America at 250 Series
John Tyler was born in 1790 on a Virginia plantation, the son of a governor and a friend of Jefferson. He grew up tall, courtly, and certain of his own judgment — a states’ rights man to the bone, in a party that was not quite sure what to do with him.
He was put on the Whig ticket in 1840 to balance Harrison, and a month into the term, Harrison was dead. No one knew what came next. Tyler did. He took the oath, moved into the White House, and called himself president — not acting president — setting a precedent that held for a century.
His own party expelled him. His cabinet quit. He vetoed their bills and they burned him in effigy on the White House lawn.
He annexed Texas on his way out. Years later, he was elected to the Confederate Congress, and died before he could serve.
