The 15 children of John Tyler

John Tyler became the unexpected 10th president of the United States in 1841, upon the sudden death of William Henry Harrison.

He wasn’t a particularly impressive commander-in-chief, but he was notable for at least one thing: having more legitimate children than any other U.S. president.

He married this first wife, Letitia Christian, in 1813. They had eight children:

• Mary (b. 1815)
• Robert (b. 1816)
• John (b. 1819)
• Letitia (b. 1821)
• Elizabeth (b. 1823)
• Anne Contesse (1825-1825) – John Tyler’s paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Contesse.
• Alice (b. 1827)
• Tazewell, called “Taz” (b. 1830) – He “was named by the older children after the Tyler family’s close friend, Littleton W. Tazewell.”

Letitia had a stroke in 1839, and died in 1842.

John married his second wife, Julia Gardiner, in 1844. They had seven more children:

• David (b. 1846)
• John (b. 1848)
• Julia (b. 1849)
• Lachlan (b. 1851) – Julia’s mother’s maiden name was McLachlan.
• Lyon (b. 1853) – Probably named in honor of Julia’s ancestor Lion Gardiner.
• Robert Fitzwalter, called “Fitz” (b. 1856) – He was “[n]amed Robert Fitzwalter in honor of Julia Tyler’s ancestor of thirteenth-century England.” (I found several contenders, but my guess is this guy.)
• Pearl (b. 1860) – She “was originally to be named Margaret, but she was christened Pearl instead.”

The grand total? 15.

Which of the Tyler kids’ names do you like best?

Sources:

• John Tyler – Wikipedia
• President John Tyler weds his second wife – History
• Quinn, Sandra L. and Sanford Kanter. America’s Royalty: All the Presidents’ Children. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.