A President John Tyler Poem

Please enjoy this John Tyler poem, You're It!, by Denise Rodgers, as well as a page of President John Tyler facts.

You're It!
(A John Tyler Poem)

He didn't even know yet that the president was sick.
A clerk came knocking on his door to tell him he was "it."
That he was the next president, effective on the spot.
Was he ready for the job?
In some ways, he was not.
The Senate did not like him, and he often had to fight.
Yet Tyler did his very best to do his country right.
And that's the way our country works,
though parties may be split.
If you become Vice President, one day you might be
"It."

Poem and Art by Denise Rodgers
Copyright©Denise Rodgers
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John Tyler Facts

10th President of the United States

Term:
1841-1845

Political Party:
Whig

Born:
March 29, 1790, Virginia

Died:
January 18, 1862

Married:
Letitia Christian Tyler, 1813-1842
Julia Gardiner Tyler, 1844-1862

Facts about the John Tyler Poem

John Tyler had been chosen as Vice president to William Henry Harrison in order to balance the ticket. Not only that, he had joined the Whig party because he disliked Andrew Jackson, not because he agreed with the Whig philosophy. Because of this, he did not fit in well with the other Whig party members in Washington, D.C. There were many political squabbles within the Whig party, and Tyler had a difficult time in office. His administration lasted for just one term.

More Facts to Support the John Tyler Poem

* John Tyler was dubbed "His Accidency" by political detractors, because of the way he came into office.

* Tyler was a states-rights Southerner. This means he was for each state's right to decide whether or not it was going to be slave state.

* Even though he came into office via the Vice Presidency, John Tyler delivered an Inaugural Address.

* After Tyler vetoed a Congressional bill to establish a National Bank, he was expelled from the Whig party.

* Tyler vetoed a tariff bill, leading to the first Impeachment resolution ever introduced in the House of Representatives, by John Quincy Adams. The resolution failed.

* During John Tyler's administration, the "Log Cabin" bill was passed, giving settlers claim to 160 acres before it was publicly offered for sale. Settlers would later pay $1.25 per acre.

* In 1845, Texas was annexed into the United States. Later that year, Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state.

* John Tyler died of bronchitis at the age of 71. His youngest child was only 18 months old.

More Fun John Tyler Facts

* John Tyler gave energetic White House parties. He would play violin for guests, while his second wife, Julia, sang.

* Tyler had the most children of any US President. He had eight children with first wife Letitia, who died while he was in office. He had seven children with second wife, Julia, who was thirty years younger -- younger even than three of his daughters from his first marriage.