Primary sourceDocument5 August 1867

Signed Check of Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson · 5 August 1867

A bank check from 1867 signed by Andrew Johnson while he was serving as president.

Johnson personally signed this check while serving as president, showing a private, everyday side of his life in office.

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Scan of an 1867 check from The First National Bank of Washington, dated Aug 5, No. 152, payable to Wm Slade for five hundred forty-one dollars 73/100, signed Andrew Johnson. A green engraved bank building vignette is on the left, with an orange two-dollar revenue stamp at upper right. — Check signed by Andrew Johnson, 5 August 1867. National Museum of American History.

About this source

What it is

This is a scanned check from The First National Bank of Washington, dated August 5, 1867, made payable to Wm Slade for five hundred forty-one dollars and seventy-three cents, and signed by Andrew Johnson. It carries a printed bank vignette and a revenue stamp. The check is held by the National Museum of American History.

Why it matters

This ordinary financial document offers a glimpse into Johnson's private life during his presidency, showing that even heads of state conduct everyday business like paying people they employ or owe money to.

Look closer

What does this check suggest about Johnson's personal finances and household while president?
Why might a museum choose to preserve something as ordinary as a check?
What questions does this object leave unanswered about who Wm Slade was and why he was paid?

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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