Editing Andrew Johnson (section)

=== Governor of Tennessee (1853–1857) ===
[[File:Andrew Johnson by William Brown Cooper.png|thumb|Portrait of Johnson, 1856, attributed to [[William Brown Cooper]]]]

If Johnson considered retiring from politics upon deciding not to seek reelection, he soon changed his mind.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=51}} His political friends began to maneuver to get him the nomination for governor. The Democratic convention unanimously named him, though some party members were not happy at his selection. The Whigs had won the past two gubernatorial elections, and still controlled the legislature.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=84–85}} That party nominated Henry, making the "Henry-mandering" of the First District an immediate issue.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=84–85}} The two men debated in county seats the length of Tennessee before the meetings were called off two weeks before the August 1853 election due to illness in Henry's family.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|p=51}}{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=87–88}} Johnson won the election by 63,413 votes to 61,163; some votes for him were cast in return for his promise to support Whig [[Nathaniel Green Taylor|Nathaniel Taylor]] for his old seat in Congress.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=88}}{{Sfn|Schroeder-Lein|Zuczuk|p=119}}

Tennessee's governor had little power: Johnson could propose legislation but not veto it, and most appointments were made by the Whig-controlled legislature. Nevertheless, the office was a "[[bully pulpit]]" that allowed him to publicize himself and his political views.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=52–53}} He succeeded in getting the appointments he wanted in return for his endorsement of [[John Bell (Tennessee politician)|John Bell]], a Whig, for one of the state's U.S. Senate seats. In his first biennial speech, Johnson urged simplification of the state judicial system, abolition of the Bank of Tennessee, and establishment of an agency to provide uniformity in weights and measures; the last was passed. Johnson was critical of the Tennessee common school system and suggested funding be increased via taxes, either statewide or county by county—a mixture of the two was passed.{{Sfn|Trefousse|p=92}} Reforms carried out during Johnson's time as governor included the foundation of the State's public library (making books available to all) and its first public school system, and the initiation of regular state fairs to benefit craftsmen and farmers.{{sfn|Smalley|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P_s3-82-JusC&pg=PA35 35]}}

Although the Whig Party was on its final decline nationally, it remained strong in Tennessee, and the outlook for Democrats there in 1855 was poor. Feeling that reelection as governor was necessary to give him a chance at the higher offices he sought, Johnson agreed to make the run. [[Meredith P. Gentry]] received the Whig nomination. A series of more than a dozen vitriolic debates ensued. The issues in the campaign were slavery, the prohibition of alcohol, and the [[nativism (politics)|nativist]] positions of the [[Know Nothing Party]]. Johnson favored the first, but opposed the others. Gentry was more equivocal on the alcohol question, and had gained the support of the Know Nothings, a group Johnson portrayed as a secret society.{{Sfn|Gordon-Reed|pp=55–56}} Johnson was unexpectedly victorious, albeit with a narrower margin than in 1853.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=95–97}}

When the presidential election of [[1856 United States presidential election|1856]] approached, Johnson hoped to be nominated; some Tennessee county conventions designated him a "[[favorite son]]". His position that the best interests of the Union were served by slavery in some areas made him a practical compromise candidate for president. He was never a major contender; the nomination fell to former [[Pennsylvania]] senator [[James Buchanan]]. Though he was not impressed by either, Johnson campaigned for Buchanan and his running mate, [[John C. Breckinridge]], who were elected.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=103–104}}

Johnson decided not to seek a third term as governor, with an eye towards election to the U.S. Senate. In 1857, while returning from Washington, his train derailed, causing serious damage to his right arm. This injury would trouble him in the years to come.{{Sfn|Trefousse|pp=104–105}}