Andrew Jackson

By 1836 Jackson was weak from tuberculosis and had no thought of seeking a third term. However, he stubbornly continued with affairs of state and party, including ensuring that the party nominated Van Buren as his successor. Although he was eager to return to the Hermitage after Van Buren’s election, he grimly fulfilled the duties of his office until the inauguration the following March.

The last day of Jackson’s presidency was as much a personal triumph as his first. Thousands came, not to see the new president but to bid good-bye to their beloved hero.

Jackson spent the last eight years of his life at the Hermitage. Although he had to borrow money to keep the plantation going, he continued to entertain political supporters and kept a close watch on national affairs. He never wavered in his devotion to the Union. In his will he left a nephew “the elegant sword presented to me by the state of Tennessee, with the injunction that he fail not to use it when necessary in support and protection of our glorious Union.” He died on June 8, 1845. On his deathbed Jackson said, “My dear children, and friends, and servants, I hope and trust to meet you all in Heaven, both white and black—both white and black.”