1862- John Tyler Dies

The 10th president John Tyler died at age 71 on this day in 1862. Tyler was elected as the 10th Union president in March of 1841. While he was, in fact, a Union president, he took the Confederate side of government. But how is this possible?

Tyler was a U.S. Congressman and the governor of Virginia, his home state, before he was elected president after president William Henry Harrison died in office. He was responsible for the addition of Texas to the Union in 1845, the same year his presidency ended.

After his term ended, he returned to his home state. In the winter of 1860-1861, a group of Virginians asked Tyler to head a Peace Convention to compromise with the Republicans in the North to prevent a civil war. The attempt failed- Republicans didn’t want to protect slavery in the West. As a result, Tyler became a permanent member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America. The former Union president died at age 71 in Richmond, Virginia, before he could take his seat in the Congress of the Confederate States of America. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in his hometown of Richmond.

(Taken from: www.history.com/this-day-in-history)