“Old Hickory”

Presidential Basics

Full name: Andrew Jackson
Years in office: 1829–1837
Political party: Democratic
Vice presidents: John C. Calhoun (first term), Martin Van Buren (second term)
Age at inauguration: 61
Nicknames: “Old Hickory,” “Sharp Knife,” “King Andrew the First”

Random Trivia

Log cabin: Jackson as the first president born in a log cabin.

Birth & Death

Birthday: March 15, 1767
Birthplace: Waxhaws, South Carolina
Death date: June 8, 1845
Place of death: Nashville, Tennessee
Place of burial: The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee

Family

Father: Andrew Jackson (–1767); Linen weaver, farmer
Mother: Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson (–1781)
Wife: Rachel Donelson Robards (1767–1828)
Marriage: August 1, 1791 in Mississippi
Kids: No biological children
- Andrew Jackson, Jr. (adopted) (1808–1865)
Home: The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee

Other Facts

Height: 6’
Eye color: Blue
Ancestry: Scotch-Irish
Religion: Presbyterian
Born in a log cabin: Yes (first president)
Owned enslaved people: Yes
Freemason: Yes

Education

Early education: Self-educated, public schools, studied law in South Carolina
College degree: No

Career

Military Service: Yes
Lawyer: Yes
Messenger in Revolutionary War (1780–1781)
Lawyer (1787–)
U.S. House of Representatives (1797)
U.S. Senate (1797–1798)
Justice of Tennessee Supreme Court (1798–1804)
Major General in the War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Commander of U.S. Forces in Seminole War (1817–1818)
Governor of Florida Territory (1821)
U.S. Senate (1823–1825)
Seventh president (1829–1837)

Writings

Correspondence of Andrew Jackson

Elections

Old Hickory would become the first westerner to reach the White House in the election of 1828. Jackson won this rematch with John Quincy Adams, again winning the popular vote, but this time gaining the necessary majority of electoral votes.

It was a campaign full of hateful mudslinging, one that possibly led to the death of Jackson’s wife, Rachel. This election also saw an increase in the electorate as more white, male Americans were enfranchised.

The Hero of New Orleans again parlayed his immense popularity into an election win in 1832.

Running against National Republican (later Whig) candidate Henry Clay, Jackson’s opposition of a national bank was accepted by voters. He won easily with 219 electoral votes to Clay’s 49.

Campaign Poster

Genl. Andrew Jackson: Protector & Defender of Beauty & Booty, engraving by C. G. Childs, 1828 (Library of Congress)

Click to order your copy!

7. Andrew Jackson