Johnson, Richard Mentor (1780-1850), was Vice President of the United States from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren. He was the only Vice President ever elected by the Senate. In the election of 1836, no vice presidential candidate got the majority of electoral votes required by the 12th Amendment. The Senate then chose Johnson, a Democrat, on one ballot.
Johnson was born in Beargrass (now Louisville), Kentucky, on Oct. 17, 1780. Congress presented him with a sword for his bravery during the War of 1812. He was reputed to have killed the Indian chief Tecumseh. Johnson served in the U.S. House of Representatives at various times and in the Senate from 1819 to 1829. He died on Nov. 19, 1850.
