| Show john tyler born years ago Is one of least known presidents but H had ad a career that Is unique by ELMO SCOTT WATSON released Re lud by western newspaper union OHN TYLER who was JOHN born just years ago is one of the least known presidents of the united states yet few of our chief executives have had a more interesting or more unusual career here are some of the facts which make his unique he was the first vice president to become president upon the death of the chief executive ile he was the first vice president to be defeated for that office in one election and then stage a comeback come back and win in the next one he was the first president to surround himself with a brain trust of college professors and experts even though that name had not yet been coined for it and in doing so he antedated franklin D roosevelt by nearly a hundred years he was the only president who was purged by members of his party and they were were more successful in doing that than president roosevelt was in his attempted purge of his party he was the only president who ever renounced his allegiance to the united states after leaving the white house he accepted the lowliest office ever filled by an ex president that of road overseer his wife was the first presidents wife to die in the white house irs in fact the dark thread of death was woven all through the pattern of john tylers eylers life the death of a virginia congressman john clopton in 1816 resulted in tylers eylers being chosen to fill the vacancy in the house of representatives senta tives and thus brought him on the stage of national affairs the death of john taylor in 1824 resulted in the nomination of tyler to fill 0 the vacancy thus created in the united states senate but his friend littleton tazewell was elected to the post the death of william henry harrison made tyler president of the united states in 1541 and a little more than a year after he moved into the white house it was draped in black in mourning for his wife letitia christian tyler who died september 10 1842 and finally his own death prevented his holding the last office to which he was ever elected membership in the congress of the confederate states of america tyler was born at greenway in charles city county virginia march 29 1790 the son of john tyler who had served as governor of the old dominion from 1808 to 6 1811 fourteen years later another john tyler the junior was chief executive of virginia but after serving one term was elected to the united st states a tes senate when the doctrine of nullification was proposed by the south carolinians tyler broke with his party and resigned from the senate by 1835 there was a serious schism in the democratic party not only had the nullifiers under the leadership of john C calhoun broken away but a much larger party which was formed in the south under the name of state rights whigs were opposed to the policies of jackson and the administration regulars lost his first race in the campaign of 1836 these state rights whigs nominated hugh L white of tennessee for president and tyler for vice president the national republicans nominated gen william henry harrison for president and francis granger for vice president but the influence of old hickory who had forced the nomination of martin van buren by the democrats was potent enough to bring about his election and with it the election of richard M johnson for vice president so john tyler lost out in his first race for vice president but it was a different story four years later agthe As the campaign of 1840 approached henry clay prepared to make his third bid for the presidency leaders in the whig party though certain that van buren would go down to defeat in his race for reelection election re did not believe that henry clay was the mancho could carry the whig banner to victory taking a tip from the democrats democrate success in electing a military hero old hickory jackson they decided upon william henry harrison a noted indian fighter and general in the war of U ar A AV 0 r 10 JOHN TYLER tenth president of the united states 1812 As a running mate for old tippecanoe they selected the ex democrat john tyler they believed that this cultured southern gentleman would attract southern votes and his friendship for henry clay would hold the support of the clay faction in the party in the tumultuous campaign which followed harrison and tyler won an easy victory but within a month after taking the oath of office as president the aged indian fighter worn out by the demands of whig office seekers died on april 4 1841 upon succeeding to the presidency tyler announced that he would retain the cabinet chosen by harrison and would carry out the batters lat policies what they were no one knew for the whig convention had not adopted any platform and in the campaign there was no discussion of issues between the two parties As a matter of fact the whigs had nominated harrison because they believed he could be managed and henry clay intended to do the managing early day brain trust although retaining harrisons cabinet tyler immediately assembled about him a group of unofficial advisers the first brain trust which included prof nathaniel beverly tucker professor of law at william and mary college who first suggested an exchequer bank plan which tyler later proposed and whose recommendations about a public lands policy were incorporated in the homestead law of 1862 caleb cushing of M massachusetts assa chu one of the greatest greate S t authorities thorit ties les on constitutional law who was later nominated for chief justice of the supreme court littleton W tazewell of virginia called by thomas jefferson one of the most brilliant minds I 1 have ever known and robert J walker of mississippi later president folks secretary of the treasury and author of the taris of 1846 who became tylers eylers spokesman in the senate As soon as henry clay and the other whig leaders began trying to dictate to tyler they discovered that the man in the white house had a mind of his own they first pushed through a bill to establish a united states bank tyler vetoed it and their effort to pass it over his veto failed when the whig leaders reproached pro ached tyler for his action lie he reminded them that he had subscribed to no platform and that they should have known his opinions before they nominated him somewhat crestfallen they asked him for an outline of 01 a bank bill he would sign the result was tuckers exchequer bank plan which they changed and pushed through both houses thereupon tyler vetoed it and again an attempt to pass it over his disapproval failed then congress passed a protective tariff bill which tyler vetoed A program for internal improvements to be financed by the federal gov eminent met with the same fate because tyler believed that the states should make their own internal improvements swiftly the breach between the president and his party widened the cabinet with one exception resigned daniel webster remained long enough to complete negotiations for the webster ash burton treaty then he resigned the party was beginning its 1 purge of its president next the whig newspapers went into action and filled their columns with denunciations of the president there were even threats of assassination but tyler stood firm in his determination to be true to his oath of office then theft 10 members of congress headed by ex president john quincy adams now a member of the house of representatives brought in a report charging tyler with violating a promise he had made before his nomination and threatening to impeach him tyler replied that he had never pledged anything to the whigs despite this denial the whig congressmen issued a series of addresses to the people in which they charged that the president had gone into office fully committed to a program which he now repudiated thus selling out the party they listed the reforms which they desired and which they declared the president was impeding finally when tyler filled his cabinet with southern democrats headed by john C calhoun as secretary of state it was the list last straw the whigs issued a proclamation that all political connection between them and john tyler was at an end from that day henceforth the party had completely purged its president the remainder of tylers eylers term of office was marked by the dispute over the slavery question and the annexation of texas favored by the democrats and opposed by the whigs having been I 1 read out of the party tyler now had nothing to lose and supported the move for annexation but without success at first As the 1844 campaign ampro approached ached this question became the principal issue james K polk the democratic nominee indorsed endorsed indor sed annexation tyler had tried to build up a party of his own and see seel reelection re election although he was nominated by a small faction he was persuaded to withdraw from the race and polk won just before leaving office tyler had them the satisfaction of seeing his plan for the annexation of texas accepted by the lone star republic and the next year it came into the union robin hood of virginia tylers eylers political career was now ended he retired to his home sherwood forest where in a facetious mood he often referred to himself as the robin hood of virginia it was during this period of retirement that he accepted the lowly office of road overseer although a virginian and a slaveholder tyler was opposed to the institution of slavery and became president of the african colonization society formed with the view of re colonizing the slaves in africa early in his career he looked forward to the time when slavery would disappear from the south as it already had from some of the northern states but being a strict construe zionist he wanted to bring that about by constitutional means As the clouds of the threatened civil war lowered the ex dent used his influence to help avert it his last great effort to preserve the union was as president of the washington peace pace convention of 1860 assembled in a last minute effort to seek some compromise between the north and the south he looked upon the convention as an attempt to preserve the constitution and the laws of the nation which he considered the north had sought to ignore not change when his native state seceded tyler like robert E lee believed that his first duty was to virginia and he renounced his loyalty to the united states he was elected to the confederate congress but died january 17 1862 1662 before the congress assern assem bled |
