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Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. 1925 - 2020

Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. was born on January 3, 1925, and died at age 95 years old on September 26, 2020 in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee United States. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr..

Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr.

January 3, 1925

September 26, 2020

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, United States

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Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. Lyon Tyler (1925 - 2020)

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Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr.'s History: 1925 - 2020

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Introduction

Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. was the grandson of President John Tyler and the son of President Tyler's 13th child (of 15), Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., with President Tyler's second wife. Jr's mother was Sr's 2nd wife, Sue Ruffin. Lyon Jr graduated from William and Mary College (where his father had been president) and went on to obtain a law degree from the University of Virginia. After practicing law for several years, he earned a doctorate in History from Duke University (1967) and taught History at the university level for 2 decades. He is survived by his daughter, Susan and his younger brother.
01/3

1925

Birthday

January 3, 1925

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

English
Nationality & Locations

United States
09/26

2020

Death

September 26, 2020

Death date

Alzheimers

Cause of death

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee United States
Death location

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Obituary

From USA Today, 10/9/2020 A grandson of 10th U.S. president John Tyler, who left office 175 years ago, died at age 95 last month, a historical anomaly of a family whose three generations span three centuries from the nascent United States to 2020. Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., of Franklin, Tennessee, died Sept. 26, according to an online obituary. His daughter, Susan Selina Pope Tyler, told the New York Times he died of complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. Tyler was born Jan. 3, 1925, more than 130 years after his grandfather John Tyler was born March 29, 1790. Though Tyler never met his grandfather, who died in 1862, he shared stories passed down through his family. "My great grandmother, the president's mother, said that when (John Tyler) was a year old, he reached up to the sky toward a full moon. She would say, 'I think that boy is going to be president of the United States. He's reaching for the sky,'" Tyler told a crowd in Williamson County in 2010, according to the Williamson Herald. After growing up in Charles City County, Virginia, outside Richmond, Tyler enrolled in the College of William and Mary when he was 16 years old, his obituary says. His father, the son of the president, served as the college's 17th president from 1888 until 1919. His time at the school was interrupted, however, by World War II, and Tyler served as a naval officer in the Pacific, his obituary says. He returned and completed his degree in 1947 then later earned a law degree from University of Virginia. In the 1960s, Tyler was an assistant director on the Virginia Civil War Centennial Commission, "hoping to unite the country rather than further divide it," his obituary says. Tyler then pursued a career in history and teaching, earning a doctorate in history from Duke and later teaching at the Virginia Military Institute then The Citadel in South Carolina. His grandfather, John Tyler, served as U.S. president from 1841 to 1845 after William Henry Harrison died just weeks into his term as the ninth U.S. president. Tyler had been added to the Whig Party ticket to sway Southern voters as a slave owner, according to the White House Historical Association. His presidency faced criticism and controversy, however. Tyler vetoed bills his party and predecessor approved, including the creation of a central bank. His contemporaries referred to him as “His Accidency,” a jeer in reference to him taking over shortly after Harrison's inauguration and being the first vice president to assume office after a president's death. He also faced impeachment attempts. Those introducing impeachment accused Tyler of "the high crime and misdemeanor of endeavoring to excite a disorganizing and revolutionary spirit in the country," Smithsonian Magazine notes After leaving office, Tyler retreated to his Virginia plantation, according to the White House Historical Association. He reentered public life before the outbreak of the Civil War when he served at the Peace Conference of 1861 but rejected the proposals. He was also elected to office in the Confederacy but died in January 1862. A father of 15, John Tyler had children in two marriages as his first wife, Letitia, died while he was in office. His second wife, Julia, was the mother of the College of William and Mary president, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., although active in legal and historical studies, did not share the political ambitions of his grandfather. He said at the 2010 event: "Being a presidential descendent, even as a small boy, I didn't want to hear anymore about it," per the Williamson Herald. He added that he was once asked by a woman, "'Little boy are you going to be president when you grow up?' 'No. I'll bite your head off,' I said. Then she asked me, 'What would you do with the bones?' and I told her, 'I'll spit 'em out.'" Tyler is survived by his daughter and brother, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, also in his 90s, President John Tyler's last living grandchild.

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Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. lived 24 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 95.

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Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

10/09/2020

Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr.

A photo of Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr, grandson of President John Tyler.

Lyon Tyler's grandfather, President Tyler, was born just under 1 year after George Washington was inaugurated as the 1st President of the United States. This means that just 3 generations of this branch of the Tyler family has seen the entire history of the United States of America. And Lyon's younger brother is still with us.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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AncientFaces

411 favorites

10/09/2020

The 10th President of the US was John Tyler (born 1790) who was a lifelong friend of Thomas Jefferson. On September 26, 2020, John Tyler's *grandson*, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr., died. This branch of the Tyler family, from John Tyler's birth until today (there is one grandson still with us) spans the time from George Washington's presidency to our 45th president- in just 3 generations. When was your grandfather born? Bet it wasn't 1790!

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Lynn Harbach

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10/09/2020

1895

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Other Biographies

Other Lyon Tyler Biographies

Tyler Jr, Lyon (Mar 8, 1914 - Dec 22, 1998)

Tyler, Lyon (Dec 19, 1923 - Mar 8, 1991)

Other Tyler Family Biographies

Warner, Mary (Born Apr 22, 1822) Tyler, John (Born Mar 7, 1910) Tyler, Benjamin (Born Aug 23, 1883) Tyler, Barsha (Born 1891) Tyler, Mary (Born Oct 1851) Atkins, Ty (Born Nov 30, 1930) Tyler, Mrs. Tyler, Frances (Born Oct 1842) Tyler, Mary (Born Jul 1881) Tyler, Mrs. Mary (Born Jul 1881)

Tyler, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth (Born Jul 1881) Tyler, Mrs. Mary (Born Jul 1881) Tyler, John (1650 - 1652) Tyler, Raymond (Jun 20, 1907 - Jul 1983) Tyler, Elmore (Mar 27, 1908 - Sep 1972) Tyler, Kenneth (May 29, 1913 - Oct 1978) Tyler, Donald (Jun 29, 1915 - Jun 1962) Tyler, George (Oct 3, 1890 - Feb 1974) Tyler, Roger (Jul 7, 1901 - Apr 1971) Tyler, Katherine (Aug 22, 1918 - Oct 19, 1998)

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Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr. 1925 - 2020

Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr.'s History: 1925 - 2020

Introduction

Birthday

Ethnicity & Family History

Nationality & Locations

Death

Obituary

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Lyon Tyler's Family Tree & Friends

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