MRS. JOHNSON

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 Democrat Richard Mentor Johnson was Vice President under President Martin Van Buren. He fought in the War of 1812 and it was believed that Johnson was the soldier who personally killed the famous Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames. Johnson used this to his political advantage when he ran for Vice President. His campaign slogan was "Rumpsey Dumpsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh"

 Johnson did not hide the fact that he was in a common-law marriage with his Black mistress Julia Chinn. She was born into slavery in 1790. Upon Johnson's fathers death he inherited Julia. In the South there was such a thing as the "one drop rule". If a person had one drop of Negro blood in them they were considered to be Black. Julia was light skinned and known as an "octoroon" because she was seven-eighths White.

 She looked after his Kentucky plantation while he was away on business and was technically a slave. By law Johnson could not have married her even if he wanted to. The couple lived together as man and wife eventually having two daughters. Johnson gave them his surname. This relationship hampered Johnson's political ambitions. He became such a political liability that the Democrats refused to renominate him for Vice President in 1840.

 Julia died in a cholera epidemic in 1833 and Johnson deeply grieved her loss. Soon after he began a relationship with another of his slaves. When she left him for another man Johnson sold her off in a slave auction. He then began a relationship with the woman's sister. Johnson died of a stroke on November 19, 1850. Only one of his daughters by Julia Chinn survived him but she was not allowed an inheritance because the state of Kentucky considered her to be illegitimate.

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