TIL, The 10th US President, John Tyler, Has Two Living Grandchildren

So I saw a thread about this on Twitter and verified it. Thought I'd share.

John Tyler, 10th President of the United States, was born in 1790. His first wife, Letitia Christian, with whom he had seven children who survived to adulthood, died in 1842 while he was in office.

While still in office, in 1844, he then married Julia Gardiner, with whom he had another seven children. In 1853, the couple's fourth son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, was born. John Tyler was 63 when Lyon was born. Lyon was 8 when his father died.

Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr was the President of the College of William & Mary. His first wife, Anne Baker Tucker, with whom he'd had three children, died in 1921. He then married the much younger, Sue Ruffin (35 years younger) and the couple had three children, one of whom died in infancy.

The other two children, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. (b. 1924 when Lyon Sr was 71) and Harrison Ruffin Tyler (b. 1928 when Lyon Sr was 75), are both living — making John Tyler the earliest US President with living grandchildren.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I guarantee you (almost) that other earlier Presidents have great+ grandchildren out there, but they just aren't the politically correct type of children. People sure did have a lot of kids back then. I went through my ancestry around that same time, and saw many branches having had 9 or more kids, seems insane by today's standards.

Interesting read about President Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
www.monticello.org...

a reply to: theantediluvian

Wow. That's pretty cool. I wonder what the grandchildren's children are doing nowadays?

a reply to: theantediluvian

Thanks Ante. TIL what TIL means.

Also, if I ever get on Jeopardy, I'll know who the earliest US President with living grandchildren is.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Yeah. You had to have like 9 so that a few survived into adulthood.

All those childhood diseases sucked.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Too bad their grandfather is one of only 7 US Presidents "nobody seems to remember" (or maybe that has since changed, but only because of his grandchildren?) www.cnn.com...

I went to a community college named after John Tyler close to Richmond, Virginia and a family friend would always bust my chops about how choosing John Tyler for the school name was a pisspoor decision by whoever made it... lol

He apparently wasn't so popular and was even known as "His Accidency"

This 2nd article also claims he was a traitor to the US, and that:

The New York Times described Tyler as "the most unpopular public man that had ever held any office in the United States,"

mentalfloss.com...

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: theantediluvian

I guarantee you (almost) that other earlier Presidents have great+ grandchildren out there,

Great+ ??? Of course. That's not remarkable. Plain old grandchildren of someone born in 1790 are, which I believe was the point of the post. For most people, someone born in 1790 would be a great great great great grandfather.

a reply to: schuyler

Sorry I was being lazy and just didn't spell out great great great great grandfather, hence the G+, I guess I should have put G++++

What I was trying to portray is that many early presidents had slaves, they slept with those slave and had children. Those children would have been even earlier examples of the OP post. I included a link showing a possible one with Thomas Jefferson.

Hard to believe they've got a Grandparent born in the 1700's. Not everyone can attest to something like that, remarkable story.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: schuyler

Sorry I was being lazy and just didn't spell out great great great great grandfather, hence the G+, I guess I should have put G++++

What I was trying to portray is that many early presidents had slaves, they slept with those slave and had children. Those children would have been even earlier examples of the OP post. I included a link showing a possible one with Thomas Jefferson.

The point of OP's post was not who had slaves or that early presidents had descendents. Every single one of us are descendents of someone born in the 18th century. That is so unremarkable that one wonders why you felt compelled to point it out. The point was that we have grandchildren still alive of someone born in 1790. That IS remarkable and very rare. Great great great great grandchildren (or great+ in your terminology) are a dime a dozen.

Ok, I'm dumb, need coffee!! I get it now, and yes that is remarkable!! I missed the whole "living grandchild" thing

a reply to: theantediluvian


3 generations spanning 4 different centuries is pretty wild no matter how you look at it.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Tippacanoe and Tyler too? That dude???

Jesus...

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: theantediluvian


3 generations spanning 4 different centuries is pretty wild no matter how you look at it.

I remember my good friend's family getting excited around the year 1997, 1998, because his great grandpa was born in 1899, and if he lived to the year 2000, he would have been alive during 3 different centuries.

But then he died in 1999.

I like to think as he got older and family members began talking about it more, he said to himself:

"No. I'm not going to relegate my legacy to some minor piece of trivia. I want my life to amount to more than a mere neat factoid! They want me to live till 2000AD and after that, who cares? I'm supposed to keep pushing and fighting another year just so you ungrateful selfish suckers can go 'huh...neat' ? Well screw that..."