While John Tyler was a slave owner, his great-granddaughter Susan Tyler said her father and late mother, Lucy Jane Pope Tyler, championed civil rights. When he was eight years old, his father died shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War, which prompted the family to move north to Staten Island, where his mother's family was from. A younger brother is among his survivors. . He returned to Virginia in 1869 to earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in law from the University of Virginia, graduating in 1875. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Pound sign (#) denotes interim president. [5] He retired to his farm, Lion's Den, in Charles City County. [2], During his life in Richmond, Tyler became a prominent advocate for public education reform. "I heard too much about presidents growing up," he wrote in one speech he delivered. In later years, Dr. Tyler went on to become a Navy officer, a lawyer and a professor of history — and practically the living embodiment of almost the entire history of the nation. [12] As of October 2020[update], Harrison Ruffin Tyler is still alive, making his grandfather the earliest former President of the United States with living grandchildren. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post), Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. and his daughter, Susan Selina Tyler, in front of a portrait at the White House of Julia Tyler, his grandmother. He grew up in Virginia. "I've had many share with me how my father affected their lives, through his advice or his practical help.". Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. (August 24, 1853 – February 12, 1935) was an American educator, genealogist, and historian. He later lived in Richmond, practicing law and becoming director of the Virginia Civil War Centennial Commission from 1959 to 1963. [2], Upon graduation from the University of Virginia, Tyler spent a year teaching philosophy and literature at the College of William and Mary, but as the college was struggling financially it ceased being able to pay his salary, whereupon he resigned and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he spent several years as principal of a private school. Mr. Tyler was born in Richmond, Virginia to Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. and Susan Ruffin Tyler on Jan. 3, 1925. In 2018, Dr. Tyler made his final public appearance at a gathering in Washington of about 50 descendants of presidents. . [13] In late August 2018, Lyon, Jr. participated in a reunion of presidential descendants hosted by the White House Historical Association, and signed, along with other presidential descendants, a drawer from a copy of the Resolute Desk.[14]. His presidency of the College of William and Mary ranks as a watershed in the school's history. [2], Following Anne's death in 1921, he married Sue Ruffin, who was 35 years his junior,[7] with whom he had three more children: Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. (1925-2020);[10][11] Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born 1928); and Henry Tyler, who died in infancy. In that role, he gave lectures throughout the state and helped produce educational programs and war reenactments. His advocacy allowed the College to reopen in 1888; Tyler was named its president. His younger brother, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, 91, is now the last surviving grandson of the president. He was on the faculty of The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., for about 20 years until his retirement in the early 1990s. In 1896 he managed to persuade the Virginia General Assembly to appropriate $5,000 for the copying of 17th-century court records, an action which set a precedent for the expenditure of public monies to preserve state records. . The first of their two sons, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., was born Jan. 3, 1925, in Richmond. In his late 30s, he decided to change course in life and attended graduate school at Duke University, from which he received a doctorate in history in 1967. John Tyler, whose lineage is nothing if not complicated, was the father of 15 children, more than any other U.S. president. In 1844, he married Julia Gardiner, with whom he had seven more children. In 1915 he was elected to the State Library Board, serving until his death; he was a member of the Virginia Historical Society for fifty-two years, spending forty-seven of those on its executive committee and thirty-two as a vice president. “And I said, ‘I’ll bite your head off.’ She said, ‘And what will you do with the bones?’ and I replied, ‘I’ll ’pit ’em out!”. His wife of 43 years, the former Lucy Jane Pope, a radio and television journalist, died in 2001. He answered, 'I'll bite your head off.'" Lyon was born in Richmond, Va., to Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. and Susan Ruffin Tyler on January 3, 1925, and lived his youth in Charles City County, Va., and grandson of 10th U.S. President John Tyler. While Tyler, a World War II veteran, lawyer and history professor at the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel, was proud of his ancestor and spoke about him, it was not what defined his life. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. He was 95 when he died at a hospital in Franklin, Tenn., of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, said his daughter, Susan Selina Tyler. Former Head of William and Mary", "Lincoln the Dwarf: Lyon Gardiner Tyler's War on the Mythical Lincoln", "The Lost Dream of a Superhighway to Honor the Confederacy", "Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., Grandson of the 10th President, Dies at 95", "President John Tyler's grandson, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., dies at 95", https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/us/lyon-gardiner-tyler-jr-dead.html, "President John Tyler's Grandsons Are Still Alive", "Office of the President. He told her, "I'll spit 'em out!". Presidents of the College of William & Mary, Seven Society (College of William & Mary), "Lyon Gardiner Tyler (1853–1935) – Special Collections Wiki", "William & Mary- The Lyon Gardiner Tyler Department of History", "Dr. Lyon Tyler, 82, Dead in Richmond. After her death, he married Sue Ruffin in 1923, when he was 70. Lyon Gardiner Tyler", "William & Mary- W&M Dedicates Garden in Honor of Tyler Family Legacy", "Lyon Gardiner Tyler Minor Grants For Undergraduate Research in History College of William and Mary", Russell Smith's Lyon G. Tyler and the Quest for a Dissertation, Lyon G. Tyler Department of History at the College of William and Mary, Finding aid for the Office of the President. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. John Tyler was 63 when son Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was born. When Time fired back that Tyler's father, compared to the later president, was a dwarf both in stature and in accomplishments, Tyler retorted with a pamphlet claiming that it was Lincoln who was the dwarf. He had a great sense of humor. He often gave talks about his grandfather, who sided with the Confederacy after failing to negotiate a compromise that was aimed at avoiding a civil war. He interrupted his studies to serve as a Navy officer in the Pacific during World War II and remained in the Navy Reserve for many years, reaching the rank of commander. When I am in company with a double-dealing man — one who has one language on his tongue and another in his heart — I am involuntarily made to avoid him as I would a poisonous reptile. In his later years, he was said to bear a striking resemblance to his grandfather. He grew up surrounded by Tyler relatives in Charles City County, Va., along the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg. Their fifth child, born in 1853, was Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. He was the grandson of 10th U.S. President John Tyler. His daughter, Susan Selina Pope Tyler, said Thursday that her father was a humble and compassionate man of faith who mentored others. He would go on in retirement to continue the crusade against Lincoln, publishing many articles in his own journal, Tyler's Quarterly and Genealogical Magazine, that were highly critical of the sixteenth president. It’s seen by some as divine revenge. This would be published between 1884 and 1896. The text is reprinted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy recommends children recite it. "Dad used to be asked if he knew John Tyler. He also was responsible for the creation of the William and Mary Quarterly journal. John Tyler was 71 when he died in 1862. John Tyler was 63 when son Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was born. During his tenure he held the chairmanship of the history department, and with six other professors formed the body known as the "Seven Wise Men". Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. did not meet his paternal grandfather when he was growing up in Virginia in the 1930s. It was funded as part of a $5 million gift from Lyon's son, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, and his wife, The Lyon Gardiner Tyler Department of History, This page was last edited on 2 November 2020, at 02:59. Dr. Tyler was born 63 years after his grandfather died. His father, also named John Tyler, had been Jefferson’s college roommate at William & Mary and was a lifelong friend. While most historians don't place him high in the pantheon of presidents, Tyler's family said he should be remembered for his honesty and integrity -- even if it cost him politically. His detractors consequently called him "His Accidency.". (Family photo). Such preservation became his mission in later years, and he traveled extensively throughout the Commonwealth to find material. Trust such a person with not even the slightest circumstance on earth; for he will deceive you.”. [7], In a 12-page pamphlet, A Confederate Catechism, he states: "Both from the standpoint of the Constitution and sound statesmanship, it was not slavery, but the vindictive, intemperate anti-slavery movement that was at the bottom of all the troubles." Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. (August 24, 1853 – February 12, 1935) was an American educator, genealogist, and historian.He was the son of John Tyler, 10th President of the United States.He was 17th president of the College of William and Mary, an advocate of historical research and preservation, and a prominent critic of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Until his death on Sept. 26, Dr. Tyler had been one of two living grandsons of John Tyler, who was president of the United States from 1841 to 1845. Tyler received a deal of notoriety during his career for his criticism of President Abraham Lincoln, which he expressed on numerous occasions. He was 10 when his father died in 1935 and was 16 when he entered William & Mary. For many Americans, going two generations back takes them to World War II. He recalled meeting a woman “when I was probably 3 or 4 years old,” who asked if he was going to be president someday. That someone in the 21st century could have a grandfather who knew Thomas Jefferson can be attributed to late-in-life paternity, second wives and longevity in his family: Three generations of Tyler men spanned an incredible 230 years. He helped to revive the Virginia Mechanics Institute, where he served as a board member and instructor. [3], It was while at the College that Tyler became interested in the history of Virginia; he would eventually conduct research throughout the state, and campaigned for the preservation of local records. His first wife was Anne Baker Tucker of Albemarle County, with whom he had three children: John Tyler; Elizabeth Gilmer Tyler; and Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, one of the founders of Kappa Delta. The younger Lyon was a lawyer before turning to an academic career. Then she asked, "And what will you do with the bones?" After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1947, he went to law school at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1949. He taught at the University of Richmond for a year, then five years at the Virginia Military Institute, where he redesigned the campus museum. The … With the support of his mother, who lived there at the time, he began work on The Letters and Times of the Tylers, a three-volume study of the careers of his father and paternal grandfather, John Tyler Sr.. He lived in his youth in Charles City County, Virginia. Tyler was the 17th president of the College of William and Mary, an advocate of historical research and preservation, and a prominent critic of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Harrison himself lives at Sherwood Forest Plantation — the historic Tyler family home where the President Tyler once lived and visitors are still given tours. Lyon Gardiner Tyler Records, Finding aid for the Tyler Family Papers, Group B, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lyon_Gardiner_Tyler&oldid=986640215, Children of Presidents of the United States, Children of Vice Presidents of the United States, Members of the Virginia House of Delegates, People from Charles City County, Virginia, Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia), Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from October 2020, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr.'s personal papers, the Tyler Family Garden, dedicated to Tyler as well as his father and paternal grandfather, both of whom were alumni of the College; located next to James Blair Hall, which houses the university's history department, the garden contains busts of the three men, and was dedicated on April 30, 2004. He served one term as commonwealth’s attorney in Charles City County in the 1950s, defeating a cousin in the election for the post. The number of faculty had grown to fourteen, and twelve buildings were either renovated or constructed. President Tyler, who served one term, fathered 15 children. Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., 95, of Franklin, died Sept. 26, 2020. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. One of his own children died in September 2020, making John Tyler the earliest U.S. president to have living grandchildren into the 2000s [1].