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John Tyler (U.S. president)
John Tyler (b. March 29, 1790, in Charles City, Virginia) was the 10th president of the United States. He was sworn into office following the death of William Henry Harrison, becoming the first president to come to power by succession, and served from 1841 to 1845. Tyler died in 1862 at the age of 71.
Tyler was a member of the Whig Party until his expulsion in 1841. No vice president served under Tyler, as a constitutional process to fill vice presidential vacancies did not come into effect until the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967.
Tyler launched a campaign to annex the Republic of Texas in 1843, setting the groundwork for Texas to be formally admitted to the United States under the Polk administration.
Prior to serving in the White House, Tyler worked as an attorney and served as a military captain in the War of 1812. Following the war, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and Virginia House of Delegates. He served as the governor of Virginia from 1825 to 1827.[1][2][3]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of Tyler's professional and political career:[1]
- 1790: Born in Charles City County, Virginia
- 1807: Studied law at the College of William and Mary
- 1809: Admitted to the bar in Virginia
- 1812: Served as a captain during the War of 1812
- 1816-1821: Served in the U.S. House of Representatives
- 1825-1827: Served as governor of Virginia
- 1827-1836: Served in the U.S. Senate
- 1834: Joined the Whig Party
- 1840: Elected vice president of the United States
- 1841-1845: Served as president of the United States
- 1842: Expelled from Whig Party
- 1861: Elected to the Confederate House of Representatives
- 1862: Died in Richmond, Virginia
Before the presidency
Tyler was born in Charles City County, Virginia, on March 29, 1790, to future Governor of Virginia John Tyler Sr. and Mary Armistead. Tyler studied law at the College of William in Mary and was admitted to the bar in 1809. He worked in private practice in Richmond, Virginia, and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1811. He served as a military captain during the War of 1812.
Tyler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1816 to 1821, before returning to state politics and the Virginia House of Delegates. Following in his father's footsteps, he was elected governor of Virginia in 1825.
In 1840, he joined the Whig Party ticket with William Henry Harrison as the vice presidential nominee, winning 234 of 294 electoral votes. He was sworn into office on March 4, 1841.
Presidency
Tyler's presidency was marked by firsts, beginning with his succession to the seat. He had served as vice president for one month when President William Henry Harrison died in office on April 4, 1841.[4]
Article II of the Constitution provided the following guidance on presidential succession:
| “ |
In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.[5] |
” |
| —U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 6[4] | ||
Confusion reigned over whether Tyler was the acting president or if he assumed the presidency, entirely. Tyler set precedent when he rejected the notion he was a temporary substitute and assumed office as the new president. His detractors called him "His Accidency."[4]
In September 1841, Tyler vetoed a second bill to establish a National Bank of the United States, rejecting the legislation as an overstep of the federal government over states' rights. The Whig Party expelled him and all but one member of his cabinet, Secretary of State Daniel Webster, resigned.[6]
The following year, Tyler became the first president to have an impeachment resolution filed against him, after he vetoed a tariff bill. Although a committee found that he had misused his veto power, the resolution did not proceed.[6]
Before the end of his one term in office, Tyler was instrumental to the campaign to annex the Republic of Texas, beginning in 1843. A joint resolution to annex the republic, which had declared independence from Mexico in 1836, was signed by Tyler on March 1, 1845. Texas was formally admitted to the United States on December 29, 1845, during the Polk administration.[3]
1844 presidential election
After losing favor with the Whig Party during his presidency, Tyler launched a third-party bid for a second term during the 1844 presidential election. Running as the Democratic-Republican candidate, he focused his campaign platform on the annexation of Texas. He withdrew from the race after future president and Democratic nominee James K. Polk announced that he backed Texas statehood.[7][8][9]
Personal
Tyler was married to Letitia Christian until her death in 1842, making her the first First Lady to die during her husband's presidency.[10] Tyler remarried in 1844 to Julia Gardiner and remained with her until his death. He had eight children with Christian and seven children with Gardiner.[11]
Elections
1840 presidential election
In 1840, William Henry Harrison defeated Martin Van Buren for the presidency, winning 53 percent of the popular vote and 234 electoral votes. John Tyler was his running mate.
| U.S. presidential election, 1840 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Whig |  William Henry Harrison/John Tyler |
52.9% | 1,275,583 | 234 | |
| Democratic | Martin Van Buren/Richard M. Johnson | 46.8% | 1,129,645 | 60 | |
| Liberty | James G. Birney/Thomas Earle | 0.3% | 7,453 | 0 | |
| Other | Others | 0% | 13 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 2,412,694 | 294 | |||
| Election results via: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections | |||||
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[12] The following are transcripts from Tyler's State of the Union addresses.
See also
External links
- Sherwood Forest Plantation, Home of President John Tyler
- Official White House Biography of John Tyler
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biography.com, "John Tyler," accessed May 22, 2018
- ↑ Miller Center, "John Tyler: Life in Brief," accessed May 22, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of the Historian, "The Annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1845–1848," accessed May 22, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Archives, "Abrupt Transition," accessed June 11, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The White House, President Barack Obama, "John Tyler," accessed June 11, 2018
- ↑ We're History, "Third Party Voting and the 1844 Election," June 2, 2016
- ↑ Miller Center, "John Tyler: Domestic Affairs," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ Miller Center, "John Tyler: Campaigns and Elections," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "Letitia Christian Tyler," accessed June 11, 2018
- ↑ History.com, "President John Tyler weds his second wife," accessed June 11, 2018
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Henry Harrison (Whig) |
President of the United States 1841-1845 |
Succeeded by James K. Polk (D) |
| |||||||
