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Letitia Christian Tyler ( Christian; November 12, 1790 – September 10, 1842) was the
first lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
from 1841 to 1842 as the first wife of President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...
. After meeting in 1808, the two married in 1813. She managed their plantation in Virginia while her husband progressed his political career at the state capital and in Washington, D.C., accompanying him only while he was
governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
. She had a stroke in 1839 that left her permanently disabled. Tyler became the
second lady of the United States The second lady of the United States or second gentleman (SLOTUS or SGOTUS) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. Coined in contrast to " first la ...
when her husband became vice president of the United States in 1841, and she became the first lady when President
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...
died the following month and her husband ascended to the presidency. Tyler was unable to perform the duties of first lady due to her health, delegating them to her daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler. She died of a second stroke in 1842, becoming the first person to die while serving as first lady of the United States. Tyler played virtually no role in her husband's presidency, but maintained a positive reputation among the American people.


Early life

Letitia Christian was born on November 12, 1790, at the Cedar Grove plantation in
New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is located east of the Greater Richmond Region ...
. She was the seventh child of Mary (née Browne) and Robert Christian, a wealthy planter who was well connected with the nation's political elite, including President
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
. She was raised as a devout
Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...
, and she closely followed norms of the time relating to piety and chastity. Christian did not receive a formal education, but she was taught how to be the mistress of a Southern plantation. The Christian and Tyler families were familiar with one another, and Christian met
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...
while he was visiting in 1808. They began a courtship in which Tyler often stopped to visit her while traveling to the state capital. Their five-year courtship was restrained and it was three weeks before the wedding that Tyler first kissed her — on the hand. In his only surviving love letter to her, written a few months before their wedding, Tyler promised, "Whether I float or sink in the stream of fortune, you may be assured of this, that I shall never cease to love you." Christian's father opposed Tyler on political grounds, as Tyler was a supporter of
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
.


Marriage and family

Letitia Christian and John Tyler married at Cedar Grove on March 29, 1813. After their marriage, they lived in their home Mons-Sacer, built on Tyler family land in Greenway Plantation using Christian family funds; Letitia's parents had died shortly after the wedding, leaving her a large inheritance. Letitia Tyler was left alone after the wedding, as her husband had been called up to serve in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. Two years later, they sold Mons-Sacer and built the Woodburn house nearby before eventually purchasing Greenway in its entirety in 1821. The Tylers had nine children, seven of whom survived infancy: Mary in 1815,
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
in 1816, John III in 1819, Letitia in 1821, Elizabeth in 1823, Alice in 1827, and Tazewell in 1830.Their daughter Anne died in infancy in 1825, and a ninth unnamed child died at birth. The Tylers struggled with money throughout their marriage, as the financial burdens of raising several children and participating in the social aspects of politics outpaced any inheritance they received. Tyler avoided the limelight during her husband's political rise, preferring domestic responsibilities to those of a public wife. Tyler was responsible for managing the plantation while her husband was away at the Virginia State Capitol, often with the assistance of relatives and hired managers. Her management of the plantation, and in particular her ability to oversee the economic aspects, allowed her husband to be away for long periods of time, so his political career could progress. Managing the plantation included managing their slaves, feeding them and weaving their clothes. There is no surviving record of how Tyler felt about slavery or her husband's ownership of slaves. Tyler did accompany her husband while he served as the governor of Virginia. As the governor's wife, she worked as a hostess in the state's capital,
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
. Despite her husband's insistence, she did not join him in Washington when he was elected to the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
. She opted to stay in Virginia, as the plantation needed further management and she did not wish to live in the poor conditions provided by Washington, D.C. She accompanied her husband to Washington only once, in the winter of 1828–1829. Tyler generally deferred to her husband, but she made one significant exception when he suggested sending their eldest daughter to a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
school, which Tyler adamantly refused. Tyler's health was poor throughout her life, and the Tylers' oldest child, Mary, was responsible for monitoring her when John was away. Tyler's health was worsened by the toll of several pregnancies and the burden of her husband often being away. By 1827, her poor health had become a constant, and she was plagued by regular
headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...
s. Attempts were made to treat her illness with trips to the Greenbrier spring. Her husband stepped away from politics twice, in 1821 and in 1836, to be closer to her. The Tylers moved to
Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...
, in 1837. In 1839, Tyler had a stroke that left her disabled, and her health deteriorated over the following years. Most of her time after her stroke was spent reading the Bible and her
prayer book A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
. By this point in her life, these were the only two books that she would read. She did, however, continue to oversee affairs at the plantation. After her son Robert married, Tyler developed a close bond with her daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler.


First lady of the United States

The sudden death of President
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...
in 1841 caused John Tyler to ascend to the presidency. Letitia Tyler's health had made it impossible for her to manage the White House, and she did not immediately travel to Washington with the rest of her family. When she did arrive, she remained in a wheelchair in the upstairs living quarters of the White House. She came down once, to attend the wedding of her daughter Elizabeth in January 1842. She may have attended the theater at least once while serving as first lady. While upstairs, she continued to spend her time reading her Bible and her prayer book. Although she retained authority over how the duties of the first lady were carried out, Tyler delegated the management of the White House to her daughter Letitia and her responsibilities as hostess to her daughter-in-law Priscilla. She also played the role of advisor for her husband as he often discussed difficult issues of the presidency with her. She was well-versed enough in political issues to discuss them in detail with visitors. Distinguished visitors to the White House, such as
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
and
Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
, were sometimes welcomed upstairs to meet her. Tyler's physical and mental health deteriorated throughout 1842. She had a second stroke on September 9, 1842, and she died the following day on September 10. Her death came as a shock to the Tyler family, who believed that she had stabilized. She was the first woman to die while serving as first lady of the United States, and she remains the shortest-lived of any American first lady, dying at the age of 51. Her funeral was widely publicized as the first of an incumbent first lady. Her coffin lay in state in the
East Room The East Room is an event and reception room in the Executive Residence of the White House complex, the home of the president of the United States. The East Room is the largest room in the Executive Residence; it is used for dances, receptions, p ...
of the White House, then a procession carried her coffin away. Tyler was buried on her father's estate at Cedar Grove, and the White House was decorated in black for a period of mourning.


Legacy

Tyler had little influence on her husband's presidency, confined to the White House living quarters. She also played no public role, but she maintained a positive reputation despite her husband's embattled political situation. Priscilla Cooper Tyler remembered her as "the most entirely unselfish person you can imagine. Notwithstanding her very delicate health, mother attends to and regulates all the household affairs and all so quietly that you can't tell when she does it." The first historian's appraisal of Tyler's tenure as first lady was that of Laura Holloway in 1870. Few primary sources exist regarding Tyler's life, with most surviving mentions of her being those in letters between members of the Tyler family. None of Tyler's own letters survive. Due to her inability to serve as first lady, Tyler has been overshadowed in recent historical analysis by her surrogate, Priscilla Cooper Tyler, and her husband's second wife,
Julia Gardiner Tyler Julia Gardiner Tyler ( Gardiner; May 4, 1820 – July 10, 1889) was the first lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845, as the second wife of President John Tyler. A member of the influential Gardiner family, she had many ...
. Tyler was a descendant of Manx settlers of Virginia and she appears on a 28p (£0.28) commemorative postage stamp from the
Isle of Man Post Office The Isle of Man Post Office (), which formerly used the trading name Isle of Man Post, operates postal collection, ancillary mail services, philatelic goods and delivery services and post office counter services on the Isle of Man. History Th ...
, issued May 23, 2006, as part of a series honoring Manx-Americans. She also appears on a one-half-ounce gold coin and a bronze medal issued by the
United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...
on July 2, 2009, as part of a series of commemorative first spouse coins. Since 1982, Siena College Research Institute has periodically conducted surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president. Historians were found to know "almost nothing about" Tyler. Consistently, she has been ranked in the bottom quartile of first ladies by historians in these surveys. In terms of cumulative assessment, Tyler has been ranked: *35th of 42 in 1982 *30th of 37 in 1993 *34th of 38 in 2003 *35th of 38 in 2008 *37th of 39 in 2014 * 37th of 40 in 2020 In the 2014 survey, Tyler and her husband were ranked the 36th out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".


See also

* Caroline Harrison, wife of
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
, who died while serving as first lady * Ellen Axson Wilson, wife of
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
, who died while serving as first lady


References


External links

*
Letitia Tyler
at
C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...
's '' First Ladies: Influence & Image'' , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Letitia Christian 1790 births 1842 deaths 19th-century American people 19th-century American women American people of English descent American people of Manx descent First ladies of the United States First ladies and gentlemen of Virginia Letitia Christian Tyler People from New Kent County, Virginia Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States Episcopalians from Virginia 19th-century American Episcopalians