The Life of Andrew Jackson

In The Life of Andrew Jackson (1937), acclaimed biographer and journalist Marquis James recounts the life of the seventh President of the United States. It brings together in one volume two earlier Jackson biographies written by James, 1934's The Border Captain and 1937's Portrait of a President. The first part of the book is about Jackson's early life: his childhood, time in the military, and tenure as Florida governor and United States senator. The second part of the book focuses on Jackson's first, unsuccessful bid for the presidency, his ascension to the White House, his policies and political maneuverings, and his retirement and later years.

The biography opens with Jackson's birth on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws regions between North and South Carolina. He is named after his father, who passed away a month before his birth. The elder Andrew Jackson had "strained himself lifting a log" and “took to bed in great pain”; he had died a few days later. While young Andrew never knows his father, he nonetheless grows up to be confident and bright, boasting a commanding voice and powerful presence.

When Jackson is nine years old, a man visits the home of Jackson's uncle, Captain James Crawford, bringing a copy of the freshly minted Declaration of Independence. Young Jackson reads it to an assembled crowd of dozens. After reading the document, Jackson vows to fight for America's independence from Great Britain. That fight comes to the Carolinas in the spring of 1780. The British capture Jackson's uncle—now Major James Crawford—but he is later released on parole. Rebuilding his militia, he resumes fighting the British, as Jackson and his brother, Robert, visit the army camps to help out. They also assist their mother, Elizabeth, in nursing the wounded and in relaying messages.



In April of 1781, British forces capture the Jackson brothers and throw them in prison. Robert contracts smallpox and dies. Andrew is permanently scarred by a cut from a sword. Then, just months after Robert's death, Elizabeth dies of the plague. All of these things occur before Jackson is even fifteen years old, and they set the stage for the drive and determination that would compel him to pursue success—and the highest office in the land.

By age eighteen, Jackson is a law clerk in Salisbury, North Carolina. Though he is studious and dependable, he is also a young man of some reputation. As one acquaintance remembers, "Andrew Jackson was the most roaring, rollicking, game-cocking, horse-racing, card-playing, mischievous fellow that ever lived in Salisbury."

Three years later, at age twenty-one, Jackson joins the first immigrant train on the Cumberland Road, which spans the Cumberland mountain range and 180 miles of Cherokee land. This proves to be a moment of significant foreshadowing, as Jackson's relationship with the Native populations of America would be violent, bloody, and genocidal.



In 1794, Jackson marries Rachel Donelson Robards. They would go on to adopt three sons.

After his Revolutionary War service and marriage, Jackson begins dabbling in politics. He holds a number of high positions in American government, including stints in both the United States House of Representatives and in the Senate. He becomes a Justice in the Tennessee Supreme Court, then a commander in the Tennessee militia, where he leads troops during the Creek War. In the War of 1812, which occurs at the same time as the Creek War, Jackson scores a major military victory at the Battle of New Orleans, becoming a household name. He continues in military leadership positions, then takes the governorship of the recently-acquired state of Florida.

Jackson runs against John Quincy Adams in the 1824 election and wins more popular and electoral votes than his opponent. But the margin of votes is not wide enough to count as an electoral majority, and the House of Representatives declares Adams the winner. Deeply stung, Jackson and his supporters form the Democratic Party in an act of rebellion.



In 1828, Jackson again runs against Adams and soundly defeats him. But, tragically, Rachel Jackson dies of a heart attack just three weeks after her husband's win and ten weeks before he assumes the Presidency. Jackson chooses their niece, Emily, to be his hostess at the White House.

The next portion of the biography centers on President Jackson's various plots and plans, policies and leadership decisions, and the crises he resolved, as well as the crises he created. He vetoes the renewal of the Second Bank of the United States. He is the only President to pay off the entire American debt during his time in office. He signs the Indian Removal Act, which displaces most members of Native American tribes, resulting in massive disease, violence, and death. In 1834, he assumes a second term in the White House. The following year, Jackson survives the first-ever assassination attempt on an American President.

The final section of the book deals with Jackson's post-White House years and retirement. Far from shrinking into the background, he continues to play a proactive role in the American political scene. Among his chief causes is advocating for the annexation of Texas, which he sees accomplished shortly before his death. Jackson dies on June 8, 1845, of dropsy and heart failure.



The Life of Andrew Jackson was a trailblazing biography in its time. Though long out of print, it is one of the first comprehensive accounts of Jackson's life, weighing in at nearly 1,000 pages. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography in 1938.