Julia Gardiner Tyler
Encyclopedia
Julia Gardiner Tyler second wife of John Tyler
, was First Lady of the United States
from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.
, New York
, in 1820, the daughter of David Gardiner
, prominent landowner and New York State Senator (1824–1828), and Juliana McLachlan-Gardiner, Julia was raised at East Hampton
and Bay Shore, Long Island
, amid wealth and comfort. She was trained from earliest childhood for a life in society; she made her debut at 15. A lively, beautiful brunette, she at 19 shocked polite society by posing for a department store advertisement that billed her as the Rose of Long Island. A European tour with her family gave her new glimpses of social splendors.
at a White House reception early in 1842. They began seeing each other in January 1843, a few months after the death of the First Lady, Mrs. Letitia Tyler.
Julia, her sister Margaret, and her father joined a presidential excursion on the new steam frigate Princeton
. David Gardiner, along with a number of others, lost his life in the explosion of a huge naval gun. Tyler comforted Julia in her grief and won her consent to a secret engagement, proposing in 1843 at the George Washington Ball. Because of the circumstances surrounding her father's death, the couple agreed to marry with a minimum of celebration. Thus on June 26, 1844, the president slipped into New York City
, where the nuptials were performed by the Right Reverend Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk
, fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
, at the Church of the Ascension
. President Tyler was aged 54; Julia just 24.
The bride's sister Margaret and brother Alexander were bridesmaid and best man. Only the president's son, John Tyler III, represented the groom's family. Tyler was so concerned about maintaining secrecy that he did not confide his plans to the rest of his children. Although his sons readily accepted the sudden union, the Tyler daughters were shocked and hurt. The news was then broken to the American people, who greeted it with keen interest, much publicity, and some criticism about the couple's difference in age of 30 years. It was awkward for the eldest Tyler daughter, Mary, to adjust to a new stepmother five years younger than herself. One daughter, Letitia, never made peace with the new Mrs. Tyler.
The Tylers retired to Sherwood Forest
, where they lived tranquilly until the Civil War
. Although a northerner by birth, Mrs. Tyler came to espouse the principles of the South.
After her husband's death in 1862, she moved north to Staten Island
, where her sympathy for the Confederates strained relations with her family (her home there was almost burned down by enraged Union veterans when it was discovered that she was flying a Confederate flag on the property). She resided at the Gardiner-Tyler House
from 1868 to 1874. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. The depression that followed the Panic of 1873
depleted her fortunes. She sought solace in Roman Catholicism, to which she had converted in 1872. She returned to Virginia to live with the aid of her grown children and, in her last years, a federal pension provided to all presidential widows.
She suffered a stroke while in Richmond
and, on July 10, 1889, died there, aged 69. She was buried next to the president at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
In Bay Shore, Gardiner's Park, a wide expanse of virgin land with trails leading to the South Shore, Gardiner Lane, a wealthy residential street, and Gardiner Manor Elementary School are all named in her honor. In 2009, the United States Mint
honored the former First Lady with the issuance of a 24 karat gold coin. The papers of the Tyler family, including Julia Gardiner Tyler, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary
.
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
, was First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.
Early life
Born on Gardiner's Island, off the eastern tip of Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1820, the daughter of David Gardiner
David Gardiner
David Gardiner was the father of Julia Gardiner Tyler, wife of U.S. President John Tyler.-Life:Gardiner was a descendant of Lion Gardiner and lived on Gardiners Island in East Hampton, New York...
, prominent landowner and New York State Senator (1824–1828), and Juliana McLachlan-Gardiner, Julia was raised at East Hampton
East Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
and Bay Shore, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, amid wealth and comfort. She was trained from earliest childhood for a life in society; she made her debut at 15. A lively, beautiful brunette, she at 19 shocked polite society by posing for a department store advertisement that billed her as the Rose of Long Island. A European tour with her family gave her new glimpses of social splendors.
Romance and marriage
She was introduced to President John TylerJohn Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
at a White House reception early in 1842. They began seeing each other in January 1843, a few months after the death of the First Lady, Mrs. Letitia Tyler.
Julia, her sister Margaret, and her father joined a presidential excursion on the new steam frigate Princeton
USS Princeton (1843)
The first Princeton was the first screw steam warship in the United States Navy. She was launched in 1843, decommissioned in 1847, and broken up in 1849....
. David Gardiner, along with a number of others, lost his life in the explosion of a huge naval gun. Tyler comforted Julia in her grief and won her consent to a secret engagement, proposing in 1843 at the George Washington Ball. Because of the circumstances surrounding her father's death, the couple agreed to marry with a minimum of celebration. Thus on June 26, 1844, the president slipped into New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where the nuptials were performed by the Right Reverend Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk
Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk
Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York from 1830–1861.- Early years :...
, fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Episcopal Diocese of New York
The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island in New York City, and the New York state counties of Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and...
, at the Church of the Ascension
Church of the Ascension (New York)
The Church of the Ascension is an Episcopal church in the Diocese of New York, located at 36-38 Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan New York City. From an austere beginning as a bastion of the evangelical movement it has become internationally known for...
. President Tyler was aged 54; Julia just 24.
The bride's sister Margaret and brother Alexander were bridesmaid and best man. Only the president's son, John Tyler III, represented the groom's family. Tyler was so concerned about maintaining secrecy that he did not confide his plans to the rest of his children. Although his sons readily accepted the sudden union, the Tyler daughters were shocked and hurt. The news was then broken to the American people, who greeted it with keen interest, much publicity, and some criticism about the couple's difference in age of 30 years. It was awkward for the eldest Tyler daughter, Mary, to adjust to a new stepmother five years younger than herself. One daughter, Letitia, never made peace with the new Mrs. Tyler.
Children
- David Gardiner TylerDavid Gardiner TylerDavid Gardiner Tyler , was a U.S. Democratic Party politician.-Early life:He was born in East Hampton, New York and was the first child born to former President John Tyler and his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler. He was named after his late maternal grandfather, David Gardiner. As a child, he...
(1846–1927) - lawyer, public official. - John "Alex" Alexander Tyler (1848–1883) - engineer. Like his older brother, Alex Tyler dropped out of Washington College to join the Confederate army and, after the war, resumed his studies in Germany. There he joined the Saxon Army during the Franco-Prussian War and took part in the occupation of France in 1871. For his service he was decorated by the Prussian government. He became a mining engineer and, returning to the United States, was appointed U.S. surveyor of the Interior Department in 1879. While working in that capacity in New Mexico, he drank contaminated water and died at 35.
- Julia Gardiner Tyler-Spencer (1849–1871). In 1869 she married William H. Spencer, a debt-ridden farmer of Piffard, New YorkYork, New YorkYork is a town in western Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 3,219 at the 2000 census.The Abbey of the Genesee in the town's hamlet of Piffard is locally famous due to the production of Monk's Bread.- History :...
. She died from the effects of childbirth at 22 at the Spencer home, WesterlyWesterly (Piffard, New York)Westerly is a historic home located at Piffard in Livingston County, New York. It was built in 1850 by a local builder named McBride. The two story brick house set on a stone foundation with a hipped roof and widow's walk, is thought to have followed plans in a builders handbook of the period and...
. - Lachlan Gardiner Tyler (1851–1902) - doctor. He practiced medicine in Jersey City, New Jersey, and in 1879 became a surgeon in the U.S. Navy. From 1887 he practiced in Elkhorn, West Virginia.
- Lyon Gardiner TylerLyon Gardiner TylerLyon Gardiner Tyler, Sr. was a U.S. educator and historian.-Biography:He was the son of President John Tyler and First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, born at Sherwood Forest Plantation. He graduated in 1875 at the University of Virginia...
(1853–1935) - educator. - Robert "Fitz" Fitzwalter Tyler (1856–1927) - farmer of Hanover County, Virginia.
- Pearl Tyler-Ellis (1860–1947) - At the age of 12, she converted to Roman Catholicism along with her mother. She married William M. Ellis, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and lived near Roanoke.
First Lady of the United States
After a wedding trip to Philadelphia, a White House reception, and a stay at Sherwood Forest, the estate the president had recently acquired for his retirement, the newlyweds returned to Washington. Mrs. Tyler thoroughly enjoyed the duties of First Lady. In the last month of the Tyler administration, she hosted a grand White House ball that drew 3,000 guests.Later life and death
Sherwood Forest Plantation
Sherwood Forest Plantation, also known as John Tyler House, is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located on State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg...
, where they lived tranquilly until the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Although a northerner by birth, Mrs. Tyler came to espouse the principles of the South.
After her husband's death in 1862, she moved north to Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, where her sympathy for the Confederates strained relations with her family (her home there was almost burned down by enraged Union veterans when it was discovered that she was flying a Confederate flag on the property). She resided at the Gardiner-Tyler House
Gardiner-Tyler House
Gardiner-Tyler House is a historic home located at West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York. It was built about 1835 and is a two story, Greek Revival style frame dwelling covered in clapboards. It features a two story, tetrastyle portico with four fluted Corinthian order columns...
from 1868 to 1874. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984. The depression that followed the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
depleted her fortunes. She sought solace in Roman Catholicism, to which she had converted in 1872. She returned to Virginia to live with the aid of her grown children and, in her last years, a federal pension provided to all presidential widows.
She suffered a stroke while in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and, on July 10, 1889, died there, aged 69. She was buried next to the president at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
In Bay Shore, Gardiner's Park, a wide expanse of virgin land with trails leading to the South Shore, Gardiner Lane, a wealthy residential street, and Gardiner Manor Elementary School are all named in her honor. In 2009, the United States Mint
United States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
honored the former First Lady with the issuance of a 24 karat gold coin. The papers of the Tyler family, including Julia Gardiner Tyler, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
.