Basic Facts:
Birth: March 15, 1767 at the Waxhaws in the Piedmont region of South Carolina
Death: June 8, 1845 at Nashville, Tennessee
Married: August 1791 and January 17, 1794 to Rachel Donelson Robards (1767-1828)
Children: None – Adopted Rachel’s nephew, Andrew Jackson, Jr. in 1809; adopted a Creek orphan boy, Lyncoya in 1813; adopted Andrew Jackson Hutchings in 1817, he was a grandson of Rachel’s sister;
President: Two terms beginning March 4, 1829 and March 4, 1833
Quote: “After eight years as President I have only two regrets: that I have not shot Henry Clay or hanged John C. Calhoun.”
Family
Rachel Donelson had previously been married to Captain Lewis Robards of Harrodsburg, Kentucky. It is believed that Lewis Robards was cruel and jealous and the couple separated in 1790. Believing that Robards filed for divorce, Rachel returned to her family home.
Andrew Jackson married Rachel Donelson Robards in August 1791.
In 1793, Andrew and Rachel Jackson learned that although Lewis Robards had filed for divorce, the divorce had never been granted. This made Rachel a bigamist and an adulterer. On the grounds of Rachel’s abandonment and adultery, Lewis Robards was granted a divorce in 1794.
At about the same time, the legitimacy of the Jackson marriage was questioned because they were married in then-Spanish-controlled Natchez, Mississippi. The Jacksons were Protestants, and only Catholic marriages were recognized as legal unions in that territory. After the divorce was finally legalized in 1794, Andrew and Rachel wed again in a quiet ceremony at the Donelson home on January 17, 1794.
Andrew Jackson had no children but adopted several during his lifetime. He adopted Rachel’s nephew, Andrew Jackson, Jr. in 1809; adopted a Creek orphan boy, Lyncoya in 1813; and adopted Andrew Jackson Hutchings in 1817, a grandson of Rachel’s sister.
Other
Jackson was the only president who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Jackson was the only president to have been a prisoner of war. He was thirteen when he joined the South Carolina militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. After his capture, he was ordered to clean the boots of a British officer. Jackson refused. The officer then drew his sword and slashed Jackson across the forehead, leaving a scar.
Jackson was the first president born in a log cabin.
Jackson was involved in many duels. A duel on May 30, 1806 against Charles Dickinson was over some unflattering remarks made about Jackson’s wife. In this duel Jackson was wounded. After he was hit, he took aim and fired at Dickinson. Jackson’s gun misfired. As Dickinson was forced to stand his ground, Jackson took aim once again and killed Dickinson. The bullet that wounded Jackson was lodged near his heart and could not be safely removed. He carried that bullet in his chest for the rest of his days.
Jackson was the first president to ride on a railroad train.
Jackson’s horse, Sam Patches, accompanied him to the White House. Sam Patch was named after a famous daredevil known as “The Yankee Leaper” He also had a grey parrot named Polly or Poll who had to be removed from Jackson’s funeral due to loud and persistent profanity.
Editor William Cullen Bryant said of Jackson:
Faults he had, undoubtedly; such faults as often belong to an ardent, generous, sincere nature – the weeds that grow in rich soil. Notwithstanding, he was precisely the man for the period, in which he well and nobly discharged the duties demanded of him.
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Sources:
Internet Public Library
Presidential Pets
Greenman, Barbara. The Timeline History of U. S. Presidents and First Ladie . Thunder Bay Press, San Diego, California, 2009.
Whitney, David C. The American Presidents. Doubleday, Garden City, 1969.