A Rare look at the U.S. Presidents: Andrew Jackson

He was both revered and feared during his lifetime, and history has strong opinions about his legacy.

Here are some things you may not know about the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson:

1. He was born in Waxhaw Settlement, between the modern-day border of South Carolina and North Carolina. Both states claim to be his birthplace.
2. Jackson is the only president to be a prisoner of war. He was captured by the British during the Revolutionary War, when he was still a teenager.
3. His face is on the $20 bill, but Jackson actually hated paper money and, as president, vetoed the Bank of the United States. He was afraid it would give too many privileges to those who were already wealthy.
4. Jackson’s famous nickname, Old Hickory, came not just from his toughness, but from the fact that he liked to hit people with his hickory cane.
5. In 1835, when Jackson was 67, a would-be assassin tried to shoot him with not one, but two guns. Both misfired, giving Jackson time to beat the man with his cane.
6. Despite signing the Indian Removal Act, Jackson adopted a Native American boy named Lyncoya.
7. Jackson’s pet parrot picked up a few choice phrases from the president. It reportedly swore so much, it was ejected from Jackson’s funeral.

More presidents

• George Washington
• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• John Quincy Adams