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Eliza Johnson Facts & Worksheets

Eliza McCardle Johnson served as America’s First Lady from 1865 to 1869.

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Eliza McCardle Johnson served as America’s First Lady from 1865 to 1869. She was married to the country’s seventeenth president, Andrew Johnson, one of the most criticized American presidents because of his lack of formal education.

See the fact file below for more information on the Eliza Johnson or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Eliza Johnson worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY YEARS

  • Eliza, born on October 4, 1810 in Greeneville, Tennessee, US, was the only child of Sarah Phillips, an innkeeper, and John McCardle, a shoemaker. Her parents earned just enough for the three of them to survive everyday life.
  • Eliza was primarily educated at home and was later enrolled in Rhea Academy.
  • One day in 1826, 17-year-old Eliza saw an 18-year-old man driving his blind pony who she greeted with “there goes my beau!” That was Eliza and Andrew Johnson’s first meeting.
  • She formally became Eliza McCardle Johnson after marrying Andrew Johnson on May 17, 1827.
  • Eliza and Andrew had three sons and two daughters who were all born in Greenville.
  • Her husband did not have much formal education, so she encouraged him to pursue it to enhance his speaking skills while the both of them worked in their tailoring shop.
  • Being a wise housewife, Eliza saved money from their earnings to make her husband’s political ambition possible.
  • Eventually, Mr. Johnson was able to start entering politics. He served in the US House of Representatives for 10 years starting from 1843.
  • While her husband served in the United States House of Representatives, she and their children remained in Tennessee.

LIFE WITH A POLITICIAN HUSBAND

  • The rise to popularity of Andrew Johnson did not always include Eliza, who stayed supporting their five children.
  • Once when Andrew served as a border state senator during the Civil War, confederate authorities ordered Eliza to evacuate her home in Greeneville.
  • She and the kids wandered around for a month until Johnson eventually reunited with them. The ordeal destroyed her health.
  • In April 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the President of that era, was assassinated. Her husband, as Lincoln’s Vice President, was appointed to replace him.
  • By the time her husband replaced former President Lincoln, Eliza Johnson was suffering from tuberculosis.
  • Eliza lived in constant terror that Lincoln’s assassination would also destroy her husband, who was known by many to be a drunkard, and by others to be a fellow conspirator.

THE FIRST LADY

  • Eliza Johnson took up residence on the second floor of the White House, surrounded by her big family with five children.
  • During the term, she participated at only two public functions: a dinner for Hawaii’s Queen Emma (then called the Sandwich Islands), and one for children to celebrate the 60th birthday of her husband.
  • Her daughters Martha Johnson Patterson and Mary Johnson Stover handled most social roles.
  • Still feeling bad about her modest origins, Eliza excused herself by saying that they were ordinary citizens from the Tennessee mountains, brought to the city by a national calamity, and that they believed people wouldn’t expect too much from them.
  • When the revolutionary restoration policies of Johnson in the South and the resulting firing of War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton led to impeachment, Eliza maintained that the practice of the White House must proceed as normal.
  • Eliza kept up from her rooms upstairs with frequent trial proceedings and remained hopeful throughout the entire ordeal. She screamed, “I knew it”, as her husband won acquittal by one vote only.

DEATH

  • Eliza Johnson’s long-term sickness was the cause of her death.
  • She had complications dealing with tuberculosis with her weak body.
  • The former First Lady died on January 15, 1876.

Eliza Johnson Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Eliza Johnson across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Eliza Johnson worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Eliza McCardle Johnson who served as America’s First Lady from 1865 to 1869. She was married to the country’s seventeenth president, Andrew Johnson, one of the most criticized American presidents because of his lack of formal education.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Eliza Johnson Facts
  • Vocabulary
  • Crossword
  • Think About It
  • The Who?
  • Important Dates
  • What You Think
  • The First Ladies
  • Firsts of the Ladies
  • The White House
  • All About Me

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