Letitia Christian Tyler
1841-1842

Note: There were two Mrs. Tyler's who served as first lady. John Tyler was president from 1841-1843, His first wife, Letitia, died in 1842. Tyler remarried in 1844 to Julia Tyler.

Letita was born on November 12, 1790 on her parents' plantation, Cedar Grove which was near Richmond, Virginia.

On the plantation she learned to run a large household.

She was very shy and religious.

She and John were engaged for five years. John told his friends that he didn't even kiss her hand until a few weeks before they were married.

On March 29, 1813 she and John Tyler were married. She was 22. It was John's birthday and he turned 23 that day. They were married soon John was elected to the state legislature.

Mrs Tyler avoided the public life. She only went to Washington once when John was a Senator.

She became very religious and read nothing but the bible.

In 1838 Letitia had a stroke and was paralyzed. After her stroke she was confined to a wheel chair.

When John Tyler became president in 1841, Mrs. Tyler moved to Washington.

Priscilla Cooper served as the hostess at social occasions at the White House. Priscilla was the wife of John Tyler's son Robert.

She lived on the second floor of the White House and only came down for one social occasion. She attended her daughter's wedding to William Waller in 1842.

She died from a second stroke on September 10, 1842 in Washington D.C. She was 51. She was buried at her birth place in Cedar Grove.

Visit our site on U.S. Presidents

Books and Websites

Books

Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladiesby James Barber and Amy Pastan.
First Ladies: Women Who Called The White House Home (First Ladies) by Beatrice Gormeley.

Websites

http://www.firstladies.org/ National First Ladies Library
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/058_flal.htmlLibrary of Congress, Images of the First Ladies

Comments and/or corrections should be sent to Jim at jim@anewadventure.org.