The Civil war was, of course, a rather divisive event. The loyalties which Americans had with their states created interesting situations for many citizens after the formation of the Confederacy. This was especially true for men who had held high level national office before the war, such as presidents. 150 years ago today John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States, died. His life spanned the time in which the seeds of the Civil war were planted, grew and finally sprouted into the bloodiest conflict our country has ever known. Tyler, a Virginian by birth, chose loyalty to the Confederacy and was even elected to Confederate Congress. While other former presidents did not necessarily agree with the Lincoln Administration’s conduct of the war, Tyler was unique in his allegiance to the Confederacy.
John Tyler was one of the many presidents who came from Virginia, having been born there in 1790. His family was among the Virginia elite which helped secure him a path to politics. Tyler served in the Virginia House of Delegates, and later the U.S. House of Representatives always taking a hard line against the broadening of federal power and enfranchisement. Looking at the various stances he took during his political career it’s easy to see how when the secession crisis hit he was firmly on the side of a state’s right to leave the Union.
Tyler was opposed to the policies of President Andrew Jackson in the 1830’s, which facilitated Tyler becoming a Whig when that party formed in opposition to Jackson. On the 1840 Whig presidential ticket Tyler ran as William Henry Harrison’s vice president. As fate would have it, Harrison died after only a short time in office, thus propelling Tyler to be the first VP to assume the office of the presidency due to the death of the president.
Tyler’s actions as president, mostly his resistance against the formation of a national bank, were not in line with the Whigs who ended up expelling Tyler from the party. The national bank issue also prompted all of Tyler’s cabinet to resign with the exception of Secretary of State Daniel Webster. At the close of his term Tyler empowered men like John C. Calhoun and facilitated the evolution of the southern faction of the Democratic Party into the force which led the South to secede.
As southern states began leaving the Union in the winter of 1860-61, Tyler made an effort to find a compromise which would hold the country together. After all efforts failed he cast hit lot with the Confederacy and became politically active once again. He was elected to Confederate congress but died 150 years ago today before it began its first session. Tyler’s death seems to have not made many, if any, headlines in the North where he was predictably branded a traitor. In the South, especially in Virginia, his loss was mourned. The January 20th, 1862 edition of the Richmond Enquirer covered some of the services for the deceased president:
“ HON. JOHN TYLER died at his rooms at the Exchange Hotel on Saturday morning. The flags on all the public buildings were flying at half-mast Saturday and Sunday, and the bells tolled as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased. The body was yesterday escorted from the Exchange Hotel to the Capitol by the Public Guard, under Lieut. Gay, preceded by the Armory Band.
All the offices of the State Government will be closed today.”
The death of Tyler left four former presidents still alive; Van Buren, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan. His legacy was certainly harmed by his decision to remain loyal to his state, as the U.S. Congress did not make an effort to memorialize him until the early 20th Century.