Taken in July 1865, this portrait shows William P. Johnson, the older brother of President Andrew Johnson. Born into poverty in Raleigh, North Carolina, the two young brothers were bound as apprentices to a local tailor. Side by side, the brothers worked to master the trade until 1824, when they famously broke their contracts and ran away together to forge their own futures. While Andrew stuck with tailoring and used his shop as a launchpad into politics, William took a separate path. He eventually settled in Texas and became a carpenter, though he used his woodworking skills to build the wooden tailoring table Andrew used for years—a piece that still stands today inside the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site tailor shop.
Just months into Andrew’s presidency, William suffered a devastating hunting accident near Velasco, Texas, when his gun accidentally discharged. The severe wound quickly became infected, and doctors amputated his arm in a desperate attempt to save his life. However, the deadly infection could not be stopped, and he died of gangrene in October 1865. Though he never saw his brother again after Andrew entered the White House, William’s early companionship and quiet craftsmanship left a lasting imprint on the president’s life—a reminder of the working‑class roots both brothers carried from Raleigh to Greeneville.
Image: William P. Johnson (1804-1865), Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, 1865 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
