Julia Gardiner Tyler

Julia Gardiner Tyler was born on May 4, 1820, on Gardiner's Island in New York. Her parents were David Gardiner, a landowner and New York State senator from 1824 to 1828, and Juliana MacLachlan Gardiner. She was the third of four children in an affluent and influential family. Her ancestry included Dutch, Scottish, and English roots. She received her education at home until age 16, after which she attended the Chagaray Institute in New York, where she studied music, French literature, ancient history, arithmetic, and composition. Raised as a Presbyterian, she was involved in fashionable social circles from a young age.

At age 15, Gardiner was introduced at Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1840, she gained notoriety by appearing in a department store advertisement, posing alongside an unidentified man and identifying herself as "The Rose of Long Island." Her family then took her to Europe, possibly to avoid further publicity. They traveled to London, where they arrived on October 29, 1840, and subsequently visited France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, and Scotland before returning to New York in September 1841. During her time in France, she was presented to the French court.

Following her return, the Gardiners spent time in Washington, D.C. While in the capital, Julia and her sister Margaret attracted many suitors, necessitating the rental of an extra room for entertaining. She received marriage proposals from several prominent individuals, including two congressmen, a Supreme Court justice, and President John Tyler. Julia first met Tyler in January 1842 at a White House reception. They met again in 1843, and after Tyler's first wife, Letitia Christian Tyler, had died, Tyler expressed interest in a romantic relationship. Although initially feeling little attraction due to the significant age difference—Tyler was 54, and Julia was 22—their relationship developed over time.

Their courtship culminated in a proposal at a White House Masquerade Ball on February 22, 1843, which Julia refused. Over the following months, they reached an understanding that they would marry someday. On February 22, 1844, during an excursion on the steam frigate Princeton, Julia’s father, David Gardiner, was fatally injured in the explosion of the naval gun Peacemaker. Julia fainted upon learning of his death, and President Tyler carried her off the ship. This event increased her emotional dependence on Tyler.

Julia and Tyler married secretly on June 26, 1844, at the Church of the Ascension in New York. Their marriage was controversial; it was the first time a U.S. president married while in office, and critics condemned the union due to the timing and the age difference. Tyler was 54, and Julia was 24. The marriage caused discontent among her stepchildren, some of whom were older than Julia. Following the wedding, Tyler designated Julia as First Lady, serving in this capacity for the final eight months of his presidency from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.

As First Lady, Julia undertook efforts to renovate the White House, including replacing furniture, redecoration, and updating staff uniforms. Her influence extended into fashion, as she purchased elaborate dresses and became a prominent social figure. She established traditions such as playing "Hail to the Chief" when the president arrived at events and popularizing dance forms like the waltz and polka in the United States.

Politically, Julia supported her husband's initiatives, especially advocating for Texas annexation. She organized social events that helped lobby Congressmen and was active in influencing political discourse, a departure from earlier First Ladies' roles.

After the presidency, Julia moved with Tyler to the Sherwood Forest Plantation in Virginia, where they had seven children. She became an advocate of slavery, notably writing an influential pamphlet in 1853 defending the practice. During the American Civil War, she supported the Confederate States of America, which caused a rift with her family in New York, who remained Union loyalists.

Post-war, she was involved in a legal dispute over her mother’s estate with her brother, a Union supporter. She returned to Washington, D.C., in the 1870s, assisting First Lady Julia Grant and securing a pension for widowed first ladies. Julia Tyler spent her final years in Richmond, Virginia, where she suffered from poor health. She died from a stroke on July 10, 1889, in the same hotel where her husband had died 27 years earlier.