Here are some quick facts, opinions, quotes and other information on President John Tyler:
Personal Information on John Tyler:
- Tenth President (1841-1845)
- Birthday: March 29, 1790 (Monday)
- Birthplace: Charles City County, Virginia
- Birthplace Website: President John Tyler’s Birthplace
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Date of Death: January 18, 1862 (Saturday)
- Place of Death: Richmond, Virginia
- Place of Burial: Richmond, Virginia
- Burial Website: President John Tyler’s Grave
- Cause of Death: Stroke
- Age: 71 years old
- Length of Retirement: 6164 days
Interesting John Tyler facts:
- John Tyler was the President who had the most kids. He was married twice. With his first wife, Letitia, he had eight kids: Mary, Robert, John, Letitia, Elizabeth, Alice, and Tazewell. With his second wife, Julia, he had seven kids: David, John “Alex” Alexander, Julia, Lachlan, Lyon, Robert “Fitz” Fitzwalter, Pearl. John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790. His last surviving child, Pearl, would die on June 30, 1947. That’s a span of 157 years.
- John Tyler is the first President to ascend to the Presidency upon the death of a President. Tyler became President when William Henry Harrison died shortly after his inauguration. Tyler would not have a Vice President during his tenure. Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester Arthur are the only other Presidents not to have a Vice President (all ascended to the Presidency on the death of a President). It wasn’t until February 10, 1967 that the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution was approved, which stated that a new Vice President would be approved by Congress on the elevation of a Vice President to the Presidency. That Amendment also confirmed, without a doubt, that the Vice President, who took over the Presidency, was a new President and not an Acting President until the next election. Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller are the only two Vice Presidents, so far, to be promoted by the Twenty-fifth Amendment.
- John Tyler is one of nine Vice Presidents to become President on the death or resignation of a President. Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and Gerald Ford are the other Presidents to ascend to the Presidency that way. Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson would win election on their own and on that election would have a Vice President of their own. All of those Presidents, except Ford (he became President when Nixon resigned), became President on the death of a President. Fourteen total Presidents have been a Vice President. That means only five other Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, have been Vice President and then become President without either the President dying or resigning.
My favorite John Tyler Quotes:
Let it be henceforth proclaimed to the world that man’s conscience was created free; that he is no longer accountable to his fellow man for his religious opinions, being responsible therefore only to his God.
I can never consent to being dictated to.
If the tide of defamation and abuse shall turn, and my administration come to be praised, future Vice-Presidents who may succeed to the Presidency may feel some slight encouragement to pursue an independent course.
Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.
So far as it depends on the course of this government, our relations of good will and friendship will be sedulously cultivated with all nations.
John Tyler blogs (click the title to go to that page):
John Tyler page on Presidential Crossroads (click “John Tyler” below):
John Tyler
John Tyler Blogs:
John Tyler – Second Wife and the Princeton Explosion
John Tyler – Becoming President
John Tyler – First Wife and Children
John Tyler – Early Political Career, Serving in Confederate House, His Death
What similar trait do I have with the first ten Presidents
Personal thoughts on John Tyler:
Strengths:
Determination, A fighter
Weaknesses:
Not much support and he lacked the talent and personality to persuade others to join his cause
Presidential Greatness Scale (1-poor to 5-great): 3
Comments:
Some may really argue with this one. He was a slave owner and he was elected to the Confederate Congress. The impeachment word was even brought up during his brief tenure. But Tyler was the first Vice President to ascend to the Presidency on the death of the Presidency. Others wanted to claim that Tyler was just the acting President and that Congress should really be in charge of running the country. Tyler would have none of that and he established many of the principles that we now follow when a President dies in office or is removed from office. No one thought that power belong to a Vice President, even if he was elevated to the Presidency, but Tyler left no doubts about who was in charge. That strength to endure and not give up is why I move his Presidency up a few notches more than most would give him. His Annexation of Texas was also a bold and controversial move, yet he did not wavier from it.
Favorite John Tyler book:
John Tyler by Gary May
Favorite John Tyler story:
John Tyler’s home, Sherwood Plantation, is currently owned by John Tyler’s grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler. Harrison is the son of John Tyler’s son, Lyson Gardiner Tyler. The Tyler family has owned the home since 1842.
Most memorable John Tyler memory:
Visiting his grave at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. His grave is just a few feet from James Monroe’s grave.
Favorite John Tyler possession (see picture at the top):
A pamphlet I picked up at a little booth in front of John Tyler’s home at Sherwood Plantation.
Good info🐥🐥🐥