[JOHNSON, Andrew (1808-1875)]. Autograph letter, Washington...

[JOHNSON, Andrew (1808-1875)]. Autograph letter, Washington City D.C., 23 April 1868. 6pp., 8vo (248 x 203 mm), on lined paper, U.S. Congress embossed letterhead, brass fastener, old folds. A LENGTHY LETTER ON THE IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. President Andrew Johnson was impeached by the United States House of Representatives in 1868. The primary reason for his impeachment was his violation of the Tenure of Office Act which was passed by Congress to restrict the president’s power to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval. Johnson dismissed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, without seeking Senate approval, which led to his impeachment. The House of Representatives charged him with eleven articles of impeachment, most of which were related to the violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The impeachment trial, which took place in the Senate, lasted from March to May 1868, and Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office. He was acquitted by just one vote, preventing the necessary two-thirds majority for conviction. As a result, Johnson remained in office and served out the rest of his term, which ended the next year. It’s worth noting that while Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives, he was not convicted by the Senate and therefore was not removed from the presidency.