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Signature of Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

A handwritten autograph signature of Andrew Johnson, who did not learn to write until he was a young adult.

This is Johnson's own handwritten signature, a direct physical trace of the man himself.

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Handwritten cursive signature in dark ink reading Andrew Johnson, with a long underline flourish beneath the name on a light background.
Andrew Johnson, signature.

About this source

What it is

This image shows the handwritten signature of Andrew Johnson, written in cursive with a long flourish beneath the name.

Why it matters

Johnson came from a poor background and only learned to write as a young man, so his signature is a reminder of his unusual path from tailor's apprentice to president. Signatures like this appear on official documents, letters, and legal papers he signed throughout his career.

Look closer

  • What does the style of handwriting tell you about how people were taught to write in the 1800s?
  • Why might a signature be considered a valuable historical object on its own?
  • What can't a signature tell you about the person who wrote it?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Andrew Johnson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten page 13 of the Articles of Impeachment against President Andrew Johnson, in cursive ink on lined paper. The text describes Johnson's speeches in Washington, D.C., in August 1866, including speeches made to crowds and his statements about Congress and the Union.Document

Primary source

Articles of Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

United States House of Representatives · March 1868

Handwritten manuscript page of the Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution, with the heading 'Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States' and the text of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, including 'Article XIV.' Ruled border lines frame the text.Document

Primary source

14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights

United States Congress · 1868

Photo of a pink printed admission ticket from the U.S. Senate. Text reads 'Impeachment of the President, Admit the Bearer, Gallery, April 6th 1868, Geo. A. Brown, Sergeant at Arms.' A stub on the left reads 'To be taken up at Main Entrance, U.S. Senate, No. 176.'Document

Primary source

Admission Ticket to the Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson

United States Senate · 6 April 1868

Black and white head and shoulders studio portrait of a man with receding gray hair, dark suit jacket, white shirt, and bow tie, looking toward the viewer with a stern expression.Photograph

Primary source

Photograph of President Andrew Johnson

Mathew Benjamin Brady · c. 1870-1880

Engraving from Harper's Weekly titled Amphitheatrum Johnsonianum, Massacre of the Innocents at New Orleans. Left: a crowd of men in a gallery, with Andrew Johnson in a toga-like robe leaning near a pedestal marked REGO. Center: a bearded man leans on a ledge above a plumed helmeted figure. Right: an amphitheater filled with spectators watches a violent melee of soldiers and civilians below.Painting

Primary source

Amphitheatrum Johnsonianum – Massacre of the Innocents at New Orleans

Thomas Nast · 30 March 1867

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