Harrison Ruffin Tyler

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, in Richmond, Virginia. He was the son of Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler. His paternal grandparents were John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States (1790–1862), and Julia Gardiner Tyler. Through his mother, Susan Ruffin, he was a member of the Virginia Harrison family and a great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin. His mother was a teacher and responsible for maintaining the family’s historical documents.

Tyler experienced economic hardship during the Great Depression and became orphaned at the age of six following the death of his father. He was homeschooled initially by his mother and later attended public schools in Charles City County, Virginia, before enrolling at St. Christopher’s School. His college education was financed by Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, who provided a $5,000 check, possibly due to his father’s friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt. He graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1949 with a degree in chemistry. Subsequently, Tyler obtained a degree in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1951, prompted by limited employment opportunities in chemistry.

Professionally, Tyler initially worked as a project manager for Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation, managing a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. He gained experience in water treatment, including work with soft and hard water, and developed a patent related to shiny aluminum water treatment processes. In 1963, Virginia-Carolina Chemical was acquired by Mobil, leading Tyler to leave and co-found ChemTreat, Inc., with William P. Simmons. The company, headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia, specialized in water treatment for industrial cooling systems, collaborating with hospitals, and companies in the paper and pulp sector. In 2000, Tyler led an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) for ChemTreat. The company was acquired by the Danaher Corporation in 2007.

In his personal life, Tyler married Frances Payne Bouknight in July 1957 in Johnston, South Carolina. The couple resided in Richmond until her death in 2019. They had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (born 1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (born 1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (born 1961). In 1975, the Tylers purchased Sherwood Forest Plantation from relatives and oversaw its restoration. They also acquired Fort Pocahontas in 1996, funding its restoration. Beginning in 1997, Tyler sponsored annual Civil War reenactments at Wilson’s Wharf and collaborated with the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to research and assess Fort Pocahontas.

In 2001, Tyler donated $5 million along with 22,000 books and documents related to his family’s history to the College of William & Mary’s Department of History, which was subsequently named the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History in his honor. Despite his family prominence, Tyler expressed limited interest in politics, emphasizing his historical family context. He was known for speaking passionately about his family’s history.

Tyler experienced health issues starting in 2012, including mini-strokes and a diagnosis of dementia. He lived in a nursing home near Richmond during his later years. Harrison Ruffin Tyler passed away at his home in Richmond on May 25, 2025, at the age of 96.