03-06-2025 - On This Day in Insane History

On March 6, 1868, in a moment that would make even the most stoic bureaucrat chuckle, Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States to be impeached. The House of Representatives, fed up with Johnson's obstruction of Reconstruction efforts and violation of the Tenure of Office Act, voted 126 to 47 to impeach the cantankerous commander-in-chief.

Johnson, who had assumed the presidency after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, found himself at odds with the Radical Republicans who sought to ensure civil rights for newly freed African Americans. His combative approach to Reconstruction and attempts to undermine congressional policies had pushed lawmakers to their breaking point.

The impeachment proceedings were a political drama worthy of a Shakespearean play. Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office, surviving a Senate trial by just one vote in May of that year. The lone vote came from Senator Edmund G. Ross of Kansas, who essentially sacrificed his political career to prevent Johnson's removal.

This constitutional showdown represented a pivotal moment in American political history, highlighting the delicate balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. It was a rare instance of Congress flexing its muscle against a president who had persistently challenged its authority, creating a precedent that would echo through future presidential conflicts.