<P> The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson occurred in 1868, when the United States House of Representatives resolved to impeach President Andrew Johnson, adopting eleven articles of impeachment detailing his "high crimes and misdemeanors," in accordance with Article Two of the United States Constitution . The House's primary charge against Johnson was with violation of the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress the previous year . Specifically, he had removed Edwin McMasters Stanton, the Secretary of War, whom the Tenure of Office Act was largely designed to protect, from office and attempted to replace him with Brevet Major General Lorenzo Thomas . Contrary to popular belief, Johnson was not impeached for temporarily replacing Stanton with General Ulysses Grant earlier while Congress was not in session . </P> <P> The House formally agreed to the articles of impeachment on March 2, 1868, and forwarded them to the Senate . The trial in the Senate began three days later, with Chief Justice of the United States Salmon P. Chase presiding . The first vote on one of the eleven impeachment articles concluded on May 16 with a failure to convict Johnson . A ten - day recess was called before attempting to convict him on additional articles, but that effort failed on May 26 . The 35 - to - 19 votes on the three articles actually voted on were all one short of the required two - thirds needed for conviction . </P>

Who's the first president to be impeached