Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
Though a southerner, Andrew Johnson remained refused to join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln rewarded his loyalty by naming Johnson the military governor of Tennessee. As wartime gesture of unity Lincoln then named Johnson, Democrat, as his Vice President running mate in the 1864 election. After Lincoln was assassinated in the spring of 1865 Johnson was thrust into the presidency. His tenure as the seventeenth President of the United States was trying and difficult to say the least. Having to step into the shoes of one of the nation's greatest leaders was a daunting task made more difficult by his constant feuding with legislators and vetoing bills sent to him by congress. When he opposed the 14th Amendment granting African-Americans the right to vote and then tried to fire Secretary of War Edward Stanton, the House of Representatives voted to begin impeachment proceedings against Johnson. In the first ever presidential impeachment, Johnson narrowly avoided conviction by the Senate and served out the rest of his term. Bitter, Johnson returned to Tennessee only to rebound by being the first ex-president to be elected to the U.S. Senate. His political comeback was short-lived as Johnson died shortly after taking his seat in Congress. Johnson's unpopularity and early death at age 66 makes his signature one of the more sought after of all the Presidents. This piece is all the more special as it is not just the 17th Presidents signature but a signed cabinet card. The crisp, nicely contrasting sepia colored image is of a resolute-looking Johnson seated in a heavy wood chair. The cabinet card measures 4 1/4" x 6 1/4" and the surface image has been carefully removed from its rear layer of card. There are a few nicks in the edge of the image though none are close to the signature nor affects the superior display quality of this image. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA.