Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth president of the United States, rose from poverty in Greeneville as a tailor to the nation's highest office. His political philosophy rested on a strict interpretation of the Constitution, belief in states' rights, commitment to serve the workingman, and a conservative attitude toward government spending. His presidency, including impeachment and acquittal, unfolded during the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War. He died in 1875 and was buried atop this hill wrapped in a United States flag, with a copy of the Constitution beneath his head. His wife Eliza was buried beside him under a monument erected by the family in 1878, and their immediate family members and many descendants were also buried in the family plot. His burial site was designated a national cemetery in 1906, developed and maintained by the War Department until 1942, and then transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.