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i* McCormick Messenger. McCormick, s. c.. Thursday,, march 28, 1940 John Tyler, Born 150 Years Ago, Is One of Least-Known Presidents But Had a Career That Is Unique • * By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) J OHN TYLER, who was born just 150 years ago, is one of the least-known Presidents of the United States, yet few of our Chief Executives have had a more interesting or more unusual career. Here are some of the facts which make his unique: He was the first vice presi dent to become President upon the death of the Chief Executive. He was the first vice presi dent to be defeated for that office in one election and then stage a come-back and win in the next one. He was the first President • to surround himself with a ’‘Brain Trust” of college pro fessors and experts (even though that name had not yet been coined for it) and in do ing so he antedated Franklin D. Roosevelt by nearly a hundred years. He was the only President who was “purged” by mem bers of his party ... and they were more successful in do ing that than President Roosevelt was in his attempt ed “purge” of his party! He was the only President who ever renounced his alle giance to the United States. After leaving the White House, he accepted the lowli est office ever filled by an ex- President—that of road over seer. His wife was the first Presi dent’s wife to die in the White House. In fact, the dark thread of Death was woven all through the pattern of John Tyler’s life. The death of a Virginia congressman, John Clopton, in 1816 resulted in Tyler’s being chosen to fill the vacancy in the house of repre sentatives and thus brought him on the stage of national affairs. The death of John Taylor in 1824 resulted in the nomination of Ty ler to fill the vacancy thus creat ed in the United States senatq but his frieqd, Littleton Tazewell, was elected to the post. The death of William Henry Harrison made Tyler President of the Unit ed States in 1841 and a little more than a year after he moved into the White House, it was draped in black in mourning for his wife, Letitia Christian Tyler, who died September 10, 1842. And finally his own death prevented his holding the last office to which he was ever elected—member ship in the congress of the Con federate States of America. Tyler was bom at Greenway in Charles City county, Virginia, March 29, 1790, the son of John Tyler who had served as gover nor of the Old Dominion from 1808 to 1811. Fourteen years later another John Tyler (the junior) was chief executive of Virginia but after serving one term was elected to the United States senate. When the doctrine of nullification was proposed by the South Carolinians, Tyler broke with his party and resigned from the senate. By 1835 there was a serious schism in the Democratic party. Not only had the “nullifiers,” un der the leadership of John C. Cal houn, broken away, but a much larger party, which was formed in the South under the name of State-Rights Whigs, were opposed to the policies of Jackson and the administration “regulars.” j Lost His First Race. In the campaign of 1836 these State-Rights Whigs nominated Hugh L. White of Tennessee for President and Tyler for vice pres ident. The National Republicans nominated Gen. William Henry Harrison for President and Fran cis Granger for vice president. But the influence of “Old Hick ory,” who had forced the nomina tion of Martin Van Buren by the Democrats, was potent enough to bring about his election and with it the election of Richard M. Johnson for vice president. So John Tyler lost out in his first race for vice president. But it was a different story four years later. As the campaign of 1840 approached, Henry Clay pre pared to make his third bid for the Presidency. Leaders in the Whig party, though certain that Van Buren, would go down to de feat in his race for re-election, did not believe that Henry Clay was the man who could carry the Whig banner io victory. Taking a tip from the Demo crats’ success in electing a mili tary hero—“Old Hickory” Jack- son, they decided upon William Henry Harrison, a noted Indian fighter and general in the War of 1812. As a running mate for “Old Tippecanoe” they selected the ex- Democrat, John Tyler. They be lieved that this cultured Southern gentleman would attract South ern votes and his friendship for Henry Clay would hold the sup port of the Clay faction in the party. In the tumultuous cam paign which followed, Harrison and Tyler won an easy victory but within a month after taking the oath of office as President, the aged Indian-fighter, worn out by the demands of Whig office- seekers, died on April 4, 1841. Upon succeeding to the presi dency, Tyler announced that he would retain the cabinet chosen by Harrison and would carry out the latter’s policies. What they were, no one knew for the Whig convention had not adopted any platform and in the campaign there was no discussion of issues between the two parties. As a matter of fact, the Whigs had nominated Harrison because they believed he could be “managed” and Henry Clay intended to do the managing. Early-Day ‘Brain Trust.* Although retaining Harrison’s cabinet, Tyler immediately as sembled about him a group of unofficial advisers (the first “Brain Trust”) which included Prof. Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, professor of law at William and Mary college, who first suggest ed an Exchequer Bank plan which Tyler later proposed and whose recommendations about a public lands policy were incorpo rated in the Homestead Law of 1862; Caleb Cushing of Massa chusetts, one of the greatest au thorities on constitutional law, who was later nominated for chief justice of the Supreme court; Littleton W. Tazewell of Virginia, called by Thomas Jef ferson “one of the most brilliant minds I have ever known”; and Robert J. Walker of Mississippi, later President Polk’s secretary of the treasury and author of the tariff of 1846, who became Tyler’s spokesman in the senate. As soon as Henry Clay and the other Whig leaders began trying to dictate to Tyler, they discov ered that the man in the White House had a mind of his own. They first pushed through a bill to establish a United States bank. Tyler vetoed it, and their effort to pass it over his veto failed. When the Whig leaders re proached Tyler for his action, he reminded them that he had sub scribed to no platform and that they should have known his opin ions before they nominated him. Somewhat crestfallen, they asked him for an outline of a bank bill he would sign. The re sult was Tucker’s Exchequer Bank plan, which they changed and pushed through both houses. Thereupon Tyler vetoed it and again an attempt to pass it over his disapproval failed. Then con gress passed a protective tariff bill which Tyler vetoed. A pro gram for internal improvements to be financed by the federal gov ernment met with the same fate, because Tyler believed that the states should make their own in ternal improvements. Swiftly the breach between the President and his party widened. The cabinet, with one exception, resigned. Daniel Webster re mained long enough to complete negotiations for the Webster-Ash- burton treaty. Then he resigned. The party was beginning its “purge” of its President. Next the Whig newspapers went into action and filled their columns with denunciations of the Presi dent. There were even threats of assassination: But Tyler stood firm in his determination to be true to his oath of office. Then 10 members pt congress, headed by ex-President John Quincy Ad ams, now a member of the house of representatives, brought in a report charging Tyler with vio- . lating a promise he had made before his nomination and threat ening to impeach him. Tyler re plied that he had never pledged anything to the Whigs. Despite this denial, the Whig congressmen issued a series of “Addresses to the People” in which they charged that the Pres ident had gone into office fully committed to a program which he now repudiated, thus “selling out the party.” They listed the reforms which they desired and which they declared, the Presi dent was “impeding.” Finally, when Tyler filled his cabinet with Southern Democrats, headed by John C. Calhoun as secretary of / state, it was the last straw. The Whigs issued a proclamation that “all political connection between them and John Tyler was at an end from that day henceforth.” The party had completely purged its President. The remainder of Tyler’s term of office was marked by the dis pute over the slavery question and the annexation of Texas, fa vored by the Democrats and op posed by the Whigs. Having been “read out of the party,” Tyler now had nothing to lose and sup ported the. move for annexation, but without success at first. As the 1844 campaign approached, this question became the princi pal issue. James K. Polk, the Democratic nominee, indorsed annexation. Tyler had tried to build up a party of his own and seek re-election. Although he was nominated by a small faction, he was persuaded to withdraw from the race and Polk won. Just be fore leaving office Tyler had the satisfaction of seeing his plan for the annexation of Texas accepted • by the Lone Star republic and the next year it came into the Union. ‘Robin Hood of Virginia.* Tyler’s political career was now ended. He retired to his home, Sherwood Forest, where, in a facetious mood, he often re ferred to himself as the “Robin Hood of Virginia.” It was during this period of retirement that he accepted the lowly office of road overseer. Although a Virginian and a slaveholder, Tyler was opposed to the institution of slavery and became president of the African Colonization society, formed with the view of recolonizing the slaves in Africa. Early in his career he looked forward to the time when slavery would disap pear from the South as it already had from some of the Northern states but being a strict construc tionist he wanted to bring that about by Constitutional means. As the clouds of the threatened civil war lowered, the ex-Presi dent used his influence to help avert it. His last great effort to preserve the Union was as presi dent of the Washington Peace Convention of 1860, assembled in a last-minute effort to seek some compromise between the North and the South. He looked upon the convention as an attempt to preserve the Constitution and the laws of the nation, which he con sidered the North had sought to ignore, not change. When his native state seceded, Tyler, like Robert E. Lee, be lieved that his first duty was to Virginia and he renounced his loyalty to the United States. He was elected to the Confederate congress but died January 17, 1862, before the congress assem bled. 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