Tyler, John 1790-1862
10th President of the USA

Born in Charles City County, Virginia, he was admitted to the Bar in 1809, and having sat in the state legislature (1811-16) he entered Congress. In 1825 he was elected Governor of Virginia, and in 1826 US Senator. He resented the despotic methods by which Andrew Jackson overthrew the United States Bank, supported Henry Clay's motion to censure the President and in 1836 resigned his seat. In 1840 he was elected Vice-President. President Harrison died in 1841, a month after his inauguration, and Tyler became President. His administration (1841-45) was marked by the Ashburton Treaty and the annexation of Texas (1845). Failing to capture his party's nomination in 1844, he retired to his Virginia plantation the following year. On the outbreak of the Civil War he adhered to the Confederate cause, and he was a member of the Confederate Congress until his death.