About who’s your grand-daddy?
Stories involving American presidents are often hard to believe, especially in recent times. But a few years ago, I stumbled across a little-known fact about a little-known president that truly defies belief.
Many Americans are unaware of the existence of a president called John Tyler. He was the nation’s 10th holder of the office and the first vice-president to make it to the White House because of the death of the sitting president, in this case the equally obscure William Henry Harrison.
Tyler was born in 1790 and that date is crucial to the story. He became president in April 1841, after Harrison succumbed to pneumonia 32 days into the job, making him the USA’s shortest-serving president. Politicians and the public alike never took to Tyler and referred to him ‘His Accidency’ or ‘The Accidental President’.
He is widely regarded as one of the worst presidents ever to hold office, with little or no legacy to speak of. He was a southern gentleman, a plantation owner, slave owner, and a man who joined the Confederates during the Civil War.
But a few years ago, while on a trip to Virginia, Tyler’s home state, I discovered that he had most definitely left a legacy that no other president could match. A legacy that is alive and well after all those years.
Tyler, who was born more than 226 years ago, still has two grandsons alive today. Think about that for a moment. My two grandfathers were born in 1889 and 1890, a full century after Tyler. In fact, the father of the two men still alive was born in 1853, before either of my grandfathers.
I remember being told about this in Virginia and refusing to believe it. Arithmetic isn’t my strong point but even after adding up the years I still couldn’t get my head around it.
But I soon discovered that, in the case of John Tyler and his offspring, anything was possible. He fathered more children – 15 – than any other President in American history. And that isn’t counting those he is alleged to have fathered by his slaves.
If Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator, then John Tyler was the Great Procreator.
The people of Virginia are only too happy to boast about the 10th president’s incredible prowess. One of the grandsons, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, is apparently a ‘spry’ 87-year-old who still plays tennis. The other, Lyon Gardiner Tyler jr, is 91 and living in Tennessee.
So how did this happen? President Tyler had two wives. He had eight children with his first wife, Letitia, who died of a stroke while the couple were in the White House. Then he had a further seven with his second wife Julia. He fathered his last child in 1860, when he was aged 70.
One of his sons, Lyon, who was born in 1853, also married twice but managed a mere six children, making him not even half the man his father was. Lyon was the father of the two men still alive. Incredibly he fathered Lyon jr in 1924 when he was 71, and Harrison in 1928 when he was 75, so at least he ‘beat’ his father in that regard.
In the area near Williamsburg, Virginia, the people are very happy to talk about the Tyler grandsons. It’s a source of local pride. It’s also a story that won’t last forever so I thought I’d share it sooner rather than later.
And if you had never heard of President John Tyler – or thought he was bit of a useless nonentity – well now you know better. Even more incredibly, Tyler managed this feat despite having not a drop of Scottish blood in his body. Whisper it – his family originated from Shropshire in England.