Andrew Jackson Story

Item #5177

(January, 1992) Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, is standing before an “Old Hickory” branch from North Carolina. This nickname was bestowed on him during the War of 1812 by soldiers who declared him “tough as hickory.” The coin on the branch’s cut edge is a mark, received by all York Rite Masons upon initiation, and honors Jackson as a York Rite Mason. Jackson is claimed by both North Carolina and Tennessee, and it is still disputed if he was actually born in North or South Carolina. I have visited his home, named the Hermitage, which stands near Nashville, Tennessee and is now a national shrine. The pose is reminiscent of Thomas Sully’s portrait of Jackson, which was also the basis for the U.S. twenty dollar bill. I’ve depicted Jackson during his presidential years (1829 – 1837) and placed the Great Seal of the United States by his feet. Elected president at age 61, he walked bareheaded to the Capitol for his inauguration, still tall, lean and ramrod straight. His formal dress may belie his reputation as the president who was truly of and for the common man, and indeed, he was the first president to be born in a log cabin. Known as a fighter both on the battlefield and in the White House, Jackson’s slogan was “Let the people rule.”

Dr. Thomas F. Clark