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The American Presidents #10
John Tyler
The first “accidental president,” whose secret maneuverings brought Texas into the Union and set secession in motion
When William Henry Harrison died in April 1841, just one month after his inauguration, Vice President John Tyler assumed the presidency. It was a controversial move by this Southern gentleman, who had been placed on the fractious Whig ticket with the hero of Tippecanoe in order to sweep Andrew Jackson’s Democrats, and their imperial tendencies, out of the White House.
Soon Tyler was beset by the Whigs’ competing factions. He vetoed the charter for a new Bank of the United States, which he deemed unconstitutional, and was expelled from his own party. In foreign policy, as well, Tyler marched to his own drummer. He engaged secret agents to help resolve a border dispute with Britain and negotiated the annexation of Texas without the Senate’s approval. The resulting sectional divisions roiled the country.
Gary May, a historian known for his dramatic accounts of secret government, sheds new light on Tyler’s controversial presidency, which saw him set aside his dedication to the Constitution to gain his two great ambitions: Texas and a place in history.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 2008
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About the author
Gary May
27 books13 followersGary May is Professor of History at the University of Delaware. He is the author of The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
October 21, 2019
When John Tyler rose to the presidency because of the death of William Henry Harrison, he became the first vice-president to do so. He didn’t receive a cool nickname like “Tippecanoe”: instead, they called him “His Accidency.”
They soon called him other things. When he tried to govern according to his principles, ignoring not only Democratic desires but his own Whig party’s demands, they called him “Monsieur Veto.” When his cabinet of Whigs—except for Daniel Webster—all resigned in frustration, and the Whigs officially expelled him, they called him “The Man Without a Party.” And even later, when a generation had passed and Tyler, having voted at the Virginia convention to secede from the Union, was elected to the Confederate States House of Representatives, they called him “Traitor” too.
Perhaps his was inevitably a contentious presidency, for nobody—not even himself—seriously believed he would be president. The Whigs leaders considered him weak, and only chose him as vice-president to satisfy the patrician planters of the Old South, a minority of their uneasy coalition. But Tyler, the last of the Virginia presidents, took his states’ rights principles seriously, and fought his would-be puppet-master Henry Clay over the establishment of a new bank, and other matters. The irony was that Tyler became so isolated that he felt compelled to stretch the boundaries of executive authority merely to survive, thereby acting like the kind of imperial president a state’s rights man like himself should despise.
Still, his presidency could boast of achievements, particularly in foreign policy: the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (which fixed the Maine-Canada border and led to better relations with England) the Treaty of Wanghia (which opened China to American trade, giving the US “most favored nation” status), and established “The Tyler Doctrine” (which extended the Monroe Doctrine to include the Sandwich Islands, later the state of Hawaii), and the problematic annexation of Texas (which would soon, under President Polk, lead to the Mexican War.)
I enjoyed reading about the life of John Tyler in Gary May’s clear and concise account. He was a good man, according to his lights, a man of principle who ceased to be an ideologue when difficult circumstances forced him to be pragmatic.
He is buried in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery, not far from his fellow Virginia president, James Monroe.
June 2, 2024
John Tyler In The American Presidents Series
Over the years I have learned a good deal from the American Presidents series and wanted to return to read some of the biographies I had missed, including this 2008 study of John Tyler by Gary May, Professor of History at the University of Delaware. A president who generally receives a low assessment from historians, John Tyler (1790 -- 1862) served as the tenth president from 1841 -- 1845. He assumed the presidency upon the death of William Henry Harrison after only one month in office and became the first vice-president to assume the presidency.
May's biography offers a solid brief account of Tyler's political and personal life and of the pre-Civil War era in which he lived. The book offers a balanced perspective on Tyler showing his strengths and accomplishments as well as his weakness and failures. Tyler's greatest achievement probably was the manner in which he assumed the presidency upon the death of Harrison. He decisively assumed the position of president, which, as May points out, was not a foregone conclusion at the time, and determined to fulfill the duties of the office using his own judgement rather than as a puppet for the Whig leader Henry Clay. Tyler's firmness in assuming the presidency set a precedent for other vice-presidents who would succeed to the office upon a president's death.
Understanding Tyler's presidency and his nomination as the Whig vice-presidential candidate requires an understanding of the politics of the day which May provides succinctly and well. Tyler was a sectional candidate offered to balance the ticket with a southern Whig. He disagreed with Harrison, with Clay, and with the northern Whigs on many matters leading to the divisiveness of his presidency.
Harrison and Tyler were elected because of the ongoing Depression under President Van Buren. Clay and the northern Whigs wanted to create a third Bank of the United States to combat the Depression, but Tyler, a believer in limited government, disagreed. He vetoed two bills providing for the bank, earning the enmity of Clay and the resignation of most of the members of his cabinet. May's account suggests this situation was as much the responsibility of Clay as of Tyler. The sitting president was formally expelled from the Whig party. The Democrats distrusted him and Tyler became a president without a party.
With his lack of support, Tyler became an aggressive president and, as May suggests, a forerunner of the 20th century "imperial presidency". At one point the House of Representatives contemplated impeachment proceedings. Still, Tyler's presidency had some solid accomplishments, including a treaty that Daniel Webster negotiated with Great Britain to settle a Maine/Canada boundary dispute.
Late in his presidency in a bid to achieve popular support, Tyler worked surreptitiously to secure the annexation of Texas. His efforts were ultimately successful. The annexation was and remains highly controversial. It lead to the War with Mexico and contributed heavily to the Civil War. May offers a good account of the machinations and issues in the Texas annexation.
Following his presidency and with the coming of the Civil War, Tyler voted for secession and was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. He was cast as a traitor to the country he had tried to serve as president and his reputation was tarnished permanently.
In concluding his admirably balanced short biography, May writes
"The mild mannered gentleman from Virginia, scorned by his contemporaries, neglected by today's historians, and forgotten by his countrymen, deserves to be remembered and reexamined. There is much to be learned from his tumultuous presidency."
May has performed a valuable service in writing this accessible account of Tyler for the American Presidents Series. His book includes a thorough bibliography for those wishing to do further study.
Robin Friedman
Over the years I have learned a good deal from the American Presidents series and wanted to return to read some of the biographies I had missed, including this 2008 study of John Tyler by Gary May, Professor of History at the University of Delaware. A president who generally receives a low assessment from historians, John Tyler (1790 -- 1862) served as the tenth president from 1841 -- 1845. He assumed the presidency upon the death of William Henry Harrison after only one month in office and became the first vice-president to assume the presidency.
May's biography offers a solid brief account of Tyler's political and personal life and of the pre-Civil War era in which he lived. The book offers a balanced perspective on Tyler showing his strengths and accomplishments as well as his weakness and failures. Tyler's greatest achievement probably was the manner in which he assumed the presidency upon the death of Harrison. He decisively assumed the position of president, which, as May points out, was not a foregone conclusion at the time, and determined to fulfill the duties of the office using his own judgement rather than as a puppet for the Whig leader Henry Clay. Tyler's firmness in assuming the presidency set a precedent for other vice-presidents who would succeed to the office upon a president's death.
Understanding Tyler's presidency and his nomination as the Whig vice-presidential candidate requires an understanding of the politics of the day which May provides succinctly and well. Tyler was a sectional candidate offered to balance the ticket with a southern Whig. He disagreed with Harrison, with Clay, and with the northern Whigs on many matters leading to the divisiveness of his presidency.
Harrison and Tyler were elected because of the ongoing Depression under President Van Buren. Clay and the northern Whigs wanted to create a third Bank of the United States to combat the Depression, but Tyler, a believer in limited government, disagreed. He vetoed two bills providing for the bank, earning the enmity of Clay and the resignation of most of the members of his cabinet. May's account suggests this situation was as much the responsibility of Clay as of Tyler. The sitting president was formally expelled from the Whig party. The Democrats distrusted him and Tyler became a president without a party.
With his lack of support, Tyler became an aggressive president and, as May suggests, a forerunner of the 20th century "imperial presidency". At one point the House of Representatives contemplated impeachment proceedings. Still, Tyler's presidency had some solid accomplishments, including a treaty that Daniel Webster negotiated with Great Britain to settle a Maine/Canada boundary dispute.
Late in his presidency in a bid to achieve popular support, Tyler worked surreptitiously to secure the annexation of Texas. His efforts were ultimately successful. The annexation was and remains highly controversial. It lead to the War with Mexico and contributed heavily to the Civil War. May offers a good account of the machinations and issues in the Texas annexation.
Following his presidency and with the coming of the Civil War, Tyler voted for secession and was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. He was cast as a traitor to the country he had tried to serve as president and his reputation was tarnished permanently.
In concluding his admirably balanced short biography, May writes
"The mild mannered gentleman from Virginia, scorned by his contemporaries, neglected by today's historians, and forgotten by his countrymen, deserves to be remembered and reexamined. There is much to be learned from his tumultuous presidency."
May has performed a valuable service in writing this accessible account of Tyler for the American Presidents Series. His book includes a thorough bibliography for those wishing to do further study.
Robin Friedman
September 12, 2018
This is an interesting and informative biography of John Tyler. Tyler’s presidency acquired a number of firsts. The first one was: he was the first person to become president on the death of a president. Also, his wife’s death was the first First Lady to die in the White House. The book is packed with all these firsts during his presidency making it a trivia fan’s treasure trove. This book is part of The American Presidents Series; making it a concise short book. May quotes frequently from the biography by Edward Crapol called “John Tyler: The Accidental President”. The definitive academic biography is considered to be the one by Oliver Chitwood “John Tyler: Champion of the South”.
This was well written and researched. It is very easy to read and is packed with lots of information. It is extremely concise. For the average reader, I think this would be the biography of choice to read. For the scholars, I would choose the biography by Chitwood.
I read this as an e-book downloaded into my Kindle app for my iPad from Amazon. The book is 208 pages and was published in 2008.
This was well written and researched. It is very easy to read and is packed with lots of information. It is extremely concise. For the average reader, I think this would be the biography of choice to read. For the scholars, I would choose the biography by Chitwood.
I read this as an e-book downloaded into my Kindle app for my iPad from Amazon. The book is 208 pages and was published in 2008.
May 8, 2022
Even better the second time around!
December 29, 2013
http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...
“John Tyler” by Gary May was published in 2008 and is the youngest of my three biographies of Tyler. May is a professor of history at the University of Delaware and specializes in American political, diplomatic and social history. He is the author of five books, the most recent of which is a book on the Voting Rights Act published earlier this year.
May’s biography of the tenth (and “accidental”) president is the first member of “The American Presidents” series I’ve read as part of my journey. In the past I have been hesitant to add them to my library as they often seem less serious and scholarly than their counterparts (partly due to their nearly universal brevity). However, May’s book has enhanced my perception of the series and I’m looking forward to reading the others I have in my library.
With just 151 pages of text, this is easily the lightest of my biographies of John Tyler. Although its length may appear unfairly pithy – even for a president whose legacy is unspectacular – May’s treatment of Tyler is neither superficial nor perfunctory. In fact, of the fifty-one presidential biographies I’ve read so far, this resides near the very top of the list in terms of efficiency and impact-per-page.
Happily, the author does a better job than many biographers of writing in a clean, crisp, modern and effective style. His points are universally clear, the direction of the storyline is never in doubt and very rarely does he wander into unnecessary detail. The discussion of Tyler’s negotiations with Great Britain concerning the border of Maine and Canada is among the very few instances of relative over-focus I can recall in the book.
As you might expect from a book of relatively few pages covering the complicated life of a former president, economy requires compromise. To keep the page count low May is often forced to skim over history’s messy details, making many situations appear simpler than was really the case. Additionally, the biography seems not to break any new ground on the Tyler presidency, merely summarizing and replaying it. But only serious Tyler scholars and historians will notice, or care, and for the vast majority of the audience the author’s brevity and focus breeds clarity.
Given the paucity of pages in May’s biography, then, it is ironic that his exploration of Tyler’s personal life well-exceeded the attention it received in other John Tyler biographies I’ve read. And given the sense one generally gleans of Tyler as an unexciting and uncharismatic figure, the colorful dynamics this author reveals of Tyler’s family proves entertaining. Few readers will set this biography aside without wishing it were possible to meet Tyler’s second wife.
Overall, Gary May’s “John Tyler” was a worthwhile, if somewhat too brief, exploration of John Tyler’s life and political career. The author’s articulate style of observing and interpreting history was refreshing in the context of many presidential biographies which require a PhD to fully absorb and appreciate. For most readers the level of detail offered by this biography is sufficient to develop an appreciation for Tyler’s life and difficult legacy; for the remaining few it should at least serve as a useful stepping stone to further study.
Overall rating: 4 stars
“John Tyler” by Gary May was published in 2008 and is the youngest of my three biographies of Tyler. May is a professor of history at the University of Delaware and specializes in American political, diplomatic and social history. He is the author of five books, the most recent of which is a book on the Voting Rights Act published earlier this year.
May’s biography of the tenth (and “accidental”) president is the first member of “The American Presidents” series I’ve read as part of my journey. In the past I have been hesitant to add them to my library as they often seem less serious and scholarly than their counterparts (partly due to their nearly universal brevity). However, May’s book has enhanced my perception of the series and I’m looking forward to reading the others I have in my library.
With just 151 pages of text, this is easily the lightest of my biographies of John Tyler. Although its length may appear unfairly pithy – even for a president whose legacy is unspectacular – May’s treatment of Tyler is neither superficial nor perfunctory. In fact, of the fifty-one presidential biographies I’ve read so far, this resides near the very top of the list in terms of efficiency and impact-per-page.
Happily, the author does a better job than many biographers of writing in a clean, crisp, modern and effective style. His points are universally clear, the direction of the storyline is never in doubt and very rarely does he wander into unnecessary detail. The discussion of Tyler’s negotiations with Great Britain concerning the border of Maine and Canada is among the very few instances of relative over-focus I can recall in the book.
As you might expect from a book of relatively few pages covering the complicated life of a former president, economy requires compromise. To keep the page count low May is often forced to skim over history’s messy details, making many situations appear simpler than was really the case. Additionally, the biography seems not to break any new ground on the Tyler presidency, merely summarizing and replaying it. But only serious Tyler scholars and historians will notice, or care, and for the vast majority of the audience the author’s brevity and focus breeds clarity.
Given the paucity of pages in May’s biography, then, it is ironic that his exploration of Tyler’s personal life well-exceeded the attention it received in other John Tyler biographies I’ve read. And given the sense one generally gleans of Tyler as an unexciting and uncharismatic figure, the colorful dynamics this author reveals of Tyler’s family proves entertaining. Few readers will set this biography aside without wishing it were possible to meet Tyler’s second wife.
Overall, Gary May’s “John Tyler” was a worthwhile, if somewhat too brief, exploration of John Tyler’s life and political career. The author’s articulate style of observing and interpreting history was refreshing in the context of many presidential biographies which require a PhD to fully absorb and appreciate. For most readers the level of detail offered by this biography is sufficient to develop an appreciation for Tyler’s life and difficult legacy; for the remaining few it should at least serve as a useful stepping stone to further study.
Overall rating: 4 stars
March 31, 2015
Book Thirty-Five of my Presidential Challenge.
Oh John Tyler, the first "Accidential" President. Before him, the President had never died in office, but thanks to William Henry Harrison oh so brief Presidency, Tyler had to step up. The problems really started with Henry Clay. Clay thought that he was going to control Harrison easily and be the de facto President. Even in Harrison's short time in office, that wasn't panning out so Clay tried the same trick with Tyler.
Specifically, Clay tried to force a new national bank down Tyler's throat. Much to Clay's surprise, Tyler had a backbone and told him to go pound rocks. Clay freaked the f&^% out and basically turned the entire Whig party against Tyler. Clay thought he could force Tyler to resign but at that point Tyler literally had nothing to lose and so stuck around.
Tyler tried to turn his political fortunes around by rallying behind trying annex Texas. He did do a good job of making this a hot button issue that was ultimately successful. Unfortunately, the Whigs never forgave him (while in office) and the Democrats didn't trust him.
Tyler ran for re-election just to be a spoiler for Clay, and God bless him, it worked. Lesson for Clay (and a whole lot of other jerks throughout our nations history): No one is OWED the Presidency. The last guy we begged to be President was Washington. We're not going to beg you. Get over it.
I'd like Tyler a lot more if most of the guns he stuck to had less to do with Slavery. Yep, he was a Virginian who owned slaves and really doubled down on that whole issue. He officially joined the South during the Civil War and (luckily for him) died before the end. If he hadn't, I can't imagine it would have ended well for him.
So yeah, a bunch of firsts for John Tyler:
- 1st Vice President to become President.
- 1st President to be excommunicated from his own party.
- 1st President to become a traitor to his country.
- Most kids by a President: 15!
- Longest Presidential Nose.
That just goes to show you kids, not all records are honors.
Oh, and I don't think this author gave enough credit to Polk and was deluded about Tyler's importance.
Oh John Tyler, the first "Accidential" President. Before him, the President had never died in office, but thanks to William Henry Harrison oh so brief Presidency, Tyler had to step up. The problems really started with Henry Clay. Clay thought that he was going to control Harrison easily and be the de facto President. Even in Harrison's short time in office, that wasn't panning out so Clay tried the same trick with Tyler.
Specifically, Clay tried to force a new national bank down Tyler's throat. Much to Clay's surprise, Tyler had a backbone and told him to go pound rocks. Clay freaked the f&^% out and basically turned the entire Whig party against Tyler. Clay thought he could force Tyler to resign but at that point Tyler literally had nothing to lose and so stuck around.
Tyler tried to turn his political fortunes around by rallying behind trying annex Texas. He did do a good job of making this a hot button issue that was ultimately successful. Unfortunately, the Whigs never forgave him (while in office) and the Democrats didn't trust him.
Tyler ran for re-election just to be a spoiler for Clay, and God bless him, it worked. Lesson for Clay (and a whole lot of other jerks throughout our nations history): No one is OWED the Presidency. The last guy we begged to be President was Washington. We're not going to beg you. Get over it.
I'd like Tyler a lot more if most of the guns he stuck to had less to do with Slavery. Yep, he was a Virginian who owned slaves and really doubled down on that whole issue. He officially joined the South during the Civil War and (luckily for him) died before the end. If he hadn't, I can't imagine it would have ended well for him.
So yeah, a bunch of firsts for John Tyler:
- 1st Vice President to become President.
- 1st President to be excommunicated from his own party.
- 1st President to become a traitor to his country.
- Most kids by a President: 15!
- Longest Presidential Nose.
That just goes to show you kids, not all records are honors.
Oh, and I don't think this author gave enough credit to Polk and was deluded about Tyler's importance.
March 4, 2018
I continue to wander through the 1837-1861 desert of US presidents (Martin Van Buren through James Buchanan) in my Presidential biographies challenge, with John Tyler being the latest stop along the way. Gary May does a good job of conveying a lot of information in just 151 pages. John Tyler consistently ranks among the worst presidents in American history. Any good deeds during his presidential term were outweighed by his betrayal of the country just prior to his death. That said, there were many noteworthy events in Tyler's life and presidential term. Here are a few:
-First VP to be promoted to POTUS due to the death of a sitting president.
-At 51, the youngest to hold the office (at that time).
-Last of the Virginia presidents.
-Took executive privilege and presidential overreach to insane, unconstitutional, and probably illegal levels.
-First president to be expelled from his party while in office.
-A slaveholder who sold one of his slaves in a public auction to raise funds to support his Senate career.
-Survived a violent protest in which Tyler was burned in effigy on the White House lawn which resulted in the establishment of the White House police force.
-His entire cabinet except one, Daniel Webster, resigned over Tyler's veto of a bank bill.
-Congress introduced a special committee to investigate whether Tyler should be impeached (another presidential first) and their report concluded that Tyler had committed 'offenses of the gravest character' and 'deserved to be impeached,' although he was not.
-Tyler's first wife, Letitia, was the first FLOTUS to die during a president's term.
-First sitting POTUS to marry while in office. Two years after his first wife's death, Tyler married his second wife who was just 22 years old. Their marriage turned out to be one of the happiest in presidential history. "All told, Tyler and his two wives produced 15 children, a presidential record. Tyler, born the year after George Washington was inaugurated, produced a family that survived until 1947 when Harry Truman was president."
-Signed the resolution to annex Texas just three days before leaving office.
-First POTUS to not run for reelection.
-Partly responsible for the war between the US and Mexico in 1846.
-Hated Lincoln, calling him a "Black Republican."
-By voting for secession at the Virginia state convention following his presidential term, he became the first POTUS to betray his country.
Onto James K. Polk!
-First VP to be promoted to POTUS due to the death of a sitting president.
-At 51, the youngest to hold the office (at that time).
-Last of the Virginia presidents.
-Took executive privilege and presidential overreach to insane, unconstitutional, and probably illegal levels.
-First president to be expelled from his party while in office.
-A slaveholder who sold one of his slaves in a public auction to raise funds to support his Senate career.
-Survived a violent protest in which Tyler was burned in effigy on the White House lawn which resulted in the establishment of the White House police force.
-His entire cabinet except one, Daniel Webster, resigned over Tyler's veto of a bank bill.
-Congress introduced a special committee to investigate whether Tyler should be impeached (another presidential first) and their report concluded that Tyler had committed 'offenses of the gravest character' and 'deserved to be impeached,' although he was not.
-Tyler's first wife, Letitia, was the first FLOTUS to die during a president's term.
-First sitting POTUS to marry while in office. Two years after his first wife's death, Tyler married his second wife who was just 22 years old. Their marriage turned out to be one of the happiest in presidential history. "All told, Tyler and his two wives produced 15 children, a presidential record. Tyler, born the year after George Washington was inaugurated, produced a family that survived until 1947 when Harry Truman was president."
-Signed the resolution to annex Texas just three days before leaving office.
-First POTUS to not run for reelection.
-Partly responsible for the war between the US and Mexico in 1846.
-Hated Lincoln, calling him a "Black Republican."
-By voting for secession at the Virginia state convention following his presidential term, he became the first POTUS to betray his country.
Onto James K. Polk!
January 1, 2020
A good short bio of Tyler. The first President to rise via the Vice Presidency after the death of William Henry Harrison. While Tyler is part of a slew of relatively boring presidential history, the politics were still tremendously fractious and dirty, and Tyler’s rogue ways in keeping to the Constitution and not a party line kept him on the bad side of all parties.
March 30, 2018
John Tyler has long suffered from bad press. Derided as “His Accidency” by contemporaries who considered him unworthy of the office he inherited, he has long been marginalized as one of our less successful presidents. Yet such treatment minimizes his considerable legacy. As the first vice president who succeeded to the presidency because of the death of the incumbent, he established a precedent for legitimacy that has been followed by all seven of his successors who followed his path to the White House. As president, he settled major outstanding differences with Great Britain and championed – and in the waning days of his administration, gained – the annexation of Texas. Such achievements suggest that his contribution to both the presidency and to American history have been seriously underappreciated.
Gary May’s book goes far towards rectifying this. His short biography provides a nice overview of Tyler’s life and political career. Born into the Virginia plantation aristocracy, Tyler benefitted from the wealth and connections it provided. He followed his father into politics, and served as governor and senator for his state before resigning on a point of principle. Yet May makes clear that his selection as vice president was made more for the lack of better alternatives than for his individual qualifications. With Harrison’s abrupt death after only a month in the White House, Tyler spent nearly a full term as president, pursuing his own ambitious agenda despite his political isolation. Abandoned by the Whigs and spurned by the Democrats, Tyler found himself a man without a party, and was forced to abandon his hopes for another term as president.
Insightful and readable, May’s book is one of the more successful entries in “The American Presidents” series. With its focus on their White House tenure, series is not always a good fit with its subjects. Yet with Tyler it is ideal, giving the author the ability to illuminate an often overshadowed presidency. Though the period is outside of May academic specialization, none of this is apparent from his command of both the historical details and the literature on the period. All of this makes May’s book a superb starting point for anyone interested in an introduction to the life and career of America’s tenth president, one far more worthy of attention than it has traditionally received.
Gary May’s book goes far towards rectifying this. His short biography provides a nice overview of Tyler’s life and political career. Born into the Virginia plantation aristocracy, Tyler benefitted from the wealth and connections it provided. He followed his father into politics, and served as governor and senator for his state before resigning on a point of principle. Yet May makes clear that his selection as vice president was made more for the lack of better alternatives than for his individual qualifications. With Harrison’s abrupt death after only a month in the White House, Tyler spent nearly a full term as president, pursuing his own ambitious agenda despite his political isolation. Abandoned by the Whigs and spurned by the Democrats, Tyler found himself a man without a party, and was forced to abandon his hopes for another term as president.
Insightful and readable, May’s book is one of the more successful entries in “The American Presidents” series. With its focus on their White House tenure, series is not always a good fit with its subjects. Yet with Tyler it is ideal, giving the author the ability to illuminate an often overshadowed presidency. Though the period is outside of May academic specialization, none of this is apparent from his command of both the historical details and the literature on the period. All of this makes May’s book a superb starting point for anyone interested in an introduction to the life and career of America’s tenth president, one far more worthy of attention than it has traditionally received.
October 9, 2009
Trivia question: Who was the first Vice President to rise to the Presidency as a result of the death of a sitting President? Answer: John Tyler, who became President after the death of William Henry Harrison very early in his term.
Tyler came from a goof background, owned a plantation and had slaves. He was a part of the so-called Virginia Aristocracy, and saw himself as one more in the line of Virginia presidents--from Jefferson to Monroe. To cement his place in the arena of the well-to-do, he married well (to Letitia).
Public service became a part of his life, as he served in Congress and the Senate and at the state level, too. He was uncomfortable with the Whigs (irony indeed!); he was an unreconstructed states' rights advocate, suspicious of a strong central government. The book describes the series of steps by which he ended up being selected as Vice President to William Henry Harrison (hence, Tippecanoe and Tyler, too). Although Harrison was elected as a Whig, Tyler was not comfortable with the party's positions on many issues (e.g., a national bank, a system of internal improvements, tariffs, and so on). Upon Harrison's shocking death, Tyler rose to the office.
This book well tells his struggles, as he opposes many of those among the Whigs, as he tries to advance his agenda against the opposition of many. He was not one of the more important presidents, but there were accomplishments (whether one agree with them or not), especially in international relations (e.g., United States' relations with Texas).
Some interesting personal aspects to this work. The death of his wide Letitia devastated him, but he soon found a much younger woman with whom he fell in love (scandalizing many).
Although he desired re-election, he had no support. He tried an abortive third party candidacy and gave that up for a purported deal with candidate James Polk.
Tyler remained active in politics, and was even involved in efforts to avert the Civil War.
Not one of the better known (or better accomplished) American Presidents. But this book does provide, in a brief biography, a solid introduction to this "accidental" President.
Tyler came from a goof background, owned a plantation and had slaves. He was a part of the so-called Virginia Aristocracy, and saw himself as one more in the line of Virginia presidents--from Jefferson to Monroe. To cement his place in the arena of the well-to-do, he married well (to Letitia).
Public service became a part of his life, as he served in Congress and the Senate and at the state level, too. He was uncomfortable with the Whigs (irony indeed!); he was an unreconstructed states' rights advocate, suspicious of a strong central government. The book describes the series of steps by which he ended up being selected as Vice President to William Henry Harrison (hence, Tippecanoe and Tyler, too). Although Harrison was elected as a Whig, Tyler was not comfortable with the party's positions on many issues (e.g., a national bank, a system of internal improvements, tariffs, and so on). Upon Harrison's shocking death, Tyler rose to the office.
This book well tells his struggles, as he opposes many of those among the Whigs, as he tries to advance his agenda against the opposition of many. He was not one of the more important presidents, but there were accomplishments (whether one agree with them or not), especially in international relations (e.g., United States' relations with Texas).
Some interesting personal aspects to this work. The death of his wide Letitia devastated him, but he soon found a much younger woman with whom he fell in love (scandalizing many).
Although he desired re-election, he had no support. He tried an abortive third party candidacy and gave that up for a purported deal with candidate James Polk.
Tyler remained active in politics, and was even involved in efforts to avert the Civil War.
Not one of the better known (or better accomplished) American Presidents. But this book does provide, in a brief biography, a solid introduction to this "accidental" President.
November 23, 2020
BOOK REVIEW - John Tyler, The American Presidents Series, The 10th President, 1841-1845, by Gary May (11.14.20)
Surprisingly, President John Tyler has not been the subject of a great deal of scholarly biography. A few years ago, when I made the goal to read biographies of all the presidents, I add this one to my list. Despite being rather short, Gary May’s work is substantial in its economy. The description by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. on how to judge a president is outstanding and extremely timely in the age of Trump.
John Tyler was called the "accidental president", upon being elevated to the presidency after the untimely death of William Henry Harrison just 31 days in office. At the time, presidential succession was not quite spelled out clearly in the constitution and open to interpretation. The office of Vice President was seen as a throwaway job by most ambitious politicians. Given the general insignificance of the job (which only in modern times has grown along with other powers of the Executive branch) Tyler was viewed merely a placeholder when he became President.
For most of his career John Tyler was almost always on the sidelines. Tyler grew up in a wealthy Virginia family rich with a large plantation and plenty of slaves. His father was a prominent man in the Commonwealth holding numerous jobs including governor. Young John Tyler dined with Thomas Jefferson, knew James Madison, and generally saw his family as members of the Virginia political dynasty. After a brief stint in the military, Tyler began a political career that would take him through the ranks of state and national politics. He was never a major party leader but was well liked by peers and political leaders. As a Democrat, he hoped to follow in Jefferson's footsteps, but he was caught up in Andrew Jackson's populism.
Being a disaffected southern Jeffersonian Democrat made him a nice candidate to partner up with the Whig party. He became the famous "Tyler Too" of the "Tippecanoe" campaign with William Henry Harrison. After Harrison's death, in his most famous and lasting act, Tyler insisted on taking the oath of office and assuming the Presidency. Thus, began a weird chapter of American political life that would have Tyler excommunicated from the Whig party and a not a member of the Democratic party. Tyler attempted to follow his idol Jefferson and pursue a course states' rights, which meant slavery was generally untouched in his administration. Tyler signed into law some of the Whig-controlled Congress's bills, but he was a strict constructionist and vetoed the party's bills to create a national bank and raise the tariff rates. He believed that the president should set policy rather than Congress, and he sought to bypass the Whig establishment, led by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Most of Tyler's Cabinet resigned soon into his term, and the Whigs dubbed him His Accidency and expelled him from the party. Tyler was the first president to see his veto of legislation overridden by Congress. He also coveted Texas, which had broken away from Mexico. Although Tyler advocated for the annexation of Texas, he called Texas “the ark of safety to swindlers, gamblers, robbers and rogues”. All these things generally contribute to his low estimation by historians and general obscurity today.
Tyler first wife Letitia died of a stroke in the White House in 1842. Together they had 8 children. Two years later he married his second wife Julia, 30 years his junior, with whom they had 7 children. He has the distinction of fathering more children than any other president, not including children rumored to be fathered with slave women. He owned as many as 40 slaves and personally regarded the institution as evil but never did anything to change the institution or to free his slaves.
Post presidency he continued his support of slavery and states’ rights ultimately becoming a member of the Confederate Congress and a traitor to the country he served as President. Tyler's death was the only one in presidential history not to be officially recognized in Washington, because of his allegiance to the Confederate States of America. He had requested a simple burial, but Confederate President Jefferson Davis devised a grand, politically pointed funeral, painting Tyler as a hero to the new nation. Accordingly, at his funeral, the coffin of the tenth president of the United States was draped with a Confederate flag; he remains the only U.S. president ever laid to rest under a flag not of the United States
Surprisingly, President John Tyler has not been the subject of a great deal of scholarly biography. A few years ago, when I made the goal to read biographies of all the presidents, I add this one to my list. Despite being rather short, Gary May’s work is substantial in its economy. The description by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. on how to judge a president is outstanding and extremely timely in the age of Trump.
John Tyler was called the "accidental president", upon being elevated to the presidency after the untimely death of William Henry Harrison just 31 days in office. At the time, presidential succession was not quite spelled out clearly in the constitution and open to interpretation. The office of Vice President was seen as a throwaway job by most ambitious politicians. Given the general insignificance of the job (which only in modern times has grown along with other powers of the Executive branch) Tyler was viewed merely a placeholder when he became President.
For most of his career John Tyler was almost always on the sidelines. Tyler grew up in a wealthy Virginia family rich with a large plantation and plenty of slaves. His father was a prominent man in the Commonwealth holding numerous jobs including governor. Young John Tyler dined with Thomas Jefferson, knew James Madison, and generally saw his family as members of the Virginia political dynasty. After a brief stint in the military, Tyler began a political career that would take him through the ranks of state and national politics. He was never a major party leader but was well liked by peers and political leaders. As a Democrat, he hoped to follow in Jefferson's footsteps, but he was caught up in Andrew Jackson's populism.
Being a disaffected southern Jeffersonian Democrat made him a nice candidate to partner up with the Whig party. He became the famous "Tyler Too" of the "Tippecanoe" campaign with William Henry Harrison. After Harrison's death, in his most famous and lasting act, Tyler insisted on taking the oath of office and assuming the Presidency. Thus, began a weird chapter of American political life that would have Tyler excommunicated from the Whig party and a not a member of the Democratic party. Tyler attempted to follow his idol Jefferson and pursue a course states' rights, which meant slavery was generally untouched in his administration. Tyler signed into law some of the Whig-controlled Congress's bills, but he was a strict constructionist and vetoed the party's bills to create a national bank and raise the tariff rates. He believed that the president should set policy rather than Congress, and he sought to bypass the Whig establishment, led by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Most of Tyler's Cabinet resigned soon into his term, and the Whigs dubbed him His Accidency and expelled him from the party. Tyler was the first president to see his veto of legislation overridden by Congress. He also coveted Texas, which had broken away from Mexico. Although Tyler advocated for the annexation of Texas, he called Texas “the ark of safety to swindlers, gamblers, robbers and rogues”. All these things generally contribute to his low estimation by historians and general obscurity today.
Tyler first wife Letitia died of a stroke in the White House in 1842. Together they had 8 children. Two years later he married his second wife Julia, 30 years his junior, with whom they had 7 children. He has the distinction of fathering more children than any other president, not including children rumored to be fathered with slave women. He owned as many as 40 slaves and personally regarded the institution as evil but never did anything to change the institution or to free his slaves.
Post presidency he continued his support of slavery and states’ rights ultimately becoming a member of the Confederate Congress and a traitor to the country he served as President. Tyler's death was the only one in presidential history not to be officially recognized in Washington, because of his allegiance to the Confederate States of America. He had requested a simple burial, but Confederate President Jefferson Davis devised a grand, politically pointed funeral, painting Tyler as a hero to the new nation. Accordingly, at his funeral, the coffin of the tenth president of the United States was draped with a Confederate flag; he remains the only U.S. president ever laid to rest under a flag not of the United States
July 30, 2017
Gary May's John Tyler has been, since the beginning of my quest to read a biography of every president, the most concise of all that I have read up to this point, only 150 pages. It is a part of a series entitled "The American Presidents", the purpose of which is to give readers an quick overview of the lives of our Commanders-in-Chief. I found the book readable, giving some information into his life and his times, but not going into too much detail. Considering that Tyler is called "the Accidental President" (only because it was he who grabbed the reins of power as President when Harrison died in office, setting the precedent for Fillmore, Arthur, Johnson (both of them), Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Ford), a 150-page read may have been worth it. Up to that point, depending on how you interpreted the Constitution, he could having been "acting" president, and then Congress would have made the final choice (there were many at the time that were banking on this option). Tyler offended the Whig party that put Harrison and him in office, and then struggled politically because had no loyal backing. He was perhaps best known for two things: the annexation of Texas that further greased the slippery slope that lead to the War between States and for committing treason by joining the CSA, an act which has placed he in the dubious category of one of the worst presidents by many, a sad position for a man who desperately tried to preserve his legacy.
February 17, 2019
The "Accidental President" ended up being more interesting to read about than I anticipated. He had a number of "firsts" including -
+ First acting vice president to assume the presidency (after McKinley's quick 30 days in office)
+ First to be kicked out of his own party
+ First to be married while in office. Following the death of his first wife (who was the first First Lady to die in office), he married someone 30 years younger than him - surprisingly the marriage turned out to be solid. Between his first and second wives he had FIFTEEN kids. Sheesh.
Probably the most noteworthy piece of his time in office was the annexation of Texas. Resolving the Maine/Canada border situation along with opening trade w/ China were other interesting moments.
Ultimately, there was a lot I didn't care for about him - the way he handled a number of things despite what the Constitution said, his views on slavery, and of course his ultimate support of secession (which is treachery at its finest IMO).
+ First acting vice president to assume the presidency (after McKinley's quick 30 days in office)
+ First to be kicked out of his own party
+ First to be married while in office. Following the death of his first wife (who was the first First Lady to die in office), he married someone 30 years younger than him - surprisingly the marriage turned out to be solid. Between his first and second wives he had FIFTEEN kids. Sheesh.
Probably the most noteworthy piece of his time in office was the annexation of Texas. Resolving the Maine/Canada border situation along with opening trade w/ China were other interesting moments.
Ultimately, there was a lot I didn't care for about him - the way he handled a number of things despite what the Constitution said, his views on slavery, and of course his ultimate support of secession (which is treachery at its finest IMO).
January 6, 2021
There was no audiobook of this biography so it took me several months to read it. In the last couple months I learned that two of Tyler's GRANDSONS passed away this year. Tyler had remarried a women 30 years younger and had several children by her. Pretty amazing. Also amazing was the fact that following his term in office, Tyler sided with the Confederacy and was on his way to taking office in the Confederate government when he died. So he was a true son of the South, the last of the Virginia Presidents. This effort to read biographies of the Presidents in order really reveals how much struggle there is at every age of human history. Tyler was an Accidental President who took office when William Henry Harrison died early in his administration. Tyler had been chosen to balance the ticket with a Southerner. At one point his entire cabinet except for Secretary of State, Daniel Webster, resigned. Every age has its own ring of hell.
September 3, 2020
This series is easily readable and concise. The authors tend to favor the president, but do not ignore the opposing viewpoint.
The Accidental President seems to be more known for trivial firsts —1st First Lady to die, 1st sitting president to marry—rather than his accomplishments, the greatest of which is arguably the annexation of Texas 3 days before leaving office.
The Accidental President seems to be more known for trivial firsts —1st First Lady to die, 1st sitting president to marry—rather than his accomplishments, the greatest of which is arguably the annexation of Texas 3 days before leaving office.
September 8, 2025
This was brilliantly written. The historians that are attached to this project are truly incredible writers. But they paint such dark times. Easy to see why America is the way that it is. John Tyler was an incredibly unlucky President but he was a slave owner and a passionate advocate for slave ownership. That sets the tone of the story doesn't it?
September 16, 2020
My take on this President: his determination to have a legacy like other of Virginia's presidents caused him to support the Confederacy ensuring his shame. Biographer did a really good job of bringing this out.
May 12, 2023
John Tyler
John Tyler by Gary May
Tier 4
There is no more accidental president than John Tyler. There have been other instances of Vice Presidents assuming the role of President, but Tyler was the first and, as such, the most surprising. As I mentioned in my previous post, the rules for succession weren’t agreed upon when Harrison died. It was such a foreign idea that people considered the Vice President immaterial.
Tyler was likely only selected for the role to provide geographical balance to the ticket – Harrison resided in the northern frontier states, Tyler lived in Virginia. As a slaveholder, he assured voters that any rumors of Harrison’s abolitionist tendencies were false, but aside from that, he presented little.
But those are the odd twists of fate on which the nation turns. An afterthought became President.
I don’t have much nice to say about Tyler. I don’t like him. I think he was a bad person and an indifferent president. But our nation’s history is littered with these men, and it would be a dereliction of my self-appointed duty to gloss over people like Tyler.
Given the lack of deliberation that went into nominating Tyler as VP, no one seemed to have much of a handle on what he’d do as President. Henry Clay, the nominal leader of the Whig Party, assumed he’d be able to control the White House from the Senate. At this point in the nation’s history, Congress was the preeminent of the three branches of power. Tyler was a Whig of far less standing than Clay and even supported Clay’s bid to become the Presidential nominee over Harrison. But Clay was wrong.
Tyler proved to be a strident advocate of executive authority. He believed it should be the President, not Congress, who drives the direction of the nation. He contended that Congress should draft legislation and pass it on to the President, who could use his veto to direct policy. As one could imagine, this was very unpopular in Congress, leading to the first-ever President to have his veto overridden by Congress.
In general, Tyler seemed to annoy seemingly everyone he encountered. Upon becoming President, he decided to keep on Harrison’s Cabinet in a display of continuity. This was a poor decision, as many members of this Cabinet openly despised Tyler.
After another argument about a national bank (seriously, it’s like all anyone talked about from 1820 – 1850), with Tyler repeatedly vetoing Clay’s proposed bills to establish one, his Cabinet resigned en masse. Next, his own party expelled him and refused to allocate money desperately needed to repair the shambolic White House. So, as you can see, he was a really popular guy.
John Tyler was a strict constructionist. This essentially means that he believed that the Constitution should be strictly followed. More directly, in the 1840s, this translated to him supporting “state's rights” (slavery). He wanted to expand slavery to newly added western states, take more land in the west, and annex the newly formed independent nation of Texas. It all circles back to slavery with these people. Tyler was a virulent racist who wanted to define the nation by that racism.
There was little hope for him in terms of re-election. The Whigs had expelled him, and the Democratic Party had little love for him. He threatened to run as a third-party candidate, which would’ve cannibalized Democratic votes, to gain congressional support for the annexation of Texas. He received this, and after some maneuvering, Texas was offered and accepted statehood.
For most, his legacy is Texas and being the first Vice President to assume the presidency. But not for me. Because a president’s life does not end when he leaves office, and there might be no more detestable post-presidency than that of John Tyler.
As the Civil War neared, Tyler was named presiding officer of the Washington Peace Conference – a last-ditch effort to avoid war. Despite being a leader of this Conference, he opposed its resolution, fearing it did not do enough to protect and ensure the continuance of slavery. He then became a vocal advocate of secession, even going so far as to claim it wouldn’t trigger a war. The stupidity of this claim is staggering.
After Fort Sumter and Lincoln’s response, Tyler ensured that Virginia joined the newly formed Confederacy. Next, he was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress and later the Confederate House of Representatives.
Unfortunately, he died in 1862. I don’t say this because I mourn his death, but rather because I wish he had lived long enough to see the Confederacy in ashes. Jefferson Davis, the cowardly President of the Confederacy, gave him a grand funeral and buried him under the Confederate flag.
This is as good a time as any to grant you all fair warning for what is to come. The Civil War is the primary incident in US history, and I am unequivocal in my hatred of the racist failure that was The Confederate States of America. If you are one of those people who love the Confederacy, this is not the series for you, and I would suggest you take a hard look at why you venerate such a pathetic and hateful failed state.
Sorry if that got a little serious there. This biography wasn’t very good. It’s part of a series of biographies on the American Presidents. I used this series when I couldn’t find a different biography, and I think it’s a good idea in principle. They’re short books that manage to convey basic facts about a president but do not dive deep enough for my taste.
A few years ago, I set out to listen to a biography of every US President. I have completed that project and am now writing about each book I listened to. If you’re interested in more of these I have a substack (https://patrickodowd.substack.com) and a website (https://www.patrickrodowd.com) where I post these reviews/musings. Thank you for reading!
John Tyler by Gary May
Tier 4
There is no more accidental president than John Tyler. There have been other instances of Vice Presidents assuming the role of President, but Tyler was the first and, as such, the most surprising. As I mentioned in my previous post, the rules for succession weren’t agreed upon when Harrison died. It was such a foreign idea that people considered the Vice President immaterial.
Tyler was likely only selected for the role to provide geographical balance to the ticket – Harrison resided in the northern frontier states, Tyler lived in Virginia. As a slaveholder, he assured voters that any rumors of Harrison’s abolitionist tendencies were false, but aside from that, he presented little.
But those are the odd twists of fate on which the nation turns. An afterthought became President.
I don’t have much nice to say about Tyler. I don’t like him. I think he was a bad person and an indifferent president. But our nation’s history is littered with these men, and it would be a dereliction of my self-appointed duty to gloss over people like Tyler.
Given the lack of deliberation that went into nominating Tyler as VP, no one seemed to have much of a handle on what he’d do as President. Henry Clay, the nominal leader of the Whig Party, assumed he’d be able to control the White House from the Senate. At this point in the nation’s history, Congress was the preeminent of the three branches of power. Tyler was a Whig of far less standing than Clay and even supported Clay’s bid to become the Presidential nominee over Harrison. But Clay was wrong.
Tyler proved to be a strident advocate of executive authority. He believed it should be the President, not Congress, who drives the direction of the nation. He contended that Congress should draft legislation and pass it on to the President, who could use his veto to direct policy. As one could imagine, this was very unpopular in Congress, leading to the first-ever President to have his veto overridden by Congress.
In general, Tyler seemed to annoy seemingly everyone he encountered. Upon becoming President, he decided to keep on Harrison’s Cabinet in a display of continuity. This was a poor decision, as many members of this Cabinet openly despised Tyler.
After another argument about a national bank (seriously, it’s like all anyone talked about from 1820 – 1850), with Tyler repeatedly vetoing Clay’s proposed bills to establish one, his Cabinet resigned en masse. Next, his own party expelled him and refused to allocate money desperately needed to repair the shambolic White House. So, as you can see, he was a really popular guy.
John Tyler was a strict constructionist. This essentially means that he believed that the Constitution should be strictly followed. More directly, in the 1840s, this translated to him supporting “state's rights” (slavery). He wanted to expand slavery to newly added western states, take more land in the west, and annex the newly formed independent nation of Texas. It all circles back to slavery with these people. Tyler was a virulent racist who wanted to define the nation by that racism.
There was little hope for him in terms of re-election. The Whigs had expelled him, and the Democratic Party had little love for him. He threatened to run as a third-party candidate, which would’ve cannibalized Democratic votes, to gain congressional support for the annexation of Texas. He received this, and after some maneuvering, Texas was offered and accepted statehood.
For most, his legacy is Texas and being the first Vice President to assume the presidency. But not for me. Because a president’s life does not end when he leaves office, and there might be no more detestable post-presidency than that of John Tyler.
As the Civil War neared, Tyler was named presiding officer of the Washington Peace Conference – a last-ditch effort to avoid war. Despite being a leader of this Conference, he opposed its resolution, fearing it did not do enough to protect and ensure the continuance of slavery. He then became a vocal advocate of secession, even going so far as to claim it wouldn’t trigger a war. The stupidity of this claim is staggering.
After Fort Sumter and Lincoln’s response, Tyler ensured that Virginia joined the newly formed Confederacy. Next, he was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress and later the Confederate House of Representatives.
Unfortunately, he died in 1862. I don’t say this because I mourn his death, but rather because I wish he had lived long enough to see the Confederacy in ashes. Jefferson Davis, the cowardly President of the Confederacy, gave him a grand funeral and buried him under the Confederate flag.
This is as good a time as any to grant you all fair warning for what is to come. The Civil War is the primary incident in US history, and I am unequivocal in my hatred of the racist failure that was The Confederate States of America. If you are one of those people who love the Confederacy, this is not the series for you, and I would suggest you take a hard look at why you venerate such a pathetic and hateful failed state.
Sorry if that got a little serious there. This biography wasn’t very good. It’s part of a series of biographies on the American Presidents. I used this series when I couldn’t find a different biography, and I think it’s a good idea in principle. They’re short books that manage to convey basic facts about a president but do not dive deep enough for my taste.
A few years ago, I set out to listen to a biography of every US President. I have completed that project and am now writing about each book I listened to. If you’re interested in more of these I have a substack (https://patrickodowd.substack.com) and a website (https://www.patrickrodowd.com) where I post these reviews/musings. Thank you for reading!
June 11, 2015
I have often felt a kindred spirit in Tyler even if politically I rarely agree with what he did. He was a man of certain principles, who maintained the sanctity of the presidency when it was under attack, but most of all he was his own man.
August 31, 2019
For a short biography of a relatively unpopular president for writers, this was surprisingly good. Paints a much more complex man than I expected.
July 19, 2023
Another president that I was a little short sighted in thinking that there would be a good in depth audio biography of to listen to while I work. So this is the third of the post-Jackson presidents I had resorted to the American Presidents series from the early 2000's (not so interesting note when these books were coming out and we (I) had a nice a little display of them on the first shelf of the biography section that I then ran, I had toyed with the idea of reading them all to learn about the presidents, now almost 20 years later I revisted the idea, but with the idea I'd read (actually listen to) big clunky all-encompassing biographies).
Tyler's pretty interesting. Problematic with some of his Southern sympathies, and I would have been curious to learn more about the peace commission he tried to head up leading up to the Civil War, and why exactly he went from trying to avoid war to blowing the whole thing up and throwing himself in the Confederacy.
Historically while not well known he was a President who accomplished quite a number of firsts. Like the first VP to become president. The first president to have a wife die in office, first president to secretly marry a much younger woman while in office. And he also set precedents for how power would change hands when a President dies, apparently the Constitution is a little vague on what the Vice Presidents role would be, would they just be a place holder, actually act as a President?
Early in his career if you can look past the slavery thing he was actually a pretty 'honest' politician, who wouldn't budge on the way he viewed the Constitution and what was proper and improper in relation to it even if it meant not being able to get his agendas passed. Unfortunately, Tyler and Calhoun seem to be some of the most principled in this regard, where they didn't want things like executive orders and extra-Constitutional powers be granted to the President and Congress even when it was for anti-Nationalist / State Right and Slavery issues that they supported because they knew that it was opening a Pandora's box, and it could just as easily be used for issues they didn't support. It's a shame that others who might have had more morally acceptable views didn't subscribe to the same idea since it makes it very difficult to say something like, there was some good to Calhoun even though he was the architect of nullification for the sake of wanting the right to own other human beings (ok, nullification was ostensibly over tariffs but you know).
Another first for Tyler, I'm pretty sure he was the first and only President of the United States to ever then go on to be an elected legislator in a hostile country (is it right to call the CSA a country?)
On to James Polk, who does have what looks like a decent audio biography available.
**This might be better than 3 stars, but the shortness of the book, and coming after two other quick little Presidential Biographies might be causing me to rate it a little lower. But it obviously doesn't compare to something like Chernow's Washington of McCullough's John Adams biography.
Tyler's pretty interesting. Problematic with some of his Southern sympathies, and I would have been curious to learn more about the peace commission he tried to head up leading up to the Civil War, and why exactly he went from trying to avoid war to blowing the whole thing up and throwing himself in the Confederacy.
Historically while not well known he was a President who accomplished quite a number of firsts. Like the first VP to become president. The first president to have a wife die in office, first president to secretly marry a much younger woman while in office. And he also set precedents for how power would change hands when a President dies, apparently the Constitution is a little vague on what the Vice Presidents role would be, would they just be a place holder, actually act as a President?
Early in his career if you can look past the slavery thing he was actually a pretty 'honest' politician, who wouldn't budge on the way he viewed the Constitution and what was proper and improper in relation to it even if it meant not being able to get his agendas passed. Unfortunately, Tyler and Calhoun seem to be some of the most principled in this regard, where they didn't want things like executive orders and extra-Constitutional powers be granted to the President and Congress even when it was for anti-Nationalist / State Right and Slavery issues that they supported because they knew that it was opening a Pandora's box, and it could just as easily be used for issues they didn't support. It's a shame that others who might have had more morally acceptable views didn't subscribe to the same idea since it makes it very difficult to say something like, there was some good to Calhoun even though he was the architect of nullification for the sake of wanting the right to own other human beings (ok, nullification was ostensibly over tariffs but you know).
Another first for Tyler, I'm pretty sure he was the first and only President of the United States to ever then go on to be an elected legislator in a hostile country (is it right to call the CSA a country?)
On to James Polk, who does have what looks like a decent audio biography available.
**This might be better than 3 stars, but the shortness of the book, and coming after two other quick little Presidential Biographies might be causing me to rate it a little lower. But it obviously doesn't compare to something like Chernow's Washington of McCullough's John Adams biography.
July 4, 2020
John Tyler - the accidental President. The Forgotten one. One of the least popular presidents.
Yeah, when most people are asked to name one thing about John Tyler, President, after the "who?", it is "oh, didnt he become president after that other guy died? Tippancanoe and Tyler too Guy"
Sadly, this is some legacy to have.
However, for me, this being Independence Day, I once again find myself finishing ANOTHER President biography. And learning a bit more about the time when John Tyler awoke one day to find himself the newly appointed President of the United States.
His was a typical story - lawyer, politician in Congress, and representative of the good state of Virginia. But while he found himself in the role Vice President, a little more than a month later, he was then made President - the first time a president had died in office. This cause some issues - is he President? A temporary President, to be replaced? This was something the Framers of our Government hadnt considered. But he took on the role of President and made it his.
And he was challenged almost the whole time - in part by Henry Clay.
Congress would sent bills, limiting the powers of the Executive Branch, and the "Veto President" would use his power to stop it, and send it back to Congress. And so it goes - but all this would later come back to cause Tyler to loose any chance of a 2nd term.
As a Texan, we learned a bit about Tyler in Texas history classes. Why? Simple- Tyler is the one who help bring a struggling Republic of Texas into the United States. He worked with the Texas Government to annex the country - and its' MASSIVE amount of land- into the union, but at a time when the addition of new States meant that the issue of Slavery would progress even more towards succession and war. But Manifest Destiny - and the concern of Britain taking control of the Northwestern part of the continent - demanded that Texas become a State.
Finally, Tyler was the first President to marry while in the White House. After having lost his wife while in office, he would end is time with a new, MUCH YOUNGER bride, who would be the talk of the town. (And not to worry to much - much like another first lady, she would provide her older husband with a child. Or in this case, 7 more to add to his already large family).
[I was surprised when I learned that Tyler, born a year after Washington took office, had children that would live into the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower]
Sadly, Tyler would end his life joining with his fellow Virginians in succeeding from the United States in the early 1860's, to join the Confederate States of America. After working to make the state a part of the new nation of rebels, he was to pass away. But, unlike most presidents who passed away, his was one which would not be acknowledge or recognized by the United States - there was no half mass flag, no period of mourning, nor a lying in state in the Capital or any other USA government building. Instead, he was mourned by those in the Southern States and buried in his beloved Virginia.
Yeah, when most people are asked to name one thing about John Tyler, President, after the "who?", it is "oh, didnt he become president after that other guy died? Tippancanoe and Tyler too Guy"
Sadly, this is some legacy to have.
However, for me, this being Independence Day, I once again find myself finishing ANOTHER President biography. And learning a bit more about the time when John Tyler awoke one day to find himself the newly appointed President of the United States.
His was a typical story - lawyer, politician in Congress, and representative of the good state of Virginia. But while he found himself in the role Vice President, a little more than a month later, he was then made President - the first time a president had died in office. This cause some issues - is he President? A temporary President, to be replaced? This was something the Framers of our Government hadnt considered. But he took on the role of President and made it his.
And he was challenged almost the whole time - in part by Henry Clay.
Congress would sent bills, limiting the powers of the Executive Branch, and the "Veto President" would use his power to stop it, and send it back to Congress. And so it goes - but all this would later come back to cause Tyler to loose any chance of a 2nd term.
As a Texan, we learned a bit about Tyler in Texas history classes. Why? Simple- Tyler is the one who help bring a struggling Republic of Texas into the United States. He worked with the Texas Government to annex the country - and its' MASSIVE amount of land- into the union, but at a time when the addition of new States meant that the issue of Slavery would progress even more towards succession and war. But Manifest Destiny - and the concern of Britain taking control of the Northwestern part of the continent - demanded that Texas become a State.
Finally, Tyler was the first President to marry while in the White House. After having lost his wife while in office, he would end is time with a new, MUCH YOUNGER bride, who would be the talk of the town. (And not to worry to much - much like another first lady, she would provide her older husband with a child. Or in this case, 7 more to add to his already large family).
[I was surprised when I learned that Tyler, born a year after Washington took office, had children that would live into the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower]
Sadly, Tyler would end his life joining with his fellow Virginians in succeeding from the United States in the early 1860's, to join the Confederate States of America. After working to make the state a part of the new nation of rebels, he was to pass away. But, unlike most presidents who passed away, his was one which would not be acknowledge or recognized by the United States - there was no half mass flag, no period of mourning, nor a lying in state in the Capital or any other USA government building. Instead, he was mourned by those in the Southern States and buried in his beloved Virginia.
July 1, 2022
This is as good of a book as you can find about "His Accidency", President John Tyler, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gary May's book is very readable, short (151 pages, similar to the books in this series), and there is a lot to absorb about this often forgotten president.
I agree with most historians that Tyler was one of the US' worst presidents of all-time. He was also disliked during his time. A native Virginian from the slaveholding plantation class, he was an eloquent, Southern good ol' boy who lionized the previous Virginian presidents and held very conservative values. He was honest most of the time and cared deeply about the country, but in the end, his values and decisions reflect poorly. As a central point, Tyler was pro-slavery, and he did not change with the times. His obsession was the annexation of Texas, and after a long fight at the tail end of his presidency, the state was added as a new slave state, thus expanding the institution of slavery (recall that Texas defeated Mexico in a war for independence and for 9 years was their own country despite continually asking to becoming a US state). Tyler had many enemies, and it was fun to read some very eloquent criticisms of him from the likes of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Leaving the presidency at only 52, Tyler would live to see the Civil War break out. To his credit, he valiantly went to Washington and presided over a last-minute committee to try and stop the war. After the committee's failure, John Tyler, an ex-US President, amazingly sided with the Confederacy and became a politician in their new government. He firmly believed that an expansion of slavery was necessary (if not in the Western US territories than even in Mexico or the Caribbean), because he feared a race war would develop if too many black slaves overwhelmed the white population. He thought slavery would gradually and peacefully die out if it were more spread out. It doesn't hold up well, does it? It is hard to forgive Tyler for anything after he sided with the CSA.
Beyond the main political issues, there are a lot of fantastic side stories. Tyler, as a vice president, was the first VP to take over the presidency when William Henry Harrison died only 30 days into the job. Disagreeing with the cabinet, the entire cabinet resigned (except one - Webster), and Tyler quickly became isolated as both major political parties couldn't stand him. Tyler's tragically ill wife died early in the presidency, and after a period of mourning, Tyler married a gorgeous 24-year old, Julia Gardiner, who was 30 years his junior. Against high odds, they had a very happy marriage and Tyler, born in 1790, would produce many more children, bring the total up to 15 (the most of any president). One of his kids died in 1947, and he still has a grandson who lives!). Finally, there was a horrific cannonball firing exhibition accident (USS Princeton ship) that killed his future wife's father, the Secretary of State, and many others.
Not a good president, but a man of the times and a lot to learn about US history in this one!
I agree with most historians that Tyler was one of the US' worst presidents of all-time. He was also disliked during his time. A native Virginian from the slaveholding plantation class, he was an eloquent, Southern good ol' boy who lionized the previous Virginian presidents and held very conservative values. He was honest most of the time and cared deeply about the country, but in the end, his values and decisions reflect poorly. As a central point, Tyler was pro-slavery, and he did not change with the times. His obsession was the annexation of Texas, and after a long fight at the tail end of his presidency, the state was added as a new slave state, thus expanding the institution of slavery (recall that Texas defeated Mexico in a war for independence and for 9 years was their own country despite continually asking to becoming a US state). Tyler had many enemies, and it was fun to read some very eloquent criticisms of him from the likes of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Leaving the presidency at only 52, Tyler would live to see the Civil War break out. To his credit, he valiantly went to Washington and presided over a last-minute committee to try and stop the war. After the committee's failure, John Tyler, an ex-US President, amazingly sided with the Confederacy and became a politician in their new government. He firmly believed that an expansion of slavery was necessary (if not in the Western US territories than even in Mexico or the Caribbean), because he feared a race war would develop if too many black slaves overwhelmed the white population. He thought slavery would gradually and peacefully die out if it were more spread out. It doesn't hold up well, does it? It is hard to forgive Tyler for anything after he sided with the CSA.
Beyond the main political issues, there are a lot of fantastic side stories. Tyler, as a vice president, was the first VP to take over the presidency when William Henry Harrison died only 30 days into the job. Disagreeing with the cabinet, the entire cabinet resigned (except one - Webster), and Tyler quickly became isolated as both major political parties couldn't stand him. Tyler's tragically ill wife died early in the presidency, and after a period of mourning, Tyler married a gorgeous 24-year old, Julia Gardiner, who was 30 years his junior. Against high odds, they had a very happy marriage and Tyler, born in 1790, would produce many more children, bring the total up to 15 (the most of any president). One of his kids died in 1947, and he still has a grandson who lives!). Finally, there was a horrific cannonball firing exhibition accident (USS Princeton ship) that killed his future wife's father, the Secretary of State, and many others.
Not a good president, but a man of the times and a lot to learn about US history in this one!
January 5, 2019
John Tyler is the tenth book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. Gary May wrote this particular installment and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States from 1841–1845 after briefly being the tenth vice president, he was elected to the latter office on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison. Tyler ascended to the presidency after Harrison's death in April 1841, only a month after the start of the new administration.
He was a supporter of states' rights, and as president, he adopted nationalist policies only when they did not infringe on the powers of the states. His unexpected rise to the presidency, with the resulting threat to the presidential ambitions of Henry Clay and other politicians, left him estranged from both major political parties.
Tyler is known as the accidental president as the first vice-president to take over for the president after his death and historically one of the worst. May did a brilliant job, as he laid the evidence bare and let the reader decided how they view the tenth president of the United States.
Tyler had distinct flaws. His views on slavery as well as his practice of slavery, his flip-flop on what he had always presented as his core principles once he became president, and his betrayal of the United States when the Civil War broke out are prime examples.
Tyler had some positive traits as well. He seemed to be a caring family man – he had fifteen children with two wives. After the death of his first wife, he came across as strange in his pursuit of a young lady thirty years his junior. On the other hand, after he married her they seemed to have a very loving relationship.
He would not allow himself to be the pawn of any political power broker like Henry Clay and others. Though he was unable to get much of any agenda through during his time in office because his views caused his party to abandon him, he did make the best of a bad situation. He was not afraid to cast some unexpected vetoes that surprised many. His crowning achievement was the admittance of Texas to the Union. He was relentless in that pursuit and barely got it done before he left office.
All in all, John Tyler is a wonderfully written biography of the tenth president and it was a rather good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States from 1841–1845 after briefly being the tenth vice president, he was elected to the latter office on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison. Tyler ascended to the presidency after Harrison's death in April 1841, only a month after the start of the new administration.
He was a supporter of states' rights, and as president, he adopted nationalist policies only when they did not infringe on the powers of the states. His unexpected rise to the presidency, with the resulting threat to the presidential ambitions of Henry Clay and other politicians, left him estranged from both major political parties.
Tyler is known as the accidental president as the first vice-president to take over for the president after his death and historically one of the worst. May did a brilliant job, as he laid the evidence bare and let the reader decided how they view the tenth president of the United States.
Tyler had distinct flaws. His views on slavery as well as his practice of slavery, his flip-flop on what he had always presented as his core principles once he became president, and his betrayal of the United States when the Civil War broke out are prime examples.
Tyler had some positive traits as well. He seemed to be a caring family man – he had fifteen children with two wives. After the death of his first wife, he came across as strange in his pursuit of a young lady thirty years his junior. On the other hand, after he married her they seemed to have a very loving relationship.
He would not allow himself to be the pawn of any political power broker like Henry Clay and others. Though he was unable to get much of any agenda through during his time in office because his views caused his party to abandon him, he did make the best of a bad situation. He was not afraid to cast some unexpected vetoes that surprised many. His crowning achievement was the admittance of Texas to the Union. He was relentless in that pursuit and barely got it done before he left office.
All in all, John Tyler is a wonderfully written biography of the tenth president and it was a rather good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
May 28, 2019
I must admit that I started my reading of Gary May’s biography of John Tyler knowing little about the man. For me, he simply fell into the group of Presidents between Jackson and Lincoln that blundered their way into the Civil War. I also knew from reading about Tyler’s predecessors that he would play a significant role in proceeding with the annexation of Texas.
In my quest to read three or four biographies of each of the Presidents, I needed to decide which of the three Tyler biographies that I identified to jump into first. I determined that Edward Crapol’s “Accidental President” was probably the most challenging and that May’s, as part of the general survey level American Presidents’ Series, was probably the easiest read. I opted to take the easy route to get my feet wet.
Gary May’s “John Tyler” does its job as an introduction well. You come away from your reading with a basic understanding of the first accidental president, his priorities, his strengths, and his overwhelming blind spot; the acceptance of slavery as a given, if not morally preferable condition. In some ways, Tyler serves as an early example of the white privilege model. You’ll find no hint of the mental moral struggles that Washington, Jefferson, and Madison faced when considering that “peculiar institution.” To Tyler, slavery was simply a way of life. Given that, perhaps it’s not surprising that Tyler throws his lot in with the secessionists. I was fascinated to find that Tyler saw as one solution to preserving the “Union,” a national framework that simply accepted slavery as a given. He even envisioned New Jersey as entertaining the acceptance of slavery in exchange for civil stability under a new confederacy.
Tyler was probably a better politician than he is credited with and he proved himself to be more decisive than many other presidents who fare better with historians, yet he richly deserves the title “traitor” that horrified him but that he never would accept.
In my quest to read three or four biographies of each of the Presidents, I needed to decide which of the three Tyler biographies that I identified to jump into first. I determined that Edward Crapol’s “Accidental President” was probably the most challenging and that May’s, as part of the general survey level American Presidents’ Series, was probably the easiest read. I opted to take the easy route to get my feet wet.
Gary May’s “John Tyler” does its job as an introduction well. You come away from your reading with a basic understanding of the first accidental president, his priorities, his strengths, and his overwhelming blind spot; the acceptance of slavery as a given, if not morally preferable condition. In some ways, Tyler serves as an early example of the white privilege model. You’ll find no hint of the mental moral struggles that Washington, Jefferson, and Madison faced when considering that “peculiar institution.” To Tyler, slavery was simply a way of life. Given that, perhaps it’s not surprising that Tyler throws his lot in with the secessionists. I was fascinated to find that Tyler saw as one solution to preserving the “Union,” a national framework that simply accepted slavery as a given. He even envisioned New Jersey as entertaining the acceptance of slavery in exchange for civil stability under a new confederacy.
Tyler was probably a better politician than he is credited with and he proved himself to be more decisive than many other presidents who fare better with historians, yet he richly deserves the title “traitor” that horrified him but that he never would accept.
December 4, 2025
This was such a well done biography on a president who I had no clue was so interesting and divisive. The last Virginian president, Tyler came to the presidency after William Henry Harrison died. There was a constitutional question of whether the VP actually became president when the former president died or whether they’d merely be acting as president. Tyler took action and announced himself as president, and proceeded to deeply alienate his Whig party members (especially Henry Clay and JQA) with his Congressional vetoes and resistance to creating a national bank.
In his one term Tyler managed to piss off his own party deeply, sign a successful treaty with England, bury his first wife Letitia, get re-married to popular New York socialite Julia Gardner who was 33 years his junior whom he was infatuated with (between his two wives he’d have something like 15 kids, a grandson of his just passed away in May 2025 …), and most importantly, scheme the annexation of Texas by essentially colluding with Polk and the Democrats to defeat Clay in return for the promise of pursuing annexation.
The annexation of Texas further entrenched north/south disputes on slavery, as did the Mexican War fought over Texas which brought a bunch of new states (and beef about slavery) into the Union. Later in the 1860s Tyler was very involved in trying to broker peace and prevent Buchanan and the Union from Civil War, but ultimately embarrassingly ended up supporting secession and serving the Confederacy after Browns Rebellion spooked him. Extremely disgraceful but also very in line with Tyler’s polarizing ways and history of being controversial and unpopular on either side of the political aisle (Whig and Democrat and also North and South).
This biography brought Tyler vividly to life for me. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
In his one term Tyler managed to piss off his own party deeply, sign a successful treaty with England, bury his first wife Letitia, get re-married to popular New York socialite Julia Gardner who was 33 years his junior whom he was infatuated with (between his two wives he’d have something like 15 kids, a grandson of his just passed away in May 2025 …), and most importantly, scheme the annexation of Texas by essentially colluding with Polk and the Democrats to defeat Clay in return for the promise of pursuing annexation.
The annexation of Texas further entrenched north/south disputes on slavery, as did the Mexican War fought over Texas which brought a bunch of new states (and beef about slavery) into the Union. Later in the 1860s Tyler was very involved in trying to broker peace and prevent Buchanan and the Union from Civil War, but ultimately embarrassingly ended up supporting secession and serving the Confederacy after Browns Rebellion spooked him. Extremely disgraceful but also very in line with Tyler’s polarizing ways and history of being controversial and unpopular on either side of the political aisle (Whig and Democrat and also North and South).
This biography brought Tyler vividly to life for me. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
September 7, 2022
In 2010, Historian Gary May published a political biography of John Tyler for The American Presidents Series. Similar to other books in The American Presidents series, May’s biography of Tyler is short, effective, and well-researched. May’s book has an introduction that introduces themes and the focus of May’s biography. Mays book has a Selected Bibliography. I read the book on the Kindle. I found that it was useful to listen to and fun to the Lillian Cunningham of the Washington Post’s Presidential Podcast episode on John Tyler where they interviewed John Tyler’s grandson. The episode is entitled “John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency.” This is possible because Tyler had children until when he was the age of seventy (May 140). One of Tyler’s children lived until 1947 (May 140). John Tyler was an influential president because he established the idea that the vice president would become president once the president died or resigned, which the 25th amendment to the American Constitution was passed in 1967 (May 161). Tyler was an influential president in many other ways as well (May 161-162). May does a good job of incorporating the names of several of the enslaved people which Tyler owned into the narrative (May 33; May 116-117). This book is an excellent introduction and overview of the life and presidency of John Tyler. I would like to thank Steve of the blog, My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies, which has an excellent review of John Tyler by Gary May.
Work Cited:
Cunningham, Lillian. 2016. “John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency” The Washington Post-Presidential Podcast, March 13, John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency - The Washington Post
Work Cited:
Cunningham, Lillian. 2016. “John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency” The Washington Post-Presidential Podcast, March 13, John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency - The Washington Post
September 28, 2025
Well, I’m humming along on my American Presidents Series project. It has occurred to me that it would have been better to read these in order, starting at George Washington and ending with G. W. Bush. Perhaps someday I will acquire the whole series and do just that. It shouldn’t take that long to accomplish; each of these books is about 150 pages and can with a little effort be read in a day.
This one was just average for me. There was nothing much notable about Tyler's presidency. He was president during that period where the slavery issue hung over everything but no president had the political guts to take a firm stand one way or the other. There were three things that stood out for me. First the Tyler Doctrine, which I did not at first understand because I didn’t know that the Sandwich Islands were referring to Hawaii. Second, Tyler often took mercury mixed with chalk for his frequent intestinal issues, a practice which sadly is still practiced in some communities. Third, he had fifteen children, surely a presidential record.
I was impressed by the poetic quality of the quotes of Tyler that were given. Here, I thought, was a man of intellect. No doubt opinions of him as a president were tarnished by the fact that he ended his life as a member of the Confederate legislature. Is it fair to judge a president by his post-presidential actions? Tyler was an interesting enough character that I looked for a book on him in my local library from the American Presidency Series, but, alas, they didn’t have it. I guess I’ll have to wait until the OhioLink system comes back online.
This one was just average for me. There was nothing much notable about Tyler's presidency. He was president during that period where the slavery issue hung over everything but no president had the political guts to take a firm stand one way or the other. There were three things that stood out for me. First the Tyler Doctrine, which I did not at first understand because I didn’t know that the Sandwich Islands were referring to Hawaii. Second, Tyler often took mercury mixed with chalk for his frequent intestinal issues, a practice which sadly is still practiced in some communities. Third, he had fifteen children, surely a presidential record.
I was impressed by the poetic quality of the quotes of Tyler that were given. Here, I thought, was a man of intellect. No doubt opinions of him as a president were tarnished by the fact that he ended his life as a member of the Confederate legislature. Is it fair to judge a president by his post-presidential actions? Tyler was an interesting enough character that I looked for a book on him in my local library from the American Presidency Series, but, alas, they didn’t have it. I guess I’ll have to wait until the OhioLink system comes back online.
August 6, 2019
I will say that a huge strength of this book is May's writing style: he is clear and concise, and tells a narrative that is easy to follow. Learning about our 'accidental president' through May gave me the highlights of Tyler's life and presidency, and I particularly enjoyed the payoff as May chronicled the 'firsts' of Tyler's life (first VP to succeed the president, youngest to leave office, first former president to turn traitor in the Civil War). May also does a good job situating the reader in the time period, with a good survey of the figures and forces shaping our country in the 1840s.
But this book also failed to give more details about Tyler himself. Similar to Taylor, we have a president who served less than one full term and whose papers were lost during the Civil War (Tyler was a Virginia plantation owner). And Tyler was not a popular figure who generated much interest in his lifetime (apart from the salacious interest in his marrying a woman 30 years his junior). But I think May could have done more to keep the focus on Tyler rather than the broad sweep of history we're usually given. I also found his final conclusion weak: he gives a summary of the major events he covered, but shies away from emphatically stating what the evidence shows. It's as if he doesn't want to acknowledge that Tyler is deservedly ranked near the bottom of the presidential pile.
In a field with few choices for studying Tyler, this is a good book for an introduction. But it is likely that I would have skipped it altogether if I weren't making my way through presidential biographies.
But this book also failed to give more details about Tyler himself. Similar to Taylor, we have a president who served less than one full term and whose papers were lost during the Civil War (Tyler was a Virginia plantation owner). And Tyler was not a popular figure who generated much interest in his lifetime (apart from the salacious interest in his marrying a woman 30 years his junior). But I think May could have done more to keep the focus on Tyler rather than the broad sweep of history we're usually given. I also found his final conclusion weak: he gives a summary of the major events he covered, but shies away from emphatically stating what the evidence shows. It's as if he doesn't want to acknowledge that Tyler is deservedly ranked near the bottom of the presidential pile.
In a field with few choices for studying Tyler, this is a good book for an introduction. But it is likely that I would have skipped it altogether if I weren't making my way through presidential biographies.
November 24, 2019
As far as boring presidential books go, this one was not the worst. I learned a lot and it was short enough to keep me motivated to finish relatively quickly. After SUFFERING through the William Henry Harrison biography, I was happy to read about any other president, so my opinion may be a little skewed.
John Tyler was a unique President with a lot of firsts: he was the first President to not be elected but serve due to WHH’s death just one month into office. He was the first Incumbent President to not seek re-election (which he did in order to push through a deal to annex Texas). After his first wife died in the White House, he was the first to court someone and marry her (not to mention she was 30 years his junior... and they ended up have 7 children.) On his last day in office, he was the first President to have a veto overruled by Congressional vote. 16 years after leaving office, he was the first Former President to vote for secession for his home state of VA thus betraying country he had once served as President. And when he died in 1862, he was not celebrated/recognized in the North because he was considered a traitor, thus he was the first Former President to not have the flags fly at half mast upon his death.
An inefficient president whose legacy is marred by his last few years of supporting the Confederate States of America... but my favorite fact about him is that he had 15 children in total, the last of whom was born in 1860 and lived until 1947!
John Tyler was a unique President with a lot of firsts: he was the first President to not be elected but serve due to WHH’s death just one month into office. He was the first Incumbent President to not seek re-election (which he did in order to push through a deal to annex Texas). After his first wife died in the White House, he was the first to court someone and marry her (not to mention she was 30 years his junior... and they ended up have 7 children.) On his last day in office, he was the first President to have a veto overruled by Congressional vote. 16 years after leaving office, he was the first Former President to vote for secession for his home state of VA thus betraying country he had once served as President. And when he died in 1862, he was not celebrated/recognized in the North because he was considered a traitor, thus he was the first Former President to not have the flags fly at half mast upon his death.
An inefficient president whose legacy is marred by his last few years of supporting the Confederate States of America... but my favorite fact about him is that he had 15 children in total, the last of whom was born in 1860 and lived until 1947!
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