Tyler First Ladies

 

Letitia Christian Tyler April 4 1841 to September 10, 1842

Letitia Tyler was the first wife of John Tyler and who accompanied him to Washington, DC when John became Vice President under William Henry Harrison. Upon Harrison's death, John Tyler became President and thus, Letitia became First Lady. Unfortunately, in 1839 Letitia suffered a stroke that left her permanently disabled and unfortunately was never able to be the First Lady she wanted to become. So instead her daughter-in-law took up the reigns in her place. Letitia died in 1842 after her second stroke. She played no significant role as first lady during her time. 

September 10, 1842 – June 26, 1844

Priscilla took the reigns as First Lady after her mother-in-law became too ill to do the job herself. Priscilla was married to Robert Tyler, son of John Tyler. 

Priscilla was an unsuccessful actress when she married Robert Tyler. Although she wasn't a good enough actress on the theater boards, she was good enough to take the helm of the political life she was thrust into. Her acting ability allowed her to balance being a new mother and that in the national spotlight.  She was an exceptional hostess over many receptions, dinners, and other significant events each week, which were exhausting. Tyler gave up her position with glee as the president prepared for remarriage and later settled in Philadelphia. 

Siding with the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, once Tyler and her husband moved to the Southern United States she lived in relative obscurity in Montgomery, Alabama, until she died in 1889.  

June 26, 1844 – March 4, 1845

From June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845, as the second wife of President John Tyler Julia Tyler became the third First Lady of President Tyler. She was a socialite from the influential Gardiner family, of New York. In 1842 she met the widowed President Tyler while visiting Washington DC with her parents. Tyler was 30 years her senior and at first, she wasn't interested in marrying him. But after her father's tragic death, she agreed to wed him and they were married in secret. Upon her marriage to Tyler, she immediately became First Lady. She was the first lady for the remaining eight months of his presidency.

Tyler took on her new role with zellous delight. She redecorated the White House and having enjoyed being an invited guest to the royal courts of the day in Europe during her grand tour, she established her own  "court" of ladies-in-waiting to mimic the practices of European monarchies that she had visited years before. She is the one who introduced the song "Hail to the Chief" to be played upon the arrival of the President at any event. She also brought the waltz and polka dances to the United States. Tyler was a fierce lobbyist for her husband's political agenda. She was keen to organize social events to help lobby Congressmen, through their wives for the Texas annexation. She is credited with revitalizing the position of first lady, both socially and politically, after several inactive first ladies before her.

Upon leaving the White House, she took up residence with her husband at their Sherwood Forest Plantation in Virginia with her husband and had seven children. Although a New York Socialite, she took on her husband's views and became a prominent supporter of slavery in the United States, so much so, that she wrote a political pamphlet in 1853 defending the practice. Throughout the American Civil War, she supported the Confederate States of America, which created a permanent rift with her family in New York.

After the war, her mother passed away and a legal dispute of her mother's estate ensued with her brother who was a loyal Unionist.  After the legal dispute was resolved, she returned to Washington in the 1870s after her reputation recovered, to assist First Lady Julia Grant at the White House and convince Congress to provide a pension for widowed first ladies. She was known to have spent her final days and years in Richmond, Virginia. On July 10, 1889, she died of a stroke.  

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Graduating with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, on to Walden University for her Masters in Criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time, Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 various blogs from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.