Hard feelings over President Andrew Johnson's role in the Civil War were partly laid to rest Wednesday when a statue in his honor was unveiled at Tennessee's state Capitol.
Supporters of the 17th U.S. president have pressed for years to have him recognized in bronze at the Capitol like Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, the other Tennesseans who became president.Polk is buried at the Capitol, where a statue of Jackson has stood since 1880.
But opponents of Johnson's legacy regard him as an enemy of Southerners. They have fought attempts to honor him outside of eastern Tennessee, where he was born. Nashville is in the state's middle section.
Johnson, who survived two impeachment tries in office, was the only Southerner to remain in the Senate when the South seceded and the Civil War began.
A lifelong Democrat, he ran on Republican President Abraham Lincoln's ticket in 1864 during the conflict. Lincoln made him military governor of Tennessee, which won Johnson more enmity.
When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, the thankless task of reuniting the nation fell to Johnson.
John M. Jones Sr., who presided over the ceremony, said Johnson paid a high price for sticking to his principles.