Tribute To An Accidental Statesman and "Stallion" by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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Tribute To An Accidental Statesman and "Stallion"

If you know someone with the middle or last name "Tyler," there's a good chance he or she may be a descendant of President John Tyler. I say this not out of any genealogical savvy but by the law of probability. You see, Tyler holds the distinction of fathering the most children of any U.S. president.

As it happened, Tyler stumbled into the presidency as vice president to William Henry Harrison. Harrison died after just one month in office, paving the way for Tyler to assume the executive position. He and his wife Letitia moved into the White House in 1841 along with their eight children. Sadly, Letitia died of a stroke in 1842, leaving Tyler a widow with a brood of children. But, not for long, and here's where things get a tad strange.

Tyler's oldest son, John Tyler Jr., had met an irresistible and intelligent young socialite named Julia Gardiner. Of course, some people are attracted to those with executive privileges. Gardiner did end up marrying a Tyler — just not the junior. At the age of 23 she opted to wed the senior widowed Tyler, who was then in his 50s. When they were married, one of Tyler's daughters was five years older than her new stepmother.

The age difference evidently meant little because the president and his bride went on to have seven more children for a staggering total of 15 for John Tyler. Truth be told, it almost makes "OctoMom" look like a slacker.

The presence of a record brood in the Executive Mansion was far from Tyler's only distraction. Because of the way he ascended to office he was given the nickname "Your Accidency." For that and other reasons he wasn't admired by Democrats or by the Whig-run Congress. In essence he was a political outcast.

Up until Tyler's presidency, security hadn't been a top-of-mind concern in Washington. That changed quickly as regular death threats and bomb scares became the norm for Tyler. Enraged mobs would burn even him in effigy in front of the White House. On one occasion, an unmarked package was delivered to the White House.

Suspecting the worst, Tyler hid behind a marble column as an aide attacked the parcel with a meat cleaver. The contents proved to be a then-destroyed toy.

Not surprisingly, and out of necessity, Congress allowed for a provision called "Tyler's Bill," which offered some protection in the form of four plainclothes "doormen" who were entrusted with guarding the president. Naturally, this was the forerunner to today's Secret Service.

Even though his four years in office were overtly turbulent, Tyler was able to get a few things accomplished. One was negotiating with England the current boundary between Maine and Canada. More important was his support for Texas statehood — at the time, a controversial proposal. Just three days prior to leaving office he signed the bill annexing Texas leading to statehood.

This month, Tyler has been featured on the latest in the Presidential $1 Coin series begun in 2007. As the 10th president it is the 10th such coin released.

On the face (heads) is a portrait of the former president. The image does a reasonably good job of depicting the virile ladies' man. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription, "JOHN TYLER, IN GOD WE TRUST, 10TH PRESIDENT 1841-1845." The coin's reverse showcases the Statue of Liberty, the date, 2009, and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The new dollar coin was issued on May 21, and should soon be available in many banks. Rolls of the coins may also be ordered directly from the U.S. Mint through their web site: www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

One last thing to consider in wonderment. When the coin was officially issued two weeks ago, one of those attending was former President Tyler's grandson. That's correct, his grandson — no "great" or "great-great" in front of that. Even more amazing is that Tyler was born when George Washington was president and died in 1862. One of his daughters lived through Harry Truman's administration, and his grandson is only two generations removed from the Revolutionary War. Now, that's a legacy.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the new John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.