President Jackson

The "President of the United States" referred to in "The Courthouse" is Andrew Jackson (7), who served two terms as President (1829-1837) after achieving fame in wars against Great Britain and American Indians. His 1830 Indian Removal Act relegated Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi River; their 'removal' claimed thousands of lives. The novel comes closer to naming him in "The Golden Dome," when it refers to him as the "old hero" after whom Mississippi's capital is named, and describes him as "the old duellist, the brawling lean fierce mangy durable old lion" (85). Jackson's presidency included enough contention to justify the epithet "brawling," but in addition before becoming President he fought several duels, and the legality of his marriage to his wife (whose "honor must be defended whether it was or not," 85) was often questioned.