John Tyler: The first U.S. vice president to succeed a dead president
John Tyler: The first U.S. vice president to succeed a dead president
An overview of John Tyler.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
John Tyler became the 10th president of the United States in 1841, following the death of President William Henry Harrison. Tyler was the first vice president to ascend to the presidency during a term, setting the example that has been followed upon the death of every sitting U.S. president since.
Tyler was born in 1790 into a wealthy, aristocratic Virginia family. His father was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and served as a governor of Virginia. Tyler attended the College of William and Mary and began practicing law at age 19. When he was 21, he won a seat in the Virginia legislature.
Tyler followed in his father’s footsteps as governor in 1825. He also represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, he joined the Whig Party. The Whigs selected Tyler as their vice presidential candidate in 1840, hoping to capture Southern votes. His running mate was William Henry Harrison.
Harrison and Tyler won the election and took office in March 1841. One month later, Harrison died. A shocked Congress was unsure how to handle the succession to the presidency. Some Congressmen argued that Tyler should be “vice president acting as president.” But Tyler asserted that he was president and moved into the White House.
Tyler’s presidency was difficult. Neither the Whigs nor the Democrats supported him. And his critics called him “His Accidency.” Nevertheless, he was able to lead Congress to reorganize the Navy and admit Texas as a state. He also ended the costly Second Seminole War, waged against the Seminole people of Florida.
In 1842, First Lady Letitia Christian Tyler died. She was the first president’s wife to die in the White House. Two years later Tyler married Julia Gardiner, becoming the first president to marry while in office. Between his two wives, Tyler had fifteen children. His last child, Pearl, was born when he was 70. Together, John and Pearl Tyler’s lives spanned the terms of the first 33 presidents.
In 1844 Tyler ran for president as a third party candidate but withdrew before the election. He retired to his Virginia plantation. As the American Civil War loomed in 1861, he opposed Southern secession and worked to preserve the Union. But after peace efforts failed, Tyler embraced the Southern cause and was elected to the Confederate Congress. He was the only U.S. president to join the Confederacy. Tyler died before he could take office, on January 18, 1862.
Tyler was born in 1790 into a wealthy, aristocratic Virginia family. His father was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and served as a governor of Virginia. Tyler attended the College of William and Mary and began practicing law at age 19. When he was 21, he won a seat in the Virginia legislature.
Tyler followed in his father’s footsteps as governor in 1825. He also represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, he joined the Whig Party. The Whigs selected Tyler as their vice presidential candidate in 1840, hoping to capture Southern votes. His running mate was William Henry Harrison.
Harrison and Tyler won the election and took office in March 1841. One month later, Harrison died. A shocked Congress was unsure how to handle the succession to the presidency. Some Congressmen argued that Tyler should be “vice president acting as president.” But Tyler asserted that he was president and moved into the White House.
Tyler’s presidency was difficult. Neither the Whigs nor the Democrats supported him. And his critics called him “His Accidency.” Nevertheless, he was able to lead Congress to reorganize the Navy and admit Texas as a state. He also ended the costly Second Seminole War, waged against the Seminole people of Florida.
In 1842, First Lady Letitia Christian Tyler died. She was the first president’s wife to die in the White House. Two years later Tyler married Julia Gardiner, becoming the first president to marry while in office. Between his two wives, Tyler had fifteen children. His last child, Pearl, was born when he was 70. Together, John and Pearl Tyler’s lives spanned the terms of the first 33 presidents.
In 1844 Tyler ran for president as a third party candidate but withdrew before the election. He retired to his Virginia plantation. As the American Civil War loomed in 1861, he opposed Southern secession and worked to preserve the Union. But after peace efforts failed, Tyler embraced the Southern cause and was elected to the Confederate Congress. He was the only U.S. president to join the Confederacy. Tyler died before he could take office, on January 18, 1862.