Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 65 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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yOHNA
In I839 he was sent to the National Convention
at Harrisburg to nominate a President.
General Harrison received a majority
of votes, much to the disappointment of the
South, who had wished for Henry Clay.
In order to conciliate the Southern Whigs,
John Tyler was nominated for Vice-President.
Harrison and Tyler were inaugurated
March 4, 1841. In one short month
from that time President Harrison died,
and Mr. Tyler, to his own surprise as well
as that of the nation, found himself an
occupant of the Presidential chair. His
position was an exceedingly difficult one,
as he was opposed to the main principles of
the party which had brought him into
power. General Harrison had selected a
Whig cabinet Should he retain them, and
thus surround himself with councilors
whose views were antagonistic to his own?
or should he turn against the party that
had elected him, and select a cabinet in
harmony with himself? This was his fearful
dilemma.
President Tyler deserves more charity
than he has received. He issued an address
to the people, which gave. general satisfaction.
He retained the cabinet General
Harrison had selected. His veto of a bill
chartering a new national bank led to an
open quarrel with the party which elected
him, and to a resignation of the entire
cabinet, except Daniel Webster, Secretary
of State.
President Tyler attempted to conciliate.
He appointed a newv cabinet, leaving out all
strong party men, but the Whig members
of Congress were not satisfied, and they
published a manifesto September 13, breaking
off all political relations. The Democrats
had a majority in the House; the
rWhigs in the Senate. Mr. Webster soon
found it necessary to resign, being forced
out by the pressure of his Whig friends.
April 12, 1844, President Tyler concluded,
through Mr. Calhoun, a treaty for the anTYLER.
63
nexation of Texas, which was rejected by
the Senate; but he effected his object in the
closing days of his administration by the
passage of the joint resolution of March I
1845.
He was nominated for the Presidency by
an informal Democratic Convention, held
at Baltimore in May, I844, but soon withdrew
from the canvass, perceiving that he
had not gained the confidence of the Democrats
at large.
Mr. Tyler's administration was particularly
unfortunate. No one was satisfied.
Whigs and Democrats alike assailed him.
Situated as he was, it is more than can
be expected of human nature that he
should, in all cases, have acted in the wisest
manner; but it will probably be the verdict
of all candid men, in a careful review of his
career, that John Tyler was placed in a
position of such difficulty that he could not
pursue any course which would not expose
him to severe censure and denunciation.
In 1813 Mr. Tyler married Letitia Christian,
who bore him three sons and three
daughters, and died in Washington in 1842.
June 26, I844, he contracted a second marriage
with Miss Julia Gardner, of New
York. He lived in almost complete retire.
ment from politics until February, I86I,
when he was a member of the abortive
"peace convention," held at Washington,
and was chosen its President. Soon after
he renounced his allegiance to the United
States and was elected to the Confederate
Congress. He died at Richmond, January
17, 1862, after a short illness.
Unfortunately for his memory the name
of John Tyler must forever be associated
with all the misery of that terrible Rebellion,
whose cause he openly espoused.
It is with sorrow that history records that
a President of the United States died whiledefending the flag of rebellion, which was
arrayed against the national banner in
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Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/65/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.