Some Strange Historical Facts

The 10th President of the United States was born in 1790. He has one grandchild who is still alive today.

Yes, it’s not a typo, John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790. He has been an important figure in the United States (U.S.) history not only for his contributions but also because he was the first vice president to become chief executive due to the death of his predecessor. That’s why he is also referred to as the “accidental president”.

John Tyler (1790–1862) was America’s 10th president and was in office from 1841 to 1845. He took over the office after the death of President William Henry Harrison who died because of pneumonia after just one month into his presidency.

In 1853, John Tyler, was 63 years old when his son Lyon was born.

Later in 1924, Lyon had his first son when he was 71 years old. In 1928, his second son Harrison was born.

Tyler’s family is an interesting case in U.S. history. The first son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., the older of two grandsons witnessed the entire history of the United States in three generations. He died on the 26th of September 2020 when he was 95.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who is currently 91 years old, has earned degrees in chemical engineering and his business was dedicated to industrial water treatment.

   “He’s one of the last living members of a club of people who seem like they are bending time, demonstrating that “long ago” isn’t so long ago.”— Gillian Brockel told Washington Post on 29th November 2020.

According to the New York Times:

    “He and his wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler, who died in 2019, lived for many years at his Virginia ancestral home, Sherwood Forest Plantation. The plantation, a 1,600-acre National Historic Landmark on the James River in Charles City County, was built about 1730 and bought by President Tyler in 1842.”

    “These days Harrison Ruffin Tyler, 91, is allowed only one designated visitor. Those are the pandemic rules at the nursing home in Virginia where he lives. So in September, when his last living sibling, brother Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. died at 95, he found out about it on the daily visit from his daughter-in-law.”

    “Due to a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012, Harrison lives almost without time. It would be quite a change for anyone, but it’s particularly so for someone like him, who grew up steeped in family history. Harrison was raised in his grandfather’s hunting lodge; his grandfather — John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States — was born in 1790.”