Impeachment of Andrew Johnson - 1868

I. Alexander
May 30, 1868
Washington, DC

Senate Tubs

Every inch of space in the hallways and lobbies, from the rotunda to the farthest corner of the Senate wing is filled with reporters and citizens anxious for word on the proceedings. A payment of $20 convinced an attendant that he was not feeling at all well today, so I spent the morning as a substitute attendant in the Senate Baths, below the Capitol Building. Most of the boarding houses where members of Congress reside during the session lack adequate plumbing, so an elaborate series of marble baths, complete with a steam room, are located in the basement.


Based on the conversations overheard this morning, everyone knows that Johnson will be acquitted, but they were still debating which Senator would cast the deciding vote.
Six Republicans are on record as defecting and will vote with the Democrats to acquit Johnson, but they need seven to achieve two-thirds of both houses. I overheard two different Senators declare that they will side with the Democrats if their vote is needed
and there are at least four others willing to do likewise based on their conversations.

 Edmund Ross

This lends support to my claim that Edmund Ross (who eventually cast the deciding vote) was not really the martyr that some historians, including J.F. Kennedy (1963), have suggested. Ross's vote was a calculated move, designed to win favor with the President. Ross will write four letters in the next two months requesting that Johnson grant political appointments for his supporters and family members.


On the way back to my room at the Willard this evening, I was nearly trampled by several dozen journalists racing to Newspaper Row, the popular name for the various press offices located beneath Ebbitt House on 14th Street. The furor continued until well after midnight, as crowds tried to glean specifics of the hearings from the correspondents.

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Learn more about the impeachment of Andrew Johnson:

• Harper's Weekly Coverage of The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson.  2005
• Kennedy, John F.  "The Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson." Excerpt from Profiles in Courage.  1956
• Library of Congress.  American Memory.  "Andrew Johnson Impeachment." 2010
• Linder, Douglas. "The Andrew Johnson Impeachment Trial." 1999.

Photo credits:   

• Bathtub located in the U.S. Senate. Cloture Club. (2012)
• Brady, Matthew. Edmund Ross.  Library of Congress. (1860-75)

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