HOUSE PASSES 11 ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST JOHNSON
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50)On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives passed 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. John Covode* (R-PA) presented the resolution for impeachment which passed by a vote of 126 to 47.
The resolution called for appointment of a committee to 'report articles of impeachment,' which..."ignored the constitutional impeachment procedure..." requiring a preliminary investigation to be followed by..."the drawing up of formal charges (if warranted)."
Nine of the charges related to the President's violation of the Tenure of Office Act by his removal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton who opposed Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policies.
Andrew Johnson, the first POTUS to be impeached, suspended the War Secretary in August 1867 at a time when the Congress was recessed. The Senate restored Stanton after the Christmas break but the President then removed Stanton "outright." The impeachment trial, held in the U.S. Senate March 13-26, 1868, ended in Johnson's acquittal.**
SOURCE
"The Nation Reunited: War's Aftermath, The Civil War Series, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987.
Honorable John Covode
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50)On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives passed 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. John Covode* (R-PA) presented the resolution for impeachment which passed by a vote of 126 to 47.
The resolution called for appointment of a committee to 'report articles of impeachment,' which..."ignored the constitutional impeachment procedure..." requiring a preliminary investigation to be followed by..."the drawing up of formal charges (if warranted)."
Nine of the charges related to the President's violation of the Tenure of Office Act by his removal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton who opposed Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policies.
Andrew Johnson, the first POTUS to be impeached, suspended the War Secretary in August 1867 at a time when the Congress was recessed. The Senate restored Stanton after the Christmas break but the President then removed Stanton "outright." The impeachment trial, held in the U.S. Senate March 13-26, 1868, ended in Johnson's acquittal.**
*John Covode (1808-1871) was born in West Fairfield, PA. He was the first president of Westmoreland Coal Company and served in the US Congress from 1855 to 1863 and 1867 to 1869. He strongly supported the Freedman's Bureau, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and Congressional Reconstruction.
**Andrew Johnson & Bill Clinton are the only POTUS to have been impeached. Neither was found guilty or removed from office. The Constitution requires a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate for removal. Richard Nixon resigned before a Senate trial could be held.
**Andrew Johnson & Bill Clinton are the only POTUS to have been impeached. Neither was found guilty or removed from office. The Constitution requires a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate for removal. Richard Nixon resigned before a Senate trial could be held.
SOURCE
"The Nation Reunited: War's Aftermath, The Civil War Series, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987.
Honorable John Covode
Member of Congress (R-PA)
Photo by Matthew Brady &
Levin Corbin Handy
Library of Congress Image
