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By Shane Croucher and Sophie Clark
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Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of the 10th U.S. President John Tyler, has died aged 96. Tyler died on May 25, CBS News reported, citing a family statement.
His death marks the end of a direct familial link to a president who served before the Civil War.
The Context
President Tyler served from 1841 to 1845 following the death of President William Henry Harrison, to whom he had been vice president. He died in 1862 aged 71, decades before the birth of his last living grandson, Harrison.
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Following his term in office, Tyler became an elected member of the Confederate Congress of the Confederate States of America in 1861.
Tyler had 15 children, eight with his first wife, Letitia, and then seven more with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, whom he married following Letitia's death.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler was the son of President Tyler' 13th child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, who was born in the 10th president's later years. President Tyler's last child was born when he was 70-years-old.
Lyon Gardiner Tyler became the president of William and Mary College. He also married twice and had two children, including Harrison, when he himself was in his 70s.
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What To Know
Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, in Richmond, Virginia, according to The Richmonder, and remained in the state for much of his adult life.
Tyler attended St. Christopher's School in Richmond before graduating from William & Mary. He continued his education at Virginia Tech, where he studied chemical engineering.
In 1968, Tyler co-founded ChemTreat in Glen Allen, Virginia, serving major industrial clients such as Philip Morris and Kraft.
Tyler's later years were marked by dedication to historic preservation. In 1975, he acquired his grandfather's historic home, Sherwood Forest Plantation, and worked with his wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler, to restore and open it to the public.
In 1996, Tyler purchased and supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War site constructed by Black Union soldiers. He also donated thousands of papers, books, and $5 million to William & Mary's history department, which was renamed in his honor in 2021.
Tyler lived in a Richmond-area nursing facility after being diagnosed with dementia, The Richmonder reported. His wife passed away in 2019. He is survived by three children and several grandchildren.
What People Are Saying
Annique Dunning, executive director of Sherwood Forest said in a statement: "[Harrison] will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him."
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