Editing Richard Mentor Johnson (section)

==Post-vice presidency (1841–1850)==
[[File:Richard Mentor Johnson Daguerreotype Engraving 1844 Alt Crop.png|thumb|right|Engraving of Johnson by J. B. Forrest, from a [[daguerreotype]] miniature by I. T. Warner, published in ''[[The United States Magazine and Democratic Review]]'' in 1844]]
After his term as vice president, Johnson returned to Kentucky to tend to his farm and oversee his tavern.<ref name=uva /> He again represented Scott County in the Kentucky House from 1841 to 1843.<ref name=kye /> In 1845, he served as a pallbearer when [[Daniel Boone]] was re-interred in [[Frankfort Cemetery]].<ref name=stillman />

Johnson never gave up on a return to public service. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate against John J. Crittenden in 1842.<ref name=stillman /> He briefly and futilely sought his party's nomination for president in 1844.<ref name=stillman /> He also ran as an independent candidate for [[Governor of Kentucky]] in 1848, but after talking with the Democratic candidate, [[Lazarus W. Powell]], who had replaced [[Linn Boyd]] on the ticket, Johnson decided to drop out and back Powell.<ref name=starling>Starling in ''Kentucky: History of Henderson County''</ref> Some speculated that the real object of this campaign was to secure another nomination to the vice-presidency, but this hope was denied.<ref name=hatfield />

Johnson finally returned to elected office in 1850, when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. By this time, however, his physical and mental health was already failing. On November 9, the ''[[The Courier-Journal|Louisville Daily Journal]]'' reported that "Col. R. M. Johnson is laboring under an attack of [[dementia]], which renders him totally unfit for business. It is painful to see him on the floor attempting to discharge the duties of a member. He is incapable of properly exercising his physical or mental powers."<ref name=mcqueen21 />

[[File:Richard Mentor Johnson grave.JPG|thumb|left|Johnson's gravesite at [[Frankfort Cemetery]]]]

{{anchor|Death}}
He died of a [[stroke]] on November 19, just two weeks into his term, aged 70.<ref name=stillman /> He was interred in the Frankfort Cemetery, in [[Frankfort, Kentucky]].<ref name=bioguide />