Eliza McCardle Johnson

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

INTRO MUSIC

Hey everyone, welcome back. This marks episode 250. Where does the time go? For those of you who have stuck with me since the very beginning - and everyone who has signed on along the way - thank you. I am humbled and honored to be part of your podcast rotation. 

When we last met for the narrative, I wrapped up my coverage of 17th President Andrew Johnson. While Johnson remains infamous for his approach to Reconstruction his wife, Eliza McCardle Johnson, is little more than a footnote to Johnson’s story. 

Born to modest beginnings, Eliza McCardle Johnson did not seek to be a political wife. Her ambitions were tied firmly to ensuring her husband was successful, whatever success meant to him. Perpetually weak due to bouts of tuberculosis, First Lady Eliza Johnson delegated most of public facing duties to her daughter. But what do we know about the quiet, reserved First Lady? 

This week I am diving into the life of Eliza McCardle Johnson. Who was she? How did she meet the future President? And how did she spend her time in the White House? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

It is much to my dismay that Eliza McCardle Johnson is one of the many first ladies without a lot of dedicated scholarship. Unlike her predecessors Martha Washington or Sarah Polk, I was unable to find an extensive biography dedicated to her. A woman who spent much of her life caring for her children and running the family business, I imagine this lack of scholarship on the former first lady likely stems from the lack of primary source material available. Given her husband’s discomfort with the written word, there was likely a dearth in letters exchanged between the couple - who spent more time apart than together - and McCardle Johnson herself does not appear to have been an overly social woman in her time. Thus, I’ve put together the best review of her life I could based on the minor entries present in various First Lady biographies. 

Eliza McCardle entered gh world on October 4th, 1810 in Tennessee. Although there is some speculation as to exactly where she was born, most historians agree that her birthplace was Greeneville - which matches the entry in her family bible. She was the only child to her parents John McCardle and Sara Philips. Father John worked as both a shoemaker and an innkeeper, while her mother earned a living through weaving. Eliza lost her father at a young age, leaving her mother a widow responsible for figuring out the best way to provide for herself and her daughter. To make ends meet, Sarah made quilts - an endeavor Eliza helped with - before eventually remarrying to Moses Whitesides, a silversmith or watchmaker from Asheville, North Carolina. 

Much of Eliza’s youth remains in the shadows. She briefly attended the Rhea Academy, but was mostly self-taught through the help of her mom and friends’ private libraries. Described as having curly brown hair and blue eyes, Eliza met Andrew Johnson after his relocation to Greeneville in 1826. The two were married just a year later on May 17, 1827. Eliza was 16, her groom 18. The young couple welcomed their first child, Martha, on October 5th, 1828. She was not an only child for long as Eliza gave birth to their first son Charles on February 19, 1830, followed by Mary on May 8th, 1832, Robert on February 22nd, 1834 and finally Andrew Jr, who was known as Frank on August 8th, 1852. 

When not rearing children, Eliza spent her time helping her husband in his business ventures and suggested her husband hone his speaking skills through joining a local debate society. Johnson also aided in improving upon her husband’s rudimentary education, although she would later modestly claim quote, “I taught him to form letters, but he was an apt scholar and acquired all the rest of it himself,” end quote. While Johnson was not overly ambitious for herself, she was very supportive of her husband and through whatever talent and energy she had into making sure he was successful. 

She helped run the tailoring business, managing their accounts while also overseeing the household. Johnson also advised her husband by suggesting investments that enabled the family to increase their holdings. The assistance provided by Eliza likely helped increase the overall success of the shop, leading to its eventual expansion and the hiring of several assistants. As the business prospered, the Johnsons were able to purchase a farm and purchase 8 or 9 human beings they enslaved. More so than the purchase of land, the fact that the Johnsons, who both came from humble beginnings, could afford to own slaves, was a signal that they were finally a part of the upper class of Tennessee. 

Although they had several children in close succession, the Johnsons did not spend much time together as Andrew launched his political career. While her husband traveled the area building his support for his future ambitions, Johnson stayed home to watch over the tailoring business, manage the household, and care for their expanding family, assuming the role of their first educator. At some point, Johnson contracted tuberculosis which stayed with her for the remainder of her life. So as her husband won seats at the state legislature and the House of Representatives, Johnson remained at home. She even initially stayed behind after her husband won his senate seat in 1857, moving to Washington, DC in 1860 before the couple returned to Greeneville in 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War. 

SOUND EFFECT

If you're passionate about civics, history, and shaping the future of our democracy, I’ve got an event you won’t want to miss: The 36th Annual National Service-Learning Conference®, happening March 26th through 28th, 2025, in Saint Paul, Minnesota!

Hosted by the National Youth Leadership Council, this conference is the premier gathering for educators, students, and community leaders who believe in empowering young people to lead by engaging them early in civic processes.

With over 100 workshops, keynotes, and learning opportunities with some of the most inspiring changemakers in education and youth leadership, you won’t want to miss out on this experience! Whether you’re teaching civic engagement in the classroom, running a community program, or simply looking for new ways to connect history with action, this conference has something for you.

Online registration is open through March 14, 2025. Explore the energizing agenda, meet the expert speakers, and see what’s in store for you at www.nylc.org/slc. That's wwww.nylc.org/slc.

SOUND EFFECT

After Andrew was appointed the military Governor of Tennessee, the Johnson home was taken over by the Confederate army and his land holdings were appropriated. In April 1862, a Confederate General tried to force Eliza’s removal from the family home, giving her just 36 hours to vacate, but she refused, citing her illness and her need to recover as the reason behind her unwillingness to comply. By September, Johnson felt well enough to travel while her husband stayed behind living among the men who labeled him a traitor. Moving through enemy territory was no easy feat, and Johnson did not travel to Nashville alone; she made the journey with her two sons Charles and Frank, arriving on October 12th. Even traveling with her sons, the trip was arduous and uncomfortable. As described by Johnson biographers Dorothy and Carl Schneider, quote: “regarded as enemy aliens, they had trouble finding shelter, and at least once were forced to camp alongside some railroad tracks, suffering from the cold,” end quote.  

According to the Tennessee State Museum, Johnson and her entourage were stopped along their journey by none other than Nathan Bedford Forest while he was serving in the Confederate army. Forrest was a slave trader and is likely best known as the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Forrest initially barred Johnson from crossing his lines, ordering her to board a train leaving the area instead. It was only after an intervention by Governor Isham Harris that she was allowed through. 

Johnson left Nashville with her daughter Mary and headed north toward Illinois, hoping to cure her ailments via the supposed healing waters located in the town of Veray. While on her journey, Johnson stopped in Cincinnati to check on her son Robert who had gotten into a bit of trouble with his military unit over his drinking. She was back in Nashville by May 1863, the same year she lost her son Charles after he was thrown from a horse. Tragedy struck again when Johnson’s son-in-law died from tuberculosis in 1864. In August of the same year, Johnson went north again, this time to Massachusetts. She returned to Nashville in March of 1865, missing her husband’s inauguration to the Vice Presidency in Washington, DC. In fact, the future First Lady did not make the trip to the nation’s capitol until after Lincoln’s assassination in April. 

Eliza Johnson was not someone who was looking forward to becoming First Lady. According to one biographical note, the idea of being first lady quote unquote repelled her and she acted accordingly, largely rejecting the duties that were expected of First Ladies in this period. Instead, Johnson decided she would not let her new circumstance change her or the family dynamic, and decided that she would quote “live in the White House exactly as she would have lived anywhere else,” end quote. While others may have been intimidated by the history and significance of moving into the White Johnson, Johnson was not impressed, later saying quote: “it’s all very well for those who like it - but I do not like this public life at all. I often wish the time would come when we could return to where I feel we best belong,” end quote. 

The entire Johnson family moved into the executive mansion, including her children, grandchildren, and their spouses. Johnson left the hostessing duties primarily to her daughter Martha, leaving her free to remain primarily in the upstairs private residence, away from the public. She did not participate in many public activities as first lady, but would host guests in the drawing room after state dinners. Johnson, citing her bouts with tuberculosis, remained sitting during these receptions due to her weakened condition. 

Daughter Martha was effective in her role as hostess. She was described as someone who was very charming, and perhaps a bit disarming, frequently telling guests that her family were plain folks from Tennessee and as such, DC society was likely not expecting too much pomp and frills. Martha, with the occasional assist from sister Mary, made sure that correspondence was returned and oversaw the household staff, while also working the room with her father as hostess. Although Johnson did not take an overly active role in the management of the household, she made sure her spouse was well cared for, instructing her daughter on what food the president needed and how exactly to prepare it. She spent her time reading, clipping and saving stories for Andrew to read later. 

She remained steadfast in her support of her husband, including his impeachment. Upon his acquittal, Johnson apparently told a member of the household staff quote: “I knew he’d be acquitted; I knew it” end quote. As you know from listening to the episodes on President Johnson, the disgraced successor of Abraham Lincoln would be relegated to a single term in office and the family returned to their home state to a warm welcome. Tragedy stuck soon after when their son, Robert, died by suicide, in April 1869. 

While Eliza was likely all too happy to return to their sense of normalcy in Tennessee, her husband was not quite done with the political life. Eliza continued to support her husband the best she could, with her daughter later commenting that Mrs. Johnson was  quote, “the stepping stone to all the honor and fame my father attained,” end quote. Not much is known about how the former first lady spent her retirement. She was unable to attend her husband’s funeral, again citing weakness, and joined her husband just six months later, dying on January 15th, 1876 at her daughter Mary’s home. She is buried alongside her husband at the National Cemetery in Greeneville, Tennessee. 

In an article praising the former first lady on January 20th, 1876, the Tennessean wrote that Johnson quote “bore her sufferings in patience and resignation, and who lived a life that will make her remembered among American women,” end quote. 

Whether due to her husband’s rather infamous tenure of office, her conscious decision to avoid the role of First Lady, or a combination of both, Eliza McCardle Johnson remains one of the lesser known women to occupy the White House. A woman who wanted a simple life, Eliza Johnson was never someone who would fit in among DC society. Although she operated largely in the shadows, Eliza Johnson was nevertheless a key component to her husband’s success and helped cement his place in the history books. 

Before I sign off today I want to give a big thank you to JoAnn who recently supported the show through Buy Me A Coffee. JoAnn has been a long time supporter of the show and I am honored to have her support. If you would like to learn more about how you can help support the show, be sure to check out the website www dot civics and coffee dot com. Your financial support goes to things like research materials and hosting fees so I can keep the passion project going. The website is also where you can find things like source material and transcripts. 

Thanks, peeps. I will see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

OUTRO MUSIC