Andrew Jackson’s Law Office

At the age of twenty-one, Andrew Jackson came to Nashville from western North Carolina in 1788 at the invitation of his friend John McNairy. McNairy had received an appointment as the judge for the Superior Court of Law and Equity in North Carolina’s Mero District. Did you know that Tennessee was part of North Carolina until 1790? McNairy reasoned that the newly-created Davidson County needed a prosecutor to handle trial work. Jackson had become licensed to practice law in 1787 in Salisbury, North Carolina, but had difficulty attracting clients. When McNairy and Jackson arrived in Nashville, McNairy licensed Jackson to practice law in Davidson County. Jackson acted as the state’s attorney general for the Mero District and served in this position until Tennessee became a state in 1796. He became good friends with early Nashville settler John Overton and shared office space with him here at 333 Union Street. Since Jackson’s position was part-time, he was allowed to develop a private law practice. An analysis of Jackson’s court appearances in which he represented clients showed that he was successful in about two-thirds of his cases. According to court records, between 1788 and 1798, Jackson represented clients in more than four hundred lawsuits.

Gradually, Jackson’s interest in public affairs eclipsed his law practice. Jackson was a Davidson County delegate at the state’s Constitutional Convention held in Knoxville. Later he was elected as Tennessee’s first representative to the United States Congress. He apparently did not enjoy his work as a member of Congress and returned to Nashville after serving only one term. Jackson’s popularity and political stock continued to rise, and in 1828, he was elected President of the United States.

After Jackson became President, his former law office became a popular site for tourists. By the early twentieth century, older buildings like this one that housed Jackson’s law office were being replaced by more modern business buildings. The Overton Building was razed in the early 1930s. When it was torn down, the door of the office was preserved and cut into gavels which were presented to dignitaries who visited the city, including Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter.Turn RIGHT onto Union Street and walk one block to Fifth Avenue North. Turn RIGHT and walk north, back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Your next stop, St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows, will be on your right.