Who was the first american president who had to face impeachment procedure ?
It was not Nixon – it was Andrew Johnson. Johnson’s impeachment was somewhat of a political circus in its day. Johnson, who became President when Lincoln was assassinated, was never popular during the difficult times after the Civil War, and did not have strong affiliations to either political party (Republican or Democrat). For the record, only 2 Presidents have ever been impeached by the House of Representatives – Johnson and Clinton. The act of impeachment is when the House – by majority vote only – “impeaches” the President then sends the matter to the Senate for the impeachment trial. Only then, by a vote of 2/3rds majority is the President convicted and removed from office. Neither Johnson nor Clinton were convicted and removed from office. Nixon, who would likely have been brought up for impeachment, resigned first.
