3 Presidents From North Carolina

Statue of 3 Presidents From North Carolina

Three US presidents had North Carolina roots, but all three reached the White House from Tennessee. Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), the 7th president, was born in an unsurveyed border region, probably in South Carolina, but studied law and was admitted to the bar in North Carolina before moving to frontier Tennessee in 1788. James K. Polk (1795–1849), the 11th president, was born in Mecklenburg County but grew up in Tennessee. Another native North Carolinian, Andrew Johnson (1808–75), was a tailor’s apprentice in Raleigh before moving to Tennessee at the age of 18. Johnson served as Abraham Lincoln’s vice president for six weeks in 1865 before becoming the nation’s 17th president when Lincoln was assassinated.