John Tyler

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Portrait, John TylerJohn Tyler 10th President of the United States (April 6, 1841 to March 3, 1845) Nicknames: “Accidental President”; “His Accidency” Born: March 29, 1790, in Greenway, Virginia Died: January 18, 1862, in Richmond, Virginia

Father: John Tyler Mother: Mary Marot Armistead Tyler Married: Letitia Chrisitan Tyler (1790-1842), on March 29, 1813; Julia Gardiner Tyler (1820-1889), on June 26, 1844 Children: Mary Tyler (1815-48); Robert Tyler (1816-77); John Tyler (1819-96); Letitia Tyler (1821-1907); Elizabeth Tyler (1823-50); Anne Contesse Tyler (1825); Alice Tyler (1827-54); Tazewell Tyler (1830-74); David Gardiner Tyler (1846-1927); John Alexander Tyler (1848-83); Julia Gardiner Tyler (1849-71); Lachlan Tyler (1851-1902); Lyon Gardiner Tyler (1853-1935); Robert Fitzwalter Tyler (1856-1927); Pearl Tyler (1860-1947) Religion: Episcopalian Education: Graduated from the College of William and Mary (1807) Occupation: Lawyer Political Party: Whig Other Government Positions:

  • Member of Virginia House of Delegates, 1811-16
  • Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1816-21
  • Virginia State Legislator, 1823-25
  • Governor of Virginia, 1825-26
  • United States Senator, 1827-36
  • Vice President, 1841 (under tiny U.S. flag W. H. Harrison)
  • Member of Confederate States Congress, 1861-62

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Presidential Election Results:
Never ran for president.

Vice President: None Cabinet:

Secretary of State
Daniel Webster (1841-43)
Abel P. Upshur (1843-44)
John C. Calhoun (1844-45)
Secretary of the Treasury
Thomas Ewing (1841)
Walter Forward (1841-43)
John C. Spencer (1843-44)
George M. Bibb (1844-45)
Secretary of War
John Bell (1841)
John C. Spencer (1841-43)
James M. Porter (1843-44)
William Wilkins (1844-45)
Attorney General
John J. Crittenden (1841)
Hugh S. Legare (1841-43)
John Nelson (1843-45)
Postmaster General
Francis Granger (1841)
Charles A. Wickliffe (1841-45)
Secretary of the Navy
George E. Badger (1841)
Abel P. Upshur (1841-43)
David Henshaw (1843-44)
Thomas W. Gilmer (1844)
John Y. Mason (1844-45)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Associate Justice
Samuel Nelson (1845-72)

Notable Events:

  • 1841
    • Tyler’s cabinet resigns after he vetoes banking bills supported by the Whigs.
  • 1844
    • The Far East is opened to U.S. traders after a treaty with China is signed.
  • 1845
    • Texas is annexed followed by war with Mexico.

Internet Biographies:

John Tyler — from The Presidents of the United States of America
Compiled by the White House.
John Tyler — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN
Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
John Tyler — from U.S. Presidents
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

John Tyler: First Annual Message. December 7, 1841— from The American Presidency Project

Other Internet Resources:

Sherwood Forest
History of the Tyler home in Charles City County, Virginia, tour information, virtual tours, and a ghost story.

Points of Interest:

  • Tyler was the first president whose wife died while he was in office.
  • Tyler was the only president to hold office in the Confederacy. He sided with the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War, and was elected to a seat in the Confederate House of Representatives.
  • Tyler was one of five Presidents who were never inaugurated.
  • Five years after leaving office, Tyler was so poor he was unable to pay a bill for $1.25 until he had sold his corn crop.
  • The tradition of playing “Hail to the Chief” whenever a president appears at state functions was started by Tyler’s second wife, Julia. For more on the origins of “Hail to the Chief,” watch C-SPAN’s Vignette on The Origins Of “Hail To The Chief” (RealAudio).

Previous President: tiny U.S. flag William Henry Harrison | Next President: tiny U.S. flag James Knox Polk


©1996-2008. Robert S. Summers. All rights reserved.

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