John Tyler has long suffered from bad press. Derided as “His Accidency” by contemporaries who considered him unworthy of the office he inherited, he has long been marginalized as one of our less successful presidents. Yet such treatment minimizes his considerable legacy. As the first vice president who succeeded to the presidency because of the death of the incumbent, he established a precedent for legitimacy that has been followed by all seven of his successors who followed his path to the White House. As president, he settled major outstanding differences with Great Britain and championed – and in the waning days of his administration, gained – the annexation of Texas. Such achievements suggest that his contribution to both the presidency and to American history have been seriously underappreciated.

Gary May’s book goes far towards rectifying this. His short biography provides a nice overview of Tyler’s life and political career. Born into the Virginia plantation aristocracy, Tyler benefitted from the wealth and connections it provided. He followed his father into politics, and served as governor and senator for his state before resigning on a point of principle. Yet May makes clear that his selection as vice president was made more for the lack of better alternatives than for his individual qualifications. With Harrison’s abrupt death after only a month in the White House, Tyler spent nearly a full term as president, pursuing his own ambitious agenda despite his political isolation. Abandoned by the Whigs and spurned by the Democrats, Tyler found himself a man without a party, and was forced to abandon his hopes for another term as president.

Insightful and readable, May’s book is one of the more successful entries in “The American Presidents” series. With its focus on their White House tenure, series is not always a good fit with its subjects. Yet with Tyler it is ideal, giving the author the ability to illuminate an often overshadowed presidency. Though the period is outside of May academic specialization, none of this is apparent from his command of both the historical details and the literature on the period. All of this makes May’s book a superb starting point for anyone interested in an introduction to the life and career of America’s tenth president, one far more worthy of attention than it has traditionally received. ( )

This was a good short biography of a president who consistently places very low when historians rate presidents, essentially a 'historical dwarf'. On the positive side, his relatively unchallenged ascent to the presidency upon Harrison's death helped pave the way for future VPs to have smooth takeovers. He had some good foreign policy successes with Great Britain and China. He also stood up to Henry Clay and didn't let Clay try to run the government, thereby weakening the presidency. On the negative side - Texas and, after his presidency, his vote to approve the succession of Virginia. His push to preserve and extend a slave-holding America with the annexation of Texas accelerated the US on the path to the civil war.

One thing that I was totally clueless about and was a bit eye-opening was Tyler's pursuit and eventual marriage to Julia Gardiner, 30 years his junior. It was evidently a happy marriage and produced seven children, giving Tyler 15 children in total - wow! ( )

It must be said that this volume in this series violates the publisher's prime directive of no short biographies and cut to the chase of a single significance of each administration. This is a short biography, and it's a small masterpiece of the form. The author ought to be the curator of the Museum of Striking Facts; he offers up, inter alia, the election of the Vice President by the Senate in 1836, the oddment that Tyler was born in the second year of the Washington administration whilst his last child didn't die until the Truman administration, and something called the Congressional Burying Ground. Although the book seems to be a little heavy on backstory, the relationships, often hostile, which Tyler formed as a congressman surely shaped his failed tenure; the "man without a party" predictably ended up being disliked and mistrusted by both. The author is a genial, effective stylist and this is an enjoyable, informative read throughout. ( )

Tyler, our 10th President, had an interesting life but a disappointing presidency. He was a Virginian, slave holder, devoted states' rights enthusiast, and the first person to be elevated from Vice President following the death of a sitting President. He married twice, the second time to a woman 30 years his junior, and in all had 15 legitimate children. Although he tried to add his weight to those fighting against a Civil War, he voted for succession in the Virginia Legislature and supported the Confederacy. He is the only President not officially mourned in the Capital, because he was considered a traitor.

This particular biography is part of Schlesinger's American Presidents series, and it is one of the better ones. I recently read the volume on Martin Van Buren, which left me completely in the dark about him as a person. This volume, only 151 pages, gave me a good sense of the person and was a real pleasure to read. The author weaves the personal and political together to give the reader a good idea of what was going on at the time, how it affected Tyler and his family, and how he balanced the two. A very well-done overview. ( )

John Tyler became the 10th President of the United States upon the death of William Henry Harrison having been in office for only 1 month.

Tyler's time in office was filled with firsts of all kinds - he was the first man to take office after the death of his predecessor, first President married while in office, first President to have his entire cabinet resign because they disagreed with his policies, first President to be abandoned by the party that he represented at election. He was known for the numerous vetoes that he exercised and after leaving office, for voting for Secession and supporting the Confederate States of America.

John Tyler was not a popular President with either the people or the politicians of the day. His time in office was marked by the death of his first wife as well as constant battles with the Congress regarding policies. He was extremely proud of the fact that his administration was responsible for finally settling the border issues between Maine and Canada so that that the threat from Britain was eliminated.
This book wasn't very large but it did give sufficient information so that I can move on to the next president. ( )