officer and that he had caused no public harm in doing so They also argued that the Republican Party was using impeachment as a political tool The defense asserted the view that presidents should not be removed from office by impeachment for political misdeeds as this is what elections were meant for 57 19 82 Verdict edit nbsp Judgment of the SenateThe Senate was composed of 54 members representing 27 states 10 former Confederate states had not yet been readmitted to representation in the Senate at the time of the trial At its conclusion senators voted on three of the articles of impeachment On each occasion the vote was 35 19 with 35 senators voting guilty and 19 not guilty As the constitutional threshold for a conviction in an impeachment trial is a two thirds majority guilty vote 36 votes in this instance Johnson was not convicted He remained in office through the end of his term on March 4 1869 though without influence on public policy 6 All nine Senate Democrats voted against conviction 83 Ten Republicans refused to support their party and voted against conviction 84 The first vote was taken on May 16 for the eleventh article Prior to the vote Samuel Pomeroy told Senator Ross that if Ross voted for acquittal that Ross would become the subject of an investigation for bribery 85 Afterward in hopes of persuading at least one senator who voted not guilty to change his vote the Senate adjourned for 10 days before continuing voting on the other articles During the hiatus the House passed a resolution to launch an investigation by the impeachment managers of alleged improper or corrupt means used to influence the determination of the Senate 86 Despite the Radical Republican leadership s heavy handed efforts to change the outcome when votes were cast on May 26 for the second and third articles the results were the same as the first After this the Senate voted to adjourn the trial sine die 87 After the trial Butler conducted hearings on the widespread reports that Republican senators had been bribed to vote for Johnson s acquittal In Butler s hearings and in subsequent inquiries there was increasing evidence that some acquittal votes were acquired by promises of patronage jobs and cash bribes Political deals were struck as well Grimes received assurances that acquittal would not be followed by presidential reprisals Johnson agreed to enforce the Reconstruction Acts and to appoint General John Schofield to succeed Stanton Nonetheless the investigations never resulted in charges much less convictions against anyone 88 Moreover there is evidence that the prosecution attempted to bribe the senators voting for acquittal to switch their votes to conviction Senator Fessenden was offered the ministership to Great Britain Prosecutor Butler said Tell Senator Ross that if he wants money there is a bushel of it here to be had 89 Butler s investigation also boomeranged when it was discovered that Senator Pomeroy who voted for conviction had written a letter to Johnson s postmaster general seeking a 40 000 bribe for Pomeroy s acquittal vote along with three or four others in his caucus 90 Butler was himself told by Wade that Wade would appoint Butler as secretary of state when Wade assumed the presidency after a Johnson conviction 91 An opinion that Senator Ross was mercilessly persecuted for his courageous vote to sustain the independence of the presidency as a branch of the federal government is the subject of an entire chapter in President John F Kennedy s book Profiles in Courage 92 That opinion has been rejected by some scholars such as Ralph Roske and endorsed by others such as Avery Craven 93 94 None of the Republican senators who voted for acquittal ever again served in an elected office 95 Although they were under intense pressure to change their votes to conviction during the trial afterward public opinion rapidly shifted around to their viewpoint Some senators who voted for conviction such as John Sherman and even Charles Sumner later changed their minds 93 96 97 Articles of Impeachment U S Senate judgment 36 guilty votes necessary for a conviction May 16 1868Article XI Party Total votesDemocratic RepublicanYea guilty 0 0 35 35Nay not guilty nbsp Y 0 9 10 19May 26 1868Article II Party Total votesDemocratic RepublicanYea guilty 0 0 35 35Nay not guilty nbsp Y 0 9 10 19May 26 1868Article III Party Total votesDemocratic RepublicanYea guilty 0 0 35 35Nay Not guilty nbsp Y 0 9 10 19Detail of roll callSenator Party state Art XIvote Art IIvote Art IIIvoteHenry B Anthony R RI Yea Yea YeaJames A Bayard Jr D DE Nay Nay NayCharles R Buckalew D PA Nay Nay NaySimon Cameron R PA Yea Yea YeaAlexander G Cattell R NJ Yea Yea YeaZachariah Chandler R MI Yea Yea YeaCornelius Cole R CA Yea Yea YeaRoscoe Conkling R NY Yea Yea YeaJohn Conness R CA Yea Yea YeaHenry W Corbett R OR Yea Yea YeaAaron H Cragin R NH Yea Yea YeaGarrett Davis D KY Nay Nay NayJames Dixon R CT Nay Nay NayJames Rood Doolittle R WI Nay Nay NayCharles D Drake R MO Yea Yea YeaGeorge F Edmunds R VT Yea Yea YeaOrris S Ferry R CT Yea Yea YeaWilliam P Fessenden R ME Nay Nay NayJoseph S Fowler R TN Nay Nay NayFrederick T Frelinghuysen R NJ Yea Yea YeaJames W Grimes R IA Nay Nay NayJames Harlan R IA Yea Yea YeaJohn B Henderson R MO Nay Nay NayThomas A Hendricks D IN Nay Nay NayJacob M Howard R MI Yea Yea YeaTimothy O Howe R WI Yea Yea YeaReverdy Johnson D MD Nay Nay NayThomas C McCreery D KY Nay Nay NayEdwin D Morgan R NY Yea Yea YeaJustin S Morrill R VT Yea Yea YeaLot M Morrill R ME Yea Yea YeaOliver P Morton R IN Yea Yea YeaDaniel Sheldon Norton R MN Nay Nay NayJames W Nye R NV Yea Yea YeaDavid T Patterson D TN Nay Nay NayJames W Patterson R NH Yea Yea YeaSamuel C Pomeroy R KS Yea Yea YeaAlexander Ramsey R MN Yea Yea YeaEdmund G Ross R KS Nay Nay NayWillard Saulsbury Sr D DE Nay Nay NayJohn Sherman R OH Yea Yea YeaWilliam Sprague IV R RI Yea Yea YeaWilliam M Stewart R NV Yea Yea YeaCharles Sumner R MA Yea Yea YeaJohn Milton Thayer R NE Yea Yea YeaThomas Tipton R NE Yea Yea YeaLyman Trumbull R IL Nay Nay NayPeter G Van Winkle R WV Nay Nay NayGeorge Vickers D MD Nay Nay NayBenjamin Wade R OH Yea Yea YeaWaitman T Willey R WV Yea Yea YeaGeorge Henry Williams R OR Yea Yea YeaHenry Wilson R MA Yea Yea YeaRichard Yates R IL Yea Yea YeaSources 98 83 Later analysis of Johnson s impeachment editIn 1887 the Tenure of Office Act was repealed by Congress and subsequent rulings by the United States Supreme Court seemed to support Johnson s position that he was entitled to fire Stanton without congressional approval The Supreme Court s ruling on a similar piece of later legislation in Myers v United States 1926 affirmed the ability of the president to remove a postmaster without congressional approval and the dictum of the majority opinion stated that the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 was invalid 99 Lyman Trumbull of Illinois one of the ten Republican senators whose refusal to vote for conviction prevented Johnson s removal from office noted in his speech explaining his vote for acquittal that had Johnson been convicted the main source of the American presidency s political power the freedom for a president to disagree with the Congress without consequences would have been destroyed as would Constitution s system of checks and balances 100 Indeed the impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson had long lasting effects on the separation of powers It established the rule that Congress should not remove the president due to a conflict over the structure of their administration It also resulted in diminished presidential influence on public policy and overall governing power fostering a system of governance which future President Woodrow Wilson referred to in the 1880s as Congressional Government 6 See also editTimeline of the impeachment of Andrew Johnson Impeachment process against Richard Nixon Impeachment of Bill Clinton First impeachment of Donald Trump Second impeachment of Donald Trump List of federal political scandals in the United States Tennessee Johnson a 1942 film about Andrew Johnson depicting the events surrounding his impeachmentNotes edit There is a record keeping discrepancy for the February 24 1868 vote to impeach Johnson While the Congressional Globe recorded the vote as being 126 47 with Republicans William Henry Koontz and Francis Thomas both being recorded as absent the United States House Journal recorded the vote as being 128 47 with Koontz and Thomas both being recorded present and voting in support of the resolution 18 52 51 53 The Office of the House Historian uses the Congressional Globe tally on its website 53 and therefore this article also uses that tally References edit Burlingame Michael October 4 2016 Abraham Lincoln Domestic Affairs Charlottesville Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs University of Virginia Retrieved April 14 2018 a b c d Whittington Keith E March 2000 Bill Clinton Was No Andrew Johnson Comparing Two Impeachments Journal of Constitutional Law Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania 2 2 422 65 Retrieved September 24 2021 Campbell James M Fraser Rebecca J eds 2008 Reconstruction People and Perspectives Santa Barbara California ABC CLIO p xv ISBN 978 1 59884 021 6 Archived from the original on January 28 2020 Retrieved May 10 2018 Trefousse Hans L 1989 Andrew Johnson A Biography New York City W W Norton amp Company pp 193 213 ISBN 978 0 393 31742 8 a b Andrew Johnson Key Events Charlottesville Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs University of Virginia October 7 2016 Retrieved May 8 2018 a b c d Varon Elizabeth R October 4 2016 Andrew Johnson Domestic Affairs Charlottesville Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs University of Virginia Retrieved April 14 2018 Trefousse Hans L 1989 Andrew Johnson A Biography New York City W W Norton amp Company pp 234 54 ISBN 978 0 393 31742 8 Kennedy David M Bailey Thomas 2009 The American Spirit U S History as Seen by Contemporaries Volume II Since 1865 Twelfth ed Cengage Learning pp 17 19 ISBN 978 0 495 80002 6 Hacker Jeffrey H 2014 Slavery War and a New Birth of Freedom 1840s 1877 revised ed Taylor amp Francis p 144 ISBN 978 0 7656 8324 3 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 26 2020 a b Building the Case for Impeachment December 1866 to June 1867 US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 2 2021 Wineapple Brenda 2019 Twelve Tenure of Office The impeachers The Trial of Andrew Johnson and The Dream of a Just Nation First ed New York ISBN 9780812998368 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Impeachment Efforts Against President Andrew Johnson US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 2 2021 Impeachment Rejected November to December 1867 US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 2 2021 The Case for Impeachment December 1867 US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 2 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Hinds Asher C March 4 1907 HINDS PRECEDENTS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES INCLUDING REFERENCES TO PROVISIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION THE LAWS AND DECISIONS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE PDF United States Congress pp 845 851 860 Retrieved March 2 2021 a b c d Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress second session pages 259 262 voteview com United States House of Representatives 1868 Retrieved March 16 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 40th Congress 1867 1869 gt Representatives voteview com Retrieved March 16 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y The House Impeaches Andrew Johnson Washington D C Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House s Office of Art and Archives Retrieved January 13 2021 a b c d e f g Stewart David O 2009 Impeached The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln s Legacy Simon and Schuster pp 136 137 156 158 231 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from Stephen W Stathis and David C Huckabee Congressional Resolutions on Presidential Impeachment A Historical Overview PDF Congressional Research Service Retrieved December 31 2019 The Capital Philadelphia Inquirer February 10 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Washington Chicago Evening Post February 13 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Staunton Spectator Tuesday February 18 1868 Staunton Spectator February 18 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Chernow Ron 2017 Grant New York Penguin Press p 594 ISBN 978 1 5942 0487 6 Trefousse Hans L 1989 Andrew Johnson A Biography New York City W W Norton amp Company pp 275 99 ISBN 978 0 393 31742 8 a b c d e f g The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson 1868 President of the United States Washington D C Historical Office United States Senate Archived from the original on October 4 2019 Retrieved April 13 2018 United States Sanger George P Minot George Peters Richard 1845 United States statutes at large Bluebook citation Stat Washington U S G P O The Tenure of Office Act of 1867 Archived from the original on April 27 2006 Retrieved April 1 2006 a b Burg Robert 2012 Manweller Mathew ed Chronology of the U S Presidency 4 volumes ABC CLIO p 545 ISBN 978 1 59884 645 4 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 26 2020 White Ronald C 2016 American Ulysses A Life of Ulysses S Grant Random House Publishing Group p 453 ISBN 978 1 5883 6992 5 Chernow Ron 2017 Grant New York Penguin Press p 603 ISBN 978 1 5942 0487 6 White Ronald C 2016 American Ulysses A Life of Ulysses S Grant Random House Publishing Group pp 454 55 ISBN 978 1 5883 6992 5 Marvel William 2015 Lincoln s Autocrat The Life of Edwin Stanton University of North Carolina Press p 437 ISBN 978 1 46962249 1 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 26 2020 Benedict Michael Les Fall 1998 A New Look at the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Political Science Quarterly Academy of Political Science 113 3 doi 10 2307 2658078 JSTOR 2658078 Retrieved April 27 2018 Trefousse Hans L 1989 Andrew Johnson A Biography New York City W W Norton amp Company p 306 314 ISBN 978 0 393 31742 8 Marvel William 2015 Lincoln s Autocrat The Life of Edwin Stanton University of North Carolina Press p 443 ISBN 978 1 46962249 1 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 26 2020 a b c Glass Andrew February 24 2015 House votes to impeach Andrew Johnson February 24 1868 Politico Retrieved April 24 2018 Brockett L P 1872 Men of our day or Biographical sketches of patriots orators statesmen generals reformers financiers and merchants now on the stage of action including those who in military political business and social life are the prominent leaders of the time in this country Philadelphia Pennsylvania Zeigler McCurdy p 502 via Internet Archive 2009 Avalon Project History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Chapter VI Impeachment Agreed To By The House avalon law yale edu The Avalon Project Yale Law School Lilian Goldman Law Library Retrieved March 13 2021 The House Impeaches Andrew Johnson US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 13 2021 Impeachment of Andrew Johnson US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 13 2021 a b Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 385 voteview com Retrieved March 19 2022 Rehnquist p 217 The News Public Ledger February 22 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Rehnquist p 216 By Telegraph The Charleston Daily News February 24 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Latest New By Telegraph The Daily Evening Express February 22 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com a b A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation U S Congressional Documents and Debates 1774 1875 memory loc gov Library of Congress Retrieved March 28 2022 Impeachment Harrisburg Telegraph February 22 1868 Retrieved July 22 2022 via Newspapers com Scene in the House Apathy of the Members A Race for the Wires Energy of the Reporters The Last Speech on Impeachment Thaddeus Stevens Closing the Debate in the House US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Retrieved August 6 2022 a b c d Cong Globe 40th Cong 2nd Sess 1400 1868 A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation U S Congressional Documents and Debates 1774 1875 Washington D C Library of Congress Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved December 21 2019 a b c d e f g Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 392 and 393 voteview com United States House of Representatives a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Appendix Vote Tallies on the Articles of Impeachment against Andrew Johnson US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Retrieved March 24 2022 Republican Caucus Chicago Tribune March 2 1868 Retrieved March 28 2022 via Newspapers com a b c RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WITH NOTES AND ANNOTATIONS PDF govinfo gov Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress second session pages 393 397 voteview com United States House of Representatives 1868 Retrieved March 16 2022 a b c d e f g h i U S Senate Impeachment Trial of President Andrew Johnson 1868 senate gov United States Senate Retrieved March 29 2022 a b Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress second session page 405 voteview com United States House of Representatives 1868 Retrieved March 16 2022 Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress second session page 407 408 voteview com United States House of Representatives 1868 Retrieved March 16 2022 Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress second session page 410 411 voteview com United States House of Representatives 1868 Retrieved March 16 2022 a b Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session page 443 and 444 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 a b 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 245 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 a b c Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 465 and 466 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 a b c Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 463 and 464 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 a b Journal of the House of Representatives March 2 1868 PDF cop senate gov United States Congress Archived from the original PDF on October 30 2020 Retrieved July 20 2022 Impeachment Butler s Additional Article The Rules in the Senate Chicago Evening Post at Newspapers com March 2 1868 Retrieved March 28 2022 via Newspapers com a b c d e f g h i j Congressional Globe for the Second Session Fortieth Congress Part II Office of the Congressional Globe 1868 pp 1616 1619 Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 440 and 441 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 247 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 248 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 249 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 250 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 40th Congress gt House gt Vote 251 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 Journal of the United States House of Representatives 40th Congress Second Session pages 449 and 450 voteview com Retrieved March 17 2022 a b c The Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson An Account famous trials com Retrieved November 17 2021 Lewis H H Walker 1954 The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson A Political Tragedy American Bar Association Journal 40 1 15 87 ISSN 0002 7596 JSTOR 25718666 Retrieved September 14 2022 Stathis Stephen W 1994 Impeachment and Trial of President Andrew Johnson A View from the Iowa Congressional Delegation Presidential Studies Quarterly 24 1 29 47 ISSN 0360 4918 JSTOR 27551191 Retrieved September 14 2022 Riddick Floyd M Dove Robert B August 15 1986 Procedure and Guidelines for Impeachment Trials in the United States Senate PDF United States Senate pp 12 13 19 20 26 27 53 54 Archived from the original PDF on August 16 2000 Gerhardt Michael J Essays on Article I Trial of Impeachment Heritage Guide to the Constitution Heritage Foundation Archived from the original on August 22 2020 Retrieved May 10 2018 List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives Washington D C Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House s Office of Art and Archives Retrieved May 10 2018 President Andrew Johnson s impeachment trial 1868 Washington D C Historical Office United States Senate Retrieved May 14 2018 a b Andrew Johnson s Impeachment Bill of Rights Institute Retrieved November 17 2021 a b Senate Journal 40th Cong 2nd sess 16 May 26 1868 943 51 A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation U S Congressional Documents and Debates 1774 1875 Washington D C Library of Congress Retrieved June 7 2019 40th Congress gt Senate gt Vote 361 voteview com Retrieved April 8 2022 Curt Anders Powerlust Radicalism in the Civil War Era p 531 Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States Being the Second Session of the Fortieth Congress Begun and Held at the City of Washington December 2 1867 In the Ninety Second Year of the Independence of the United States Washington D C Government Printing Office 1868 p May 16 1868 Retrieved July 27 2022 Mushkat Jerome 1967 The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson A Contemporary View New York History 48 3 275 286 ISSN 0146 437X JSTOR 23162954 Retrieved April 6 2022 Stewart David O 2009 Impeached The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln s Legacy Simon and Schuster pp 240 49 284 99 Gene Davis High Crimes and Misdemeanors New York William Morrow amp Company 1977 266 67 290 91 Curt Anders Powerlust Radicalism in the Civil War Era pp 532 33 Eric McKitrick Andrew Johnson Oxford Oxford University Press 1988 507 08 John F Kennedy Profiles in Courage New York Harper Brothers 1961 115 39 a b Avery Craven Reconstruction New York Holt Rinehart amp Winston 1969 221 Roske Ralph J 1959 The Seven Martyrs The American Historical Review 64 2 323 30 doi 10 2307 1845447 JSTOR 1845447 Hodding Carter The Angry Scar New York Doubleday 1959 143 Kenneth Stampp Reconstruction New York Alfred A Knopf 1965 153 Chester Hearn The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Jefferson NC McFarland 2000 202 Ross Edmund G 1896 History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson President of The United States By The House Of Representatives and His Trial by The Senate for High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Office 1868 PDF pp 105 07 Retrieved April 26 2018 via Project Gutenberg 2000 FindLaw s United States Supreme Court case and opinions Findlaw Retrieved December 30 2022 White Horace The Life of Lyman Trumble Boston and New York Houghton Mifflin Co 1913 p 319 Further reading editBenedict Michael Les A New Look at the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Political Science Quarterly Sep 1973 Vol 88 Issue 3 pp 349 67 in JSTOR Benedict Michael Les The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson 1973 212 pp the standard scholarly history online edition Brown H Lowell High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Presidential Impeachment Palgrave Macmillan New York 2010 pp 35 61 on Johnson DeWitt David M The impeachment and trial of Andrew Johnson 1903 old monograph online edition Hearn Chester G The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson 2000 popular history McKitrick Eric L Andrew Johnson and Reconstruction 1960 influential analysis Rable George C Forces of Darkness Forces of Light The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson and the Paranoid Style Southern Studies 1978 17 2 pp 151 73 Sefton James E The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson A Century of Writing Civil War History June 1968 Vol 14 Issue 2 pp 120 47 Sigelman Lee Christopher J Deering and Burdett A Loomis Wading Knee Deep in Words Words Words Senatorial Rhetoric in the Johnson and Clinton Impeachment Trials Congress amp the Presidency 28 2 2001 pp 119 39 Stathis Stephen W Impeachment and Trial of President Andrew Johnson A View from the Iowa Congressional Delegation Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol 24 No 1 Winter 1994 pp 29 47 in JSTOR Stewart David O Impeached The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln s Legacy 2009 Trefousse Hans L The Acquittal of Andrew Johnson and the Decline of the Radicals Civil War History June 1968 Vol 14 Issue 2 pp 148 61 Trefousse Hans L Andrew Johnson A Biography 1989 major scholarly biography excerpt and text search Trefousse Hans L Impeachment of a President Andrew Johnson the Blacks and Reconstruction 1999 Wineapple Brenda 2019 The Impeachers The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation Random House Publishing Group ISBN 978 0812998368 Zelizer Julian E ed The American Congress The Building of Democracy Houghton Mifflin 2004 pp 239 249 on the press onlineExternal links editAndrew Johnson Impeachment Trial 1868 essay and other resources www famous trials com University of Missouri Kansas City Law School The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson excerpts from 1865 to 1869 Harper s Weekly articles along with other information a HarpWeek website Interview with William Rehnquist on Grand Inquests The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson 1992 Booknotes C SPAN Research guide Library of Congress Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Impeachment of Andrew Johnson amp oldid 1197704382, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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