The 10th President of the United States has a Grandson Still Living in 2020!

Cool Historical Fact Learned Today

10th US President John Tyler

The 10^th President of the United States has a grandson still living in 2020! President John Tyler [1790-1862] served as President from 1841-1845. Vice President John Tyler became President after William Henry Harrison’s death only one month into his presidency. While President, John married for the second time at age 54 to twenty four year old Julia Gardiner. President Tyler only served on term then moved he and Julia moved back to Virginia.¹ John and Julia had seven children:

David Gardiner Tyler [12 Jul 1846 - 5 Sep 1927]
John Alexander Tyler Jr [7 Apr 1848 - 1 Sep 1883]
Julia Tyler [25 Dec 1849 - 8 May 1871]
Lachlan Tyler [2 Dec 1851 - 26 Jan 1902]
Lyon Gardiner Tyler [24 Aug 1853 -12 Feb 1935]
Robert Fitzwalter Tyler [12 Mar 1856 - 31 Dec 1927]
Margaret Pearl Tyler [20 Jun 1860 -30 Jun 1947]²

President Tyler died in 1862 when Lyon was only eight. Like his father Lyon married twice. First to Anne Tucker, then at age 70, to Sue Ruffin. Lyon and Sue had three children:

Lyon Gardiner Jr. [3 Jan 1925 – 26 Sep 2020]
Harrison Ruffin Tyler [ 1928 - ]
Henry Tyler [18 Jan 1930 - 26 Jan 1930]³

Little Harrison was only seven when his father Lyon Sr died, his mother passed away when he was 25. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather, Harrison graduated from William and Mary in 1949 with an engineering degree. Cool side note, Harrison’s great-grandfather Virginia Governor John Tyler⁴ was college roommates with Thomas Jefferson. Father, Lyon Sr did not attend William and Mary however was the college’s President for 34 years from 1888 to1919. Back to current day, Harrison’s brother Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr recently passed away in September 2020⁵, leaving Harrison, at age 91, the last of President Tyler’s grandchildren still living.

Sources:

1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-tyler/ 

2] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tyler-150

3] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tyler-149

4] https://www.wm.edu/as/history/news/news-archive/2001-2005_archive/harrison-ruffin-tyler-49-pledges-5-million-to-lyon-gardiner-tyler-department-of-history.php

5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/lyon-g-tyler-jr-grandson-of-president-john-tyler-dies-at-95/2020/10/10/6c5825c8-0a60-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html