Editing Andrew Johnson (section)

=== Tennessee politician ===
Johnson helped organize a [[Working Men's Party (New York)|Mechanics' (Working Men's)]] ticket in the 1829 Greeneville municipal election. He was elected town alderman, along with his friends Blackston McDannel and Mordecai Lincoln.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=35}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=33–36}} Following [[Nat Turner's slave rebellion|Nat Turner's Rebellion]] in 1831, a state convention was called to pass a new constitution, including provisions to [[disfranchisement|disenfranchise]] free people of color. The convention also wanted to reform real estate tax rates, and provide ways of funding improvements to Tennessee's infrastructure. The constitution was submitted for a public vote, and Johnson spoke widely for its adoption; the successful campaign provided him with statewide exposure. On January 4, 1834, his fellow aldermen elected him mayor of Greeneville.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=33, 36}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=36–37}}

In 1835, Johnson made a bid for election to the [[Open seat|"floater" (open) seat]] which [[Greene County, Tennessee|Greene County]] shared with neighboring [[Washington County, Tennessee|Washington County]] in the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]]. According to his biographer [[Hans L. Trefousse]], Johnson "demolished" the opposition in debate and won the election with a near-two-to-one margin.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=36}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=37}} During his Greeneville days, Johnson joined the [[Tennessee Army National Guard|Tennessee Militia]] as a member of the 90th Regiment. He attained the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]], though while an enrolled member, Johnson was fined for an unknown offense.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=14, 25}} Afterwards, he was often addressed or referred to by his rank.

In his first term in the legislature, which met in the state capital of [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], Johnson did not consistently vote with either the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] or the newly formed [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]], though he revered President [[Andrew Jackson]], a Democrat and fellow Tennessean. The major parties were still determining their core values and policy proposals, with the party system in a state of flux. The Whig Party had organized in opposition to Jackson, fearing the concentration of power in the Executive Branch of the government; Johnson differed from the Whigs as he opposed more than minimal government spending and spoke against aid for the railroads, while his constituents hoped for improvements in transportation. After [[Brookins Campbell]] and the Whigs defeated Johnson for reelection in 1837, Johnson would not lose another race for thirty years. In 1839, he sought to regain his seat, initially as a Whig, but when another candidate sought the Whig nomination, he ran as a Democrat and was elected. From that time he supported the Democratic party and built a powerful political machine in Greene County.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=38–42}}{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=39–40}} Johnson became a strong advocate of the Democratic Party, noted for his oratory, and in an era when public speaking both informed the public and entertained it, people flocked to hear him.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=42}}

In 1840, Johnson was selected as a presidential elector for Tennessee, giving him more statewide publicity. Although Democratic President [[Martin Van Buren]] was defeated by former [[Ohio]] senator [[William Henry Harrison]], Johnson was instrumental in keeping Greene County in the Democratic column.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=43}} He was elected to the [[Tennessee Senate]] in 1841, where he served a two-year term.<ref name="CongBio">{{Biographical Directory of Congress|J000116|inline=1}}</ref> He had achieved financial success in his tailoring business, but sold it to concentrate on politics. He had also acquired additional real estate, including a larger home and a farm (where his mother and stepfather took residence), and among his assets numbered eight or nine slaves.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=45–46}}