The nation s ninth vice president had an enslaved wife
Ronald G. Shafer, The Washington Post
Feb. 7, 2021
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1of3Richard Mentor Johnson became vice president in 1837.Library of CongressShow MoreShow Less
2of3This political cartoon was a racist attack on Richard Mentor Johnson because of his relationship with Julia Chinn.Library of CongressShow MoreShow Less
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She was born enslaved and remained that way her entire life, even after she became Richard Mentor Johnson s bride.
Johnson, a Kentucky congressman who eventually became the nation s ninth vice president in 1837, couldn t legally marry Julia Chinn. Instead the couple exchanged vows at a local church with a wedding celebration organized by the enslaved people at his family s plantation in Great Crossing, according to Miriam Biskin, who wrote about Chinn decades ago.