Tenure of Office Act
E38226
The Tenure of Office Act was an 1867 U.S. federal law that restricted the president’s power to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval, and its alleged violation by President Andrew Johnson was central to his impeachment.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Reconstruction-era legislation
→
United States federal law → |
| affectedOffice |
cabinet officers
→
other Senate-confirmed officials → |
| allegedViolationBy |
Andrew Johnson
→
|
| appliesTo |
civil officers appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate
→
|
| centralIssueIn |
first impeachment of a U.S. president
→
|
| consideredBy |
United States Supreme Court
→
|
| constitutionalIssue |
presidential removal power
→
separation of powers → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| dateEnacted |
1867
→
|
| enforcementMechanism |
made unlawful removal of protected officials a criminal offense
→
|
| fullyRepealed |
1887
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
Reconstruction era
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
played a decisive role in the first impeachment trial of a U.S. president
→
|
| impeachmentArticleBasisFor |
Articles of impeachment against Andrew Johnson
→
|
| influencedDecision |
Humphrey’s Executor v. United States
→
Myers v. United States → |
| jurisdiction |
United States federal government
→
|
| keyOfficeInvolved |
Secretary of War
→
|
| keyPersonInvolved |
Charles Sumner
→
Edwin M. Stanton → Thaddeus Stevens → |
| languageAmbiguity |
uncertainty whether it applied to officials appointed by a previous president
→
|
| laterStatus |
repealed
→
|
| legalLegacy |
often cited in debates over presidential removal power
→
|
| legislativeBody |
United States Congress
→
|
| notableCaseStudyIn |
U.S. constitutional law
→
|
| notableControversy |
whether it unconstitutionally infringed on executive power
→
|
| opposedBy |
Andrew Johnson
→
many Democrats → |
| overriddenBy |
United States Congress
→
|
| partiallyRepealed |
1887
→
|
| politicalContext |
conflict between President Andrew Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress
→
|
| politicalGoal |
to curb presidential obstruction of Congressional Reconstruction policies
→
|
| primaryPurpose |
to restrict the president’s power to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval
→
|
| relatedConcept |
advice and consent of the Senate
→
checks and balances in the U.S. government → |
| relatedEvent |
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
→
|
| requires |
Senate consent for removal of certain officeholders
→
|
| shortDescription |
1867 law limiting the U.S. president’s power to remove certain officials without Senate consent
→
|
| signedBy |
United States Senate
→
|
| sponsoredBy |
Radical Republicans in Congress
→
|
| subjectOf |
historical debate over Reconstruction and executive power
→
|
| vetoedBy |
Andrew Johnson
→
|
| vetoStatus |
veto overridden
→
|
| yearOfFirstImpeachmentUse |
1868
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
impeachment of Andrew Johnson
→
|
relatedLegislation |