Who was John Tyler?
Dubbed “His Accidency” by his detractors, John Tyler was the first Vice President to be elevated to the office of President by the death of his predecessor. Born in Virginia in 1790, he was raised believing that the Constitution must be strictly construed. He never wavered from this conviction. He attended the College of William and Mary and studied law. Serving in the House of Representatives from 1816 to 1821, Tyler voted against most nationalist legislation and opposed the Missouri Compromise. After leaving the House he served as Governor of Virginia. As a Senator he reluctantly supported Jackson for President as a choice of evils. Tyler soon joined the states’ rights Southerners in Congress who banded with Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and their newly formed Whig party opposing President Jackson. The Whigs nominated Tyler for Vice President in 1840, hoping for support from southern states’-righters who could not stomach Jacksonian Democracy. The slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” impl
John Tyler was born in Virginia and graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1807, then became a lawyer. For five years, he was a member of the House of Representatives, then Governor of Virginia. Afterwards, he became a Senator. In 1840, Tyler was elected Vice President under William Henry Harrison. When President Harrison died one month into his term, Tyler found himself the first Vice President to assume office after the death of a President. When Tyler took office, the Whigs assumed that Tyler would promote their program. However, Tyler stood firm on states’ rights as a strict interpreter of the Constitution. Tyler vetoed two bank bills passed by Congress. The Whigs, angry at this betrayal, expelled Tyler from their party. When Tyler vetoed a tariff bill, the House of Representatives moved for an impeachment, which died. President Tyler strengthened the office of President, but in doing so increased the sectional tension of the nation.
