John Tyler is one of those presidents who is often overlooked. An advocate of states’ rights, he was placed on the 1840 Whig ticket to bring in southern votes. Tyler became president only because William Henry Harrison passed away after just a month in office. From there, things went downhill for the Virginian. The Whig party, which had expected to control Tyler, abandoned him once it was clear that he wasn’t going to cave to their agenda. Tyler finished out Harrison’s term, with his only notable achievement being the signing of a joint congressional resolution agreeing to annex Texas. He was elected to the Confederate Congress but died before taking office.
One of Tyler sons was Lyon G. Tyler. Tyler was a former president of the College of William & Mary, as well as a prolific writer and editor. Two of his sons (President Tyler’s grandsons) were still living as of early 2010. One, Harrison Tyler, is a retired chemical engineer who owns Sherwood Forest, his grandparents’ plantation. The other, Lyon G. Tyler, Jr., who lives in the Nashville area, was a professor of history at the Citadel and still speaks to the public about his family’s history.
Pretty cool, eh?
UPDATE: Original link to inspiration for this post
January 26th, 2012 at 1:37 PM
I am a fan of both History and Genealogy. Although I am Canadian, I enjoy American history as well with its rich history and content. Many of My family members from the Red River Settlement just outside of Winnipeg Manitoba ended up in the States. During the time of John Tyler’s Presidency, many of My descendants were following the buffalo in Red River Carts into the Dakotas. Some stayed in the Dakotas; some came back to Canada. This article garnered My attention from the Huff Post weird news Canada titled “Pres. John Tyler’s Grandchildren Are Still Alive ”
Thank you for sharing Mark.
Catherine Smaha
January 26th, 2012 at 2:19 PM
Catherine,
Thanks for reading and commenting. I’m glad you liked the story of Tyler’s family.
Mark
January 26th, 2012 at 11:41 AM
Yes, Really cool and facinating. Just think his children lived through the Civil War and the Great Depression. Thanks for the research and genealogy. Mary Williams
January 26th, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Mary,
It is quite the story, isn’t it? Thanks for reading and commenting.
Mark