John C. Calhoun
Even if he initially aspired to the nation’s highest office, Calhoun rapidly learned he had to settle for number two. He decided to become vice president, so much so that before the election of 1824, he decided to support both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, who were adversaries.
When Adams won, Calhoun went to proudly fill the office, even if he was pro-slavery while Adams was a Northern abolitionist. Moreover, he later became known as the “Arch Nullifier” for his ill-intended proposal to allow people to nullify the Act of Congress and protect slavery in the South.
Richard M. Johnson
Johnson managed to capture everyone’s attention after he murdered Shawnee chief Tecumseh during the Battle of Thames back in 1813. However, people’s adoration didn’t last too long.
He later became known as the “crassest man of all crass men”, because he took one of his slaves as his common-law wife. Because of that, he didn’t get enough support to serve in Martin van Buren’s administration.
He also believed the planet was hollow, and so he proposed an expedition to the North Pole so Americans could drill to the center of the Earth.
