Who is the first Impeached President? Johnson or Clinton?

Whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ ^

[AgThorn]

reading a bit on the whitehouse.gov site concerning 'history' of past presidents. First I started reading what they had to say about Clinton. ...

William Jefferson Clinton

Interesting how 'cleaned up' it is, but I also noted that there were not a lot of accomplishments listed. What really caught my eye though was the statement that he was the 'second' president impeached by the house, and found not guilty by the senate.

Well, this ain't exactly how I remember it .. so I then tried to find the 'first' impeached president, according to this website. Checking Nixon, no, they correctly said he resigned first. So then on to Andrew Johnson:

Andrew Johnson

This one says that "the House voted eleven articles of impeachment against him. He was tried by the Senate in the spring of 1868 and acquitted by one vote." So, I guess according to the whitehouse.gov history, Andrew was the FIRST impeached President.

But I was under the impression that this is not so ... i.e. that the Congress actually DID impeach Clinton, and that HE was the first President really IMPEACHED by both houses. So, I guess I may be totally wrong on this or else the whitehouse.gov is, which is it ... (maybe the shortest thread on record! ;-)

Lastly, what is all this garbage about the "Radical Republicans" of the south leading to Andrew Johnson's downfall? When you read this history page, you get the impression that the Republicans wanted slavery. Sounds like some creative writing to me.

[AgThorn]

Just curious

[justshutupandtakeit]

Only the House can file Impeachment charges then the Senate must try the accused on them.

Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House and not convicted
by the senate just as happened with the Abomination.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Clinton was the forst "elected" President to be impeached.

johnson succeeded Lincoln after his death.

[The Chid]

clinton was the first Elected President to be impeached. Johnson became President upon the assassination of Lincoln.

[The Chid]

Too Quick!

[pogo101]

The report is correct as to Johnson's having been impeached.

"Impeachment" itself -- the passage of articles thereof -- is akin to an indictment: it begins, and describes (in the articles' text) the charges in, a trial.

The Senate either convicts or doesn't.

But one can be "impeached" without being convicted, of course, as has occurred both times.

Many people appear to believe "impeach" means "remove from office via conviction AFTER impeachment."

[AgThorn]

Ah HA!!! That's it, the first ELECTED President to be impeached.

How about that history about 'radical republicans' for Andrew Johnson? Is that factual?

[Lunatic Fringe]

With Regard to the Radical Republicans...

Republicans were against slavery, but they were a bit zealous about punishing the South for the Civil War. Johnson was opposed to many of the Radical Republican proposals for readmittance into the United States, and as a result the Republicans looked for a way to throw Johnson out of office.

[Cboldt]

"Impeached" is like "indicted"

Both Johnson and Clinton were impeached (the House does the impeaching), neither was convicted.

The difference that many people cite is that Clinton is the first and only ELECTED president to have been impeached. Johnson suceeded Lincoln, and the articles of impeachment against Johnson were more politically based than the articles against Clinton. Clinton was impeached because he broke laws invovling fundamental principles of civil law (lie to a judge), Johnson was impeached over political activities.

[The Wizard]

Johnson

[Tanniker Smith]

Clinton was the first elected president to be impeached. IIRC, Johnson was impeached after Lincoln's death. U.S. Grant became president in 1869, so Johnson was elected president by the people. (Unlike Ford, Johnson was at least elected VP.)

[The Wizard]

Clinton was the first ELECTED president impeached

[BlueNgold]

Impeachment = House = Indictment

Removal = Senate = Conviction

Impeached Presidents:
A. Johnson (Dem, TN) = #1
Clinton = #2

Removed Presidents:
0

[AgThorn]

The difference that many people cite is that Clinton is the first and only ELECTED president to have been impeached.

Yup .... another tid-bit is that BOTH impeached presidents were Democrats! ;-)

[Charles Henrickson]

Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only two presidents who were impeached.

They were impeached by the House, but they were then not convicted by the Senate.

[Gorjus]

The standard, and true, line against Clinton was that he was the first elected president to be impeached, but that made him the second president to be impeached since Johnson (who took office after Lincoln's assassination) was indeed impeached as well.

One does not get 'impeached' by both houses of Congress. Replace the word 'impeached' with 'indicted' for a parallel to coventional courts. Then, the Senate tries the offenses for which the president has been impeached and either convicts him or does not. So the sequence - for removing a US President from office - is to be 'impeached' by the House, then 'convicted' by the Senate.

[The Wizard]

Clinton was the first ELECTED president to be impeached

And they impeached Johnson because they didn't kill him the same night they killed Lincoln

[AgThorn]

...so Johnson was elected president by the people.

??

[cvq3842]

Apparently there's been some revision in the views of many historians regarding Johnson and the "Radical Republicans." According to this view (from what I remember), the Republicans strongly favored uprooting the entire racial structure that supported slavery, etc. and the Democrats, who eventually won the day, allowed the segregation to continue for almost another century. Something glossed over by leftists who compare Clinton's impeachment at the hands of "Radical Republicans" to Johnson's.

But Iraq and Viet Nam are divisive enough. Please let's not re-fight the Civil War!

[AgThorn]

And they impeached Johnson because they didn't kill him the same night they killed Lincoln

??? Johnson was a Democrat, impeached alledgedly by the 'radical republicans' who wanted him to be harder on the south. Lincoln was a Republican, assasinated by a southerner for freeing the slaves.

Don't see your logic in making your statement.