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The Loyalist: The LIfe and Times of Andrew Johnson
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, just five days after the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by a bitter Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln became an instant martyr, immortalized as the "The Great Emancipator." After Lincoln's assassination, the commonest of men tried to fill the gigantic void. Andrew Johnson, a self-educated tailor from Tennessee, became the 17th President of the United States, and the first to enter office after the murder of his predecessor. Rising above an impoverished childhood, Johnson was truly a self-made man, learning a useful trade and developing his own successful business. At the same time, he rapidly ascended the poltical ladder--Alderman, Mayor, State Legislator, Congressman, Governor of Tennessee, United States Senator, Military Governor of Union-occupied Tennessee, Vice-President, and President of the United States. As the only lawmaker from the South to remain in Congress after the outbreak of the Civil War, Andrew Johnson was the ultimate "Loyalist." In recognition for his dedication to the Union, Johnson was nominated as Abraham Lincoln's running mate in the 1864 presidential election. Barely a month into his vice-presidency, Johnson was thrust on the center stage of America politics. After Lincoln was murdered, the tailor from Tennessee ascended into the unenviable position of succeeding a legend. Johnson's obstinancy and rigid interpretaion of the Constitution soon placed him at odds with the Republican congression leadership and the national press. The bitter chasm widened as the Johnson presidency lurched forward, and ultimately led to his being the first President in American history to be impeached by the House of Representatives. By a single vote, Johnson avoided conviction by the Senate, and forfeiture of of office. After narrowly surving this constitutional crisis, Johnson's historical legacy was irrevocably damaged, and his hopes for an elected term as President were dashed. Returning to Tennessee after his presidency, Johnson was determined to return to political office. In remarkable fashion, he was elected to the United States Senate, marking the first and only time that a former President has returned to serve in that legislative body. Ambitous, lacking humility, and largely humorless, Johnson was unable to tolerate criticism. He angrily attacked his foes, once likening himself to Christ on the Crucifix. His combative personality and intemperate remarks readily allowed his enemies to portray him as vindictive and unstable. "The Loyalist: The Life and Times of Andrew Johnson" is a concise biography of the 17th President of the United States, focusing upon the tumultuous years surrounding the American Civil War. Sustained by courage and ambition, Johnson was inevitably doomed by petulance, leading to a remarkable rise, dramatic fall, and partial vindication.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 23, 2015
The presidency of Andrew Johnson had all the makings of a Greek tragedy. Stepping into the role of Chief Executive less than a month after he was elected vice-president, Johnson followed the greatest of all US presidents into Office, and left a legacy as one of the worst. He stepped into his leadership role at a critical juncture in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and following the first presidential assassination in U.S. history. His demise was precipitated by his deep-seated racism, coupled with his uncompromising temperament. In "The Loyalist," Jeffrey Smith does a fine job of presenting Johnson's life, his hubris, and his ill-fated presidency.
Johnson had neither the temperament nor the rectitude that his times required. He had been selected as Lincoln's running mate because he was the only Southern Senator who opposed succession from the Union. He believed, as did Lincoln, that the difficult process of Reconstruction that lay ahead should not take a punitive approach towards the South. But their rationales for taking this approach could not have been more different.
In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln extended the olive branch to the South. "With malice towards none," Lincoln believed that a more conciliatory approach to the former Confederacy would help heal the wounds of the badly battered country following four devastating years of civil war. Johnson supported abolition, but, unlike Lincoln, opposed equality for blacks.
As Smith noted, "It was the blending of racism and fervent anti-secessionism that propelled Johnson from governor of Tennessee to vice-president of the United States". As Military Governor of Tennessee, Johnson paved the way for the state to be the first readmitted to the Union after the war. But blinded by his bigotry, Johnson would never support legislation that would grant civil rights or suffrage to those who had been emancipated.
Johnson's magnanimous approach towards the South did not extend to all. Johnson was born a "mudsill", a poor white Southerner who blamed succession on aristocratic whites who had stigmatized his lowly beginnings. Johnson had no objection to harsh treatment for the white leaders of the South who had disastrously induced succession and formed the Confederacy. As for blacks, Johnson considered them inferior to whites and had little regard for how they were treated.
During Johnson's one term in office, Radical Republicans of the North, who dominated Congress, wanted the South punished and blacks raised to a status of equality with whites. Johnson, as noted, wanted just the opposite: leniency for the South, at least for poor whites, and a subordinate place in society for blacks. Thus, Johnson remained isolated and at odds with both the legacy of Lincoln and with the will of Congress.
Johnson's clash with Congress came to a head with the passage of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867, after an override of Johnson's veto. The Act required the President to seek Congressional approval before removing high-ranking officials who required Senate approval for their appointment. The political motivation behind the legislation was to ensure that Secretary of War Stanton would not be fired. Stanton was a holdover from Lincoln's cabinet and was ardently aligned with the Radical Republicans. For Johnson, it was untenable to have his Secretary of War, who was overseeing Reconstruction, attempting to follow a course completely at odds with his own.
Johnson defied the Tenure of Office Act, which he considered unconstitutional, and attempted to rid himself of Stanton in one of the most high stakes dramas ever to play out between the executive and legislative branches. Johnson was ultimately impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors", and escaped conviction by one vote.
Although the opprobrium directed at Johnson because of his racism is warranted, his defiance towards Congress stemming from the Tenure of Office Act was understandable. As President, it was not unreasonable to expect loyalty from his cabinet members. Yet it was for attempting to removal a disloyal cabinet member that Johnson endured the humiliation of an impeachment trial. Johnson was somewhat vindicated on this point posthumously when the U.S. Supreme Court in 1926 declared the Tenure of Office Act an unconstitutional encroachment on executive power.
Johnson continued throughout his presidency to veto legislation that attempted to set a course of Reconstruction that diverged from his own. Congress continued to override his vetos, completely derailing his own plan of Presidential Reconstruction. The result was in large measure what Lincoln had hoped to avoid: a Reconstruction that deepened the divide between North and South without providing the necessary salve for the Nation.
Congress despised Johnson: the press, most of his cabinet, and the electorate came to despise him as well. Like many other U.S. presidents both before and after him, Johnson believed that going on the stump and taking his platform to the people would improve his image and lead to acceptance among the people. Instead, he was booed and heckled almost everywhere he went. He was booted from office in 1868 by Ulysees S. Grant. Several years later, Johnson was able to partially redeem his legacy by returning for a brief period to Washington as a U.S. Senator.
Mr. Smith's biography successfully chronicles the complexity of the times in which Johnson sought to lead the nation. Johnson was the wrong man to have stepped into the enormous shoes of Lincoln, and Mr. Smith admirably traces the reasons why this was so. His writing is clear and concise, although his overuse of italics is a bit distracting. Mr. Smith presents what positive there was in Andrew Johnson without masking his dismal record and legacy. "The Loyalist" is just the book for anyone wanting a basic understanding of the Johnson presidency, the course of Reconstruction, and the tragic flaws that ultimately led to Johnson's demise.
Johnson had neither the temperament nor the rectitude that his times required. He had been selected as Lincoln's running mate because he was the only Southern Senator who opposed succession from the Union. He believed, as did Lincoln, that the difficult process of Reconstruction that lay ahead should not take a punitive approach towards the South. But their rationales for taking this approach could not have been more different.
In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln extended the olive branch to the South. "With malice towards none," Lincoln believed that a more conciliatory approach to the former Confederacy would help heal the wounds of the badly battered country following four devastating years of civil war. Johnson supported abolition, but, unlike Lincoln, opposed equality for blacks.
As Smith noted, "It was the blending of racism and fervent anti-secessionism that propelled Johnson from governor of Tennessee to vice-president of the United States". As Military Governor of Tennessee, Johnson paved the way for the state to be the first readmitted to the Union after the war. But blinded by his bigotry, Johnson would never support legislation that would grant civil rights or suffrage to those who had been emancipated.
Johnson's magnanimous approach towards the South did not extend to all. Johnson was born a "mudsill", a poor white Southerner who blamed succession on aristocratic whites who had stigmatized his lowly beginnings. Johnson had no objection to harsh treatment for the white leaders of the South who had disastrously induced succession and formed the Confederacy. As for blacks, Johnson considered them inferior to whites and had little regard for how they were treated.
During Johnson's one term in office, Radical Republicans of the North, who dominated Congress, wanted the South punished and blacks raised to a status of equality with whites. Johnson, as noted, wanted just the opposite: leniency for the South, at least for poor whites, and a subordinate place in society for blacks. Thus, Johnson remained isolated and at odds with both the legacy of Lincoln and with the will of Congress.
Johnson's clash with Congress came to a head with the passage of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867, after an override of Johnson's veto. The Act required the President to seek Congressional approval before removing high-ranking officials who required Senate approval for their appointment. The political motivation behind the legislation was to ensure that Secretary of War Stanton would not be fired. Stanton was a holdover from Lincoln's cabinet and was ardently aligned with the Radical Republicans. For Johnson, it was untenable to have his Secretary of War, who was overseeing Reconstruction, attempting to follow a course completely at odds with his own.
Johnson defied the Tenure of Office Act, which he considered unconstitutional, and attempted to rid himself of Stanton in one of the most high stakes dramas ever to play out between the executive and legislative branches. Johnson was ultimately impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors", and escaped conviction by one vote.
Although the opprobrium directed at Johnson because of his racism is warranted, his defiance towards Congress stemming from the Tenure of Office Act was understandable. As President, it was not unreasonable to expect loyalty from his cabinet members. Yet it was for attempting to removal a disloyal cabinet member that Johnson endured the humiliation of an impeachment trial. Johnson was somewhat vindicated on this point posthumously when the U.S. Supreme Court in 1926 declared the Tenure of Office Act an unconstitutional encroachment on executive power.
Johnson continued throughout his presidency to veto legislation that attempted to set a course of Reconstruction that diverged from his own. Congress continued to override his vetos, completely derailing his own plan of Presidential Reconstruction. The result was in large measure what Lincoln had hoped to avoid: a Reconstruction that deepened the divide between North and South without providing the necessary salve for the Nation.
Congress despised Johnson: the press, most of his cabinet, and the electorate came to despise him as well. Like many other U.S. presidents both before and after him, Johnson believed that going on the stump and taking his platform to the people would improve his image and lead to acceptance among the people. Instead, he was booed and heckled almost everywhere he went. He was booted from office in 1868 by Ulysees S. Grant. Several years later, Johnson was able to partially redeem his legacy by returning for a brief period to Washington as a U.S. Senator.
Mr. Smith's biography successfully chronicles the complexity of the times in which Johnson sought to lead the nation. Johnson was the wrong man to have stepped into the enormous shoes of Lincoln, and Mr. Smith admirably traces the reasons why this was so. His writing is clear and concise, although his overuse of italics is a bit distracting. Mr. Smith presents what positive there was in Andrew Johnson without masking his dismal record and legacy. "The Loyalist" is just the book for anyone wanting a basic understanding of the Johnson presidency, the course of Reconstruction, and the tragic flaws that ultimately led to Johnson's demise.
June 28, 2020
The Loyalist: The Life and Times of Andrew Johnson is a quick read that, although informative, lacks any depth. The reasonable interpretation of a book claiming to be a 'life and times of' measure of academia sets, to myself, a fairly high bar with regards to depth and dimensions of information regarding the topic covered. The Loyalist would only satisfy this condition if in fact Jeffrey Smith was a child in perhaps, the eighth grade, with this work being presented as his book report for social studies class ! I would offer this to someone who is looking for a VERY light non-fiction read to increase his or her general understand of our 17th President and NO more.
July 17, 2018
Lost pages
Too easily forgotten, and ignored. Like the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving dinner, we are quick to pretend is not related so is the Presidency and history of Andrew Johnson. A quick and easy biography that peels beyond the first layers providing a reasoned perspective wrapped in situational awareness needed to objectively present such an unpopular past president.
Too easily forgotten, and ignored. Like the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving dinner, we are quick to pretend is not related so is the Presidency and history of Andrew Johnson. A quick and easy biography that peels beyond the first layers providing a reasoned perspective wrapped in situational awareness needed to objectively present such an unpopular past president.
January 26, 2016
I would actually rate this book 3.5 stars. Well written, I'm just not a big fan of Andrew Johnson.
June 26, 2017
Abraham Lincoln was admittedly a tough act to follow. Andrew Johnson is consistently rated as a pretty crappy president, but you sort of have to feel bad for the guy.
I didn't know anything at all about Andrew Johnson other than that he was Lincoln's VP and that he was impeached by the House until I read this book. There were some cool things about him. He was the first president who was really a completely self-made man. He was born dirt poor, but he had the drive to lift himself up out of poverty and become first a businessman, then, gradually, a politician on the national level. That's pretty impressive. He was also one of the only Southern politicians to stay loyal to the Union (hence the title of this book). I think he saw a lot of things as black and white, which may also be why he had such a hard time compromising later when he needed to, and to him, secession was un-Constitutional and those states shouldn't secede! He took a lot of flak for staying loyal to the Union, but he did it anyway because he thought -- no, he KNEW -- that it was the right thing to do.
But he also had some pretty serious weaknesses. He bungled the job of Reconstruction, and spent all of his time fighting with Congress. His whole time in office was like a giant veto war. Veto this, veto that. I do not think Andrew Johnson knew how to be humble or how to compromise. He had some powerful enemies, too: Thaddeus Stevens, Ulysses Grant, Edwin Stanton, and basically his whole party by the end of his term.
Still, I got the impression that he was a man who knew exactly who he was and figured others could take him or leave him, he was still going to do the best job he could. He was sure that the Tenure of Office Act was un-Constitutional, so he was just not going to obey it, no matter what the consequences. Yeah, it got him impeached in the House (and he was saved by one vote in the Senate), but he stood by his principles, damnit. (And the Supreme Court decided he was right many years later -- too late for him to be vindicated in life, though.)
The book itself was just okay. It was shallow and a little dull, but it never claims to be anything other than an overview. The worst thing about it was that I found errors, just a few, but enough that I got mad. I do NOT like finding errors in e-books! I was so mad that I almost rated it two stars, but I decided, no, it was okay. I know more about Andrew Johnson than I did before, and it wasn't terribly painful getting through it, so I will leave it at three stars and call it a not-that-exciting book about a not-that-exciting guy.
I didn't know anything at all about Andrew Johnson other than that he was Lincoln's VP and that he was impeached by the House until I read this book. There were some cool things about him. He was the first president who was really a completely self-made man. He was born dirt poor, but he had the drive to lift himself up out of poverty and become first a businessman, then, gradually, a politician on the national level. That's pretty impressive. He was also one of the only Southern politicians to stay loyal to the Union (hence the title of this book). I think he saw a lot of things as black and white, which may also be why he had such a hard time compromising later when he needed to, and to him, secession was un-Constitutional and those states shouldn't secede! He took a lot of flak for staying loyal to the Union, but he did it anyway because he thought -- no, he KNEW -- that it was the right thing to do.
But he also had some pretty serious weaknesses. He bungled the job of Reconstruction, and spent all of his time fighting with Congress. His whole time in office was like a giant veto war. Veto this, veto that. I do not think Andrew Johnson knew how to be humble or how to compromise. He had some powerful enemies, too: Thaddeus Stevens, Ulysses Grant, Edwin Stanton, and basically his whole party by the end of his term.
Still, I got the impression that he was a man who knew exactly who he was and figured others could take him or leave him, he was still going to do the best job he could. He was sure that the Tenure of Office Act was un-Constitutional, so he was just not going to obey it, no matter what the consequences. Yeah, it got him impeached in the House (and he was saved by one vote in the Senate), but he stood by his principles, damnit. (And the Supreme Court decided he was right many years later -- too late for him to be vindicated in life, though.)
The book itself was just okay. It was shallow and a little dull, but it never claims to be anything other than an overview. The worst thing about it was that I found errors, just a few, but enough that I got mad. I do NOT like finding errors in e-books! I was so mad that I almost rated it two stars, but I decided, no, it was okay. I know more about Andrew Johnson than I did before, and it wasn't terribly painful getting through it, so I will leave it at three stars and call it a not-that-exciting book about a not-that-exciting guy.
June 30, 2024
Not all I hoped for but still an entertaining read
I was hoping for a more complete biography. Very little attention is paid to Johnson's personal life such as relationships with his wife and children. Virtually no mention of other issues and events during his presidency besides Reconstruction. The overuse of commas and italics and misspellings throughout becomes annoying. I'm not sure what is accomplished by capitalizing the N-word in a direct quote from nearly 150 years ago. At times it felt like Johnson was being judged by the author by present-day standards. References the "GOP" regarding the 1868 election when that term had yet to be coined.
All that said, this is still an informative and entertaining read. Great for learning of Johnson's early life and upbringing, details of which I had never known. Would recommend.
I was hoping for a more complete biography. Very little attention is paid to Johnson's personal life such as relationships with his wife and children. Virtually no mention of other issues and events during his presidency besides Reconstruction. The overuse of commas and italics and misspellings throughout becomes annoying. I'm not sure what is accomplished by capitalizing the N-word in a direct quote from nearly 150 years ago. At times it felt like Johnson was being judged by the author by present-day standards. References the "GOP" regarding the 1868 election when that term had yet to be coined.
All that said, this is still an informative and entertaining read. Great for learning of Johnson's early life and upbringing, details of which I had never known. Would recommend.
January 17, 2021
Easy to read and balanced
Author presented the largely unpopular President discussing both his positive contributions and negative personality difficulties. The fact that he was the only president to be impeached before the 20th century is relevant to current events. The law he broke was declared unconstitutional many years later.
Author presented the largely unpopular President discussing both his positive contributions and negative personality difficulties. The fact that he was the only president to be impeached before the 20th century is relevant to current events. The law he broke was declared unconstitutional many years later.
September 9, 2019
Short and well-written bio of Andrew Johnson
I though this was a well-written bio of the life of Andrew Johnson. I enjoyed the read because it was short and very concise and to-the-point.
I though this was a well-written bio of the life of Andrew Johnson. I enjoyed the read because it was short and very concise and to-the-point.
September 8, 2022
A remarkable self-educated man!
Strong constitutional supporter and instituted reconstruction. Unfortunately irritated got everybody mad at him. In the end didn't please anybody. But headstrong intestinal fortitude and tenacity.
Strong constitutional supporter and instituted reconstruction. Unfortunately irritated got everybody mad at him. In the end didn't please anybody. But headstrong intestinal fortitude and tenacity.
December 20, 2022
Great Read!
This is a short, but well researched, and well written narrative of Andrew Johnson’s life. I learned many details that I did not know, and saw historical connections that I had not seen. Recommended!
This is a short, but well researched, and well written narrative of Andrew Johnson’s life. I learned many details that I did not know, and saw historical connections that I had not seen. Recommended!
June 18, 2020
The information is interesting and it is a quick read, but it is written in kind of a dry format.
May 5, 2022
well done
A good read on a controversial President. I thought the author pulled together the outcomes that occurred after Johnson. Enjoyable
A good read on a controversial President. I thought the author pulled together the outcomes that occurred after Johnson. Enjoyable
February 4, 2017
Two things made Andrew Johnson a great American. (1) As one who served and represented a Confederate state--Tennessee--he was staunchly loyal to the Union before, during, and after the Civil War; and (2) As the President with the unenviable task of succeeding Lincoln, he stood up to the Radical Republicans, who were bent on punishing and subjugating citizens of the rebel states without mercy or compassion, or even a pragmatic eye to reconciling America after the war.
Beyond that, it is difficult to find much to praise. Johnson supported emancipation, but did not believe that Black people were, or could be, in any way equal to Whites, and did not favor anointing them with the full status of citizenship. Johnson often seemed to lack common sense, diplomatic skills, or the ability to carry out his difficult duties as the leader of postwar America. He was his own worst enemy, turning more and more people against him as he stubbornly tried to have his way in the face of discord. In fact, while I did not start reading this book on account of the new presidency, there is much that is Trump-like in Johnson's behavior.
Johnson eventually faced impeachment--which is about the only thing most contemporary Americans know about him. He was tried by the Senate during his last year in office, but prevailed because the Senate came one vote short of the two-thirds needed for conviction. The charges against him were essentially politically motivated. There was little evidence of "high crimes and misdemeanors." People just didn't like him, and the Radical Republicans wanted him out of the way so they could intensify their harrowing of the South. Probably a few Senators were bought off by money and promises of patronage, and thus did not vote to convict. Quite a few despised the person who would have succeeded him in the absence of a vice president: the president pro tempore of the Senate, Benjamin Wade; or else they too would have voted to convict. Thus, the impeachment vote was politically motivated in the first place, and the vote not to convict was equally political, for other reasons.
I picked this book to read because I was casting about for a good book about Johnson and Reconstruction. I am still looking for one. Frankly, Smith's biography is the most readable and focused study that I could find, though it falls far short of being satisfactory. Smith is an amateur historian and an amateur writer, which shows in his prose style, grammar, spelling and punctuation. One would think a competent editor could have taken care of his saddest errors. Nevertheless he does not waste time, and tells the story in a way that the reader comes out knowing the basics.
Beyond that, it is difficult to find much to praise. Johnson supported emancipation, but did not believe that Black people were, or could be, in any way equal to Whites, and did not favor anointing them with the full status of citizenship. Johnson often seemed to lack common sense, diplomatic skills, or the ability to carry out his difficult duties as the leader of postwar America. He was his own worst enemy, turning more and more people against him as he stubbornly tried to have his way in the face of discord. In fact, while I did not start reading this book on account of the new presidency, there is much that is Trump-like in Johnson's behavior.
Johnson eventually faced impeachment--which is about the only thing most contemporary Americans know about him. He was tried by the Senate during his last year in office, but prevailed because the Senate came one vote short of the two-thirds needed for conviction. The charges against him were essentially politically motivated. There was little evidence of "high crimes and misdemeanors." People just didn't like him, and the Radical Republicans wanted him out of the way so they could intensify their harrowing of the South. Probably a few Senators were bought off by money and promises of patronage, and thus did not vote to convict. Quite a few despised the person who would have succeeded him in the absence of a vice president: the president pro tempore of the Senate, Benjamin Wade; or else they too would have voted to convict. Thus, the impeachment vote was politically motivated in the first place, and the vote not to convict was equally political, for other reasons.
I picked this book to read because I was casting about for a good book about Johnson and Reconstruction. I am still looking for one. Frankly, Smith's biography is the most readable and focused study that I could find, though it falls far short of being satisfactory. Smith is an amateur historian and an amateur writer, which shows in his prose style, grammar, spelling and punctuation. One would think a competent editor could have taken care of his saddest errors. Nevertheless he does not waste time, and tells the story in a way that the reader comes out knowing the basics.
May 3, 2017
This was a quick, interesting, but overall plain story of President Andrew Johnson. It doesn't make grand promises of groundbreaking research, but if you're looking to learn about Andrew Johnson without sinking a lot of time, this book is a safe bet.
The premise is that Johnson was picked as part of a unity effort. He was a southern democrat who remained loyal to the union, hence the title The Loyalist.
One would think the title implies an effort by the author to rehabilitate Johnson's legacy. Hardly so--Smith shows what admirable traits he can, without holding back judgment for Johnson's overt racism, lousy judgment, and awful relationship with Congress. (Although the consensus is that the impeachment was purely political, and initiated pursuant to a law that was ruled unconstitutional fifty years later.)
Stylistically the book is fact-oriented, light on scene-setting and emotion. Part of this is because Johnson couldn't read or write well, so he didn't keep journals or write personal letters. But part of it seems also to be in the interest of brevity.
The author curiously does not cite sources. While he states in the introduction that he will provide them with an email request, it seems odd for a biography of a President. Not that many of the facts are questionable--most of them are easily corroborated in other biographies or Wikipedia.
Overall a decent shortcut read. Not for the academic, but suitable for the casual reader interested in President Johnson.
The premise is that Johnson was picked as part of a unity effort. He was a southern democrat who remained loyal to the union, hence the title The Loyalist.
One would think the title implies an effort by the author to rehabilitate Johnson's legacy. Hardly so--Smith shows what admirable traits he can, without holding back judgment for Johnson's overt racism, lousy judgment, and awful relationship with Congress. (Although the consensus is that the impeachment was purely political, and initiated pursuant to a law that was ruled unconstitutional fifty years later.)
Stylistically the book is fact-oriented, light on scene-setting and emotion. Part of this is because Johnson couldn't read or write well, so he didn't keep journals or write personal letters. But part of it seems also to be in the interest of brevity.
The author curiously does not cite sources. While he states in the introduction that he will provide them with an email request, it seems odd for a biography of a President. Not that many of the facts are questionable--most of them are easily corroborated in other biographies or Wikipedia.
Overall a decent shortcut read. Not for the academic, but suitable for the casual reader interested in President Johnson.
November 18, 2012
I have read several books about Andrew Johnson and this by far is the best! Johnson was an odd character/President and history hasn't been to kind to his legacy. He was our first impeached President, the second being Clinton. When I went to school (70's) impeachment meant something really bad and I remember all the talk about Nixon might get impeached. After doing a bit of research on my own I realized the reason Johnson was impeached was a bit silly. I won't spoil the why, it isn't to hard to find out or read this book for the details. Most historians lately seem to impose our current morals and values on many of the Presidents in our past. The Loyalist tells the history as it happened with little or no moralization. If you are a fan of history and especially history around the civil war this is an excellent read, not only about the man who had to take over from Lincoln after his assassination, but tried to carry on Lincoln's will of bringing the union back together in a peaceful and non-punishing manner. Bottom line Johnson wasn't our worse President.
July 12, 2015
As a self-published presidential biography, this book is in line with what I expected. The content is solid, factual (to the best of my knowledge) and balanced. Andrew Johnson is a complicated character in American history, and this book served my purpose of getting to know him better.
However, the book is in need of a good editor. There are a few facts and stories thrown in that don't add to the narrative. (I literally spent 5 minutes re-reading one paragraph about a hotel fire trying to figure out what significant fact I was missing that made it worth sharing.) There are small grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that are distracting, and misspelling Barack Obama in the epilogue seems like a pretty unforgivable error in a book written about the American Presidency.
If you are specifically interested in Andrew Johnson and you are planning to read more than one biography, you might put this in the second or third position.
However, the book is in need of a good editor. There are a few facts and stories thrown in that don't add to the narrative. (I literally spent 5 minutes re-reading one paragraph about a hotel fire trying to figure out what significant fact I was missing that made it worth sharing.) There are small grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that are distracting, and misspelling Barack Obama in the epilogue seems like a pretty unforgivable error in a book written about the American Presidency.
If you are specifically interested in Andrew Johnson and you are planning to read more than one biography, you might put this in the second or third position.
January 16, 2020
While admittedly a racial bigot, Andrew Johnson was a man true to his belief that states' rights were a vital part of the federal construction of the United States, but secession had no place in those rights. This made him unpopular with southern states. His dislike of Radical Republicans and Congressional Reconstruction made him unpopular with northern states.
Jeffrey K. Smith writes this man's life in a comfortable 170 pages of thoroughly researched material. While there are no footnotes, there is a substantial bibliography.
I learned a great deal about our 17th President, thanks to Mr. Smith. I supplemented my reading with the addition of Colonel W.H. Crook's "Through Five Administrations" which gives a White House doorman/bodyguard's account of Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield as residents of the mansion and their work habits there.
Jeffrey K. Smith writes this man's life in a comfortable 170 pages of thoroughly researched material. While there are no footnotes, there is a substantial bibliography.
I learned a great deal about our 17th President, thanks to Mr. Smith. I supplemented my reading with the addition of Colonel W.H. Crook's "Through Five Administrations" which gives a White House doorman/bodyguard's account of Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield as residents of the mansion and their work habits there.
September 2, 2016
Good introduction to a peculiar president
I view this portrayal of this infamous man as a sympathetic one. Though it is not the most academic, the author does well in telling his side if the story, as he stated in his introduction. President Johnson's determination towards constitutional principles and presidential reconstruction were made clear, and the reader will most certainly be encouraged to read more about this misunderstood leader.
I view this portrayal of this infamous man as a sympathetic one. Though it is not the most academic, the author does well in telling his side if the story, as he stated in his introduction. President Johnson's determination towards constitutional principles and presidential reconstruction were made clear, and the reader will most certainly be encouraged to read more about this misunderstood leader.
March 23, 2015
This book was okay. It told about the major events and decisions in President Johnson's life, but it didn't discuss the "whys" of those decisions which are interesting to understand the full person. Some of this may be because Johnson was a private person, but there was limited insight into understanding his reasons and logic.
September 21, 2017
A decent short biography of Andrew Johnson. Even though he was not a very good president, the who impeachment thing should never have happened. Lincoln's biggest mistake was probably replacing Hannibal Hamlin with Johnson. It was under his administration that the U.S. acquired Alaska, so it was not all bad.
August 25, 2019
I really knew nothing about Andrew Johnson before reading this biography. I knew he followed Lincoln and I guess I thought anyone who served as Vice President to Lincoln was probably a pretty good guy. I was wrong.
March 23, 2016
Captivating look at Andrew Johnson, his views and life.
January 31, 2018
man, this guy wanted to punish the south so badly, he made a mess of everything.
reconstruction lost about 4 years due to him.
reconstruction lost about 4 years due to him.
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