Owner Comments:
John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin — Tenth President, 1841 - 1845
• Born: 29 March 1790
• Birthplace: Greenway, Virginia
• Died: 18 January 1862
• Best Known As: President of the United States, 1841-1845
John Tyler was the 10th president of the United States. The child of an old Virginia family, he graduated from the College of William and Mary at age 17 (not an unusual age for that time) and went on to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1816-21), governor of Virginia (1825-26), and a member of the U.S. Senate (1827-36).
He was tapped by the Whigs to be the running mate of William Henry Harrison in 1840 -- not so much for his policies, but to draw support from Virginia and the south. Just one month into his term, Harrison died and Tyler became president.
Tyler's years in office were rocky, and by the end of his term, neither the Whigs nor the Democrats supported him. He chose not to run for re-election. He was succeeded by Democrat James K. Polk.
At the time of his death in 1862, Tyler was a member of the Confederate Congress, in revolt against the United States during the Civil War.
First Lady Letitia Christian Tyler died in the White House in 1842. Two years later, at the age of 54, John Tyler married 24 year-old Julia Gardiner... Tyler had 15 children, the most fathered by any U.S. president. His last child was born in 1860, when Tyler was 70 years old... Harrison was called "Old Tippecanoe" for his victory in battle at Tippecanoe Creek in 1811; that led to the famous 1840 campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!"
Born in 1790 to a prominent Virginia planter family, John Tyler was a lawyer by training. He served as a Virginia state delegate and governor, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator and vice president for one month under William Henry Harrison.
Tyler became the first vice president to take office upon the death of the sitting president. At that time, the U.S. Constitution was not clear on succession, and his entire presidency was dominated by questions on the scope of his Presidential powers, earning him the nickname “His Accidency.” While many believed he should be recognized only as an acting president with limited powers, Tyler set an important precedent by assuming all the duties and powers of an elected president.
His independent streak caused him to lose favor with his political party, the Whigs, and practically his entire cabinet resigned in protest over his veto of a national bank bill. He championed the cause of Texas statehood, a controversial proposition at the time. After much political wrangling, he signed the bill annexing Texas just three days before leaving office after his defeat in the election of 1844. He retired to his Virginia home, Sherwood Forest, named to reflect his political “outlaw” status. He died in Richmond, Virginia, in 1862.