Latest news with #JohnTyler


Fox News
a day ago
- Business
- Fox News
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of President John Tyler, dies at age 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the grandson of John Tyler, the 10th U.S. president, has died at the age of 96. Harrison Tyler died May 25, according to a statement shared by the Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation, which operates the Tyler family's historic home in Virginia. "A beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him. His accomplishments in business changed the lives of countless employees of ChemTreat, the company he co-founded in 1968," the foundation shared in a statement on Facebook. "His love of history and his birthplace, Charles City County, VA, led him to preserve both Sherwood Forest, President Tyler's home, and Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War fortification nearby. He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him." In 2012, Harrison Tyler had a series of small strokes and developed dementia, according to the National Archives. Harrison Tyler was born Nov. 9, 1928. His grandfather, President John Tyler, was in office from 1841 to 1845. Harrison Tyler was the son of Lyon Gadiner Tyler and Sue Ruffin in Richmond, Virginia. Harrison Tyler's father was born on Aug. 24, 1853, when President Tyler was 63 years old, which explains how a grandchild of the president from almost 200 years ago would still have been alive. Harrison Tyler graduated from William and Mary, the same university where his father was the president for over 30 years, and Virginia Tech, where he studied chemical engineering. In 1968, Tyler and his business partner, William P. Simmons, opened a water treatment company called ChemTreat. After founding ChemTreat, Harrison Tyler acquired the historic plantation Sherwood Forest, which once belonged to his grandfather, and oversaw its restoration. Today, the plantation is open to the public. Harrison Tyler also paid for the preservation of Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War-era fort built by Black soldiers of the Union's U.S. Colored Troops, which is near Sherwood Forest. At William and Mary, students and other guests can attend the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History, which was named in his honor after he donated books and $5 million. Harrison Tyler's wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler, died in 2019, and his brother, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., died in 2020, making Harrison Tyler the last living grandchild of the 10th president. Harrison Tyler is survived by his three children and multiple grandchildren. The president's birth and his grandson's death were separated by 235 years.


New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, Grandson of the 10th President, Is Dead at 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last surviving grandson of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States, who was born just after George Washington became president 236 years ago and who served in the White House from 1841 to 1845, died on Sunday at his home in Richmond, Va. He was 96. His death was confirmed by Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest Plantation, a private foundation established by the Tyler family. Mr. Tyler suffered a series of small strokes starting in 2012 and was later diagnosed with dementia. In recent years, his son William Bouknight Tyler oversaw the James River plantation that had been his family's ancestral home. Mr. Tyler, a retired businessman, and his older brother, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., who died at age 95 in 2020, were sons of Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. (1853-1935), a longtime president of the College of William & Mary. Their grandfather was the U.S. president who pushed for the annexation of Texas as American expansion moved west, but he is perhaps best known for the Whig Party's memorable 1840 presidential campaign slogan, 'Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.' In a remarkable instance of successive longevities and late-in-life paternities, the Tyler family produced a genealogical marvel, if not a singularity: three generations that spanned nearly the entire history of the American experience. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96
CHARLES CITY, Va. — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96. The cause of Tyler's death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler's father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., was born. And Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 when that father was 75 years old and the presidential grandfather had been dead for more than 60 years.

Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96
CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96. The cause of Tyler's death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler's father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., was born. And Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 when that father was 75 years old and the presidential grandfather had been dead for more than 60 years. The grandson was known for preserving his grandfather's plantation and nearby Civil War fort. In a statement, Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest, a national landmark of President Tyler's residence, said the president's grandson, whose brother died in 2020, was a 'beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him.' 'He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him,' Dunning said. Over the course of his life, Tyler preserved Sherwood Forest, his grandfather's plantation that enslaved dozens of people, including 43 people in 1860, just before the Civil War began. The grandson also helped restore and maintain Fort Pocahontas, a Union fort during the Civil War. Tyler's grandfather was a Democrat nicknamed the 'Accidental President' after unexpectedly assuming the presidency when President William Henry Harrison died in office. President Tyler was the first vice president to gain control of the White House in the wake of a death. The University of Virginia's Miller Center described the president as 'the last gasp of the Old Virginia aristocracy in the White House.' He had married twice and had 15 children, including Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. The time between the president's birth and his grandson's death spans 235 years.


The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96. The cause of Tyler's death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler's father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., was born. And Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 when that father was 75 years old and the presidential grandfather had been dead for more than 60 years. The grandson was known for preserving his grandfather's plantation and nearby Civil War fort. In a statement, Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest, a national landmark of President Tyler's residence, said the president's grandson, whose brother died in 2020, was a 'beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him.' 'He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him,' Dunning said. Over the course of his life, Tyler preserved Sherwood Forest, his grandfather's plantation that enslaved dozens of people, including 43 people in 1860, just before the Civil War began. The grandson also helped restore and maintain Fort Pocahontas, a Union fort during the Civil War. Tyler's grandfather was a Democrat nicknamed the 'Accidental President' after unexpectedly assuming the presidency when President William Henry Harrison died in office. President Tyler was the first vice president to gain control of the White House in the wake of a death. The University of Virginia 's Miller Center described the president as 'the last gasp of the Old Virginia aristocracy in the White House.' He had married twice and had 15 children, including Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. The time between the president's birth and his grandson's death spans 235 years.