John Alexander Tyler

John Alexander Tyler was born on April 7, 1848, at Sherwood Forest Plantation near Charles City, Virginia. He was the second son of President John Tyler and his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler.

During the American Civil War, Tyler was 14 years old when his father died. Following his father's death, he attempted to enlist in the Confederate States Army but was initially rejected due to his age. His mother, Julia Gardiner Tyler, later permitted him to join the Confederate States Navy, as it was associated with a lower risk of casualties compared to the Army. Tyler spent most of his naval service aboard a ship quarantined due to a yellow fever outbreak and left the navy in 1864. He attended college for a brief period—three months—before leaving to join the First Virginia Battalion of Artillery under General Robert E. Lee, just prior to Lee's surrender at Appomattox, which marked the conclusion of the Civil War.

In 1865, Tyler and his brother, David Gardiner Tyler, traveled to Germany to pursue higher education. He studied in Carlsruhe, Baden, and Freiberg, Saxony, with the aim of becoming a mining engineer. In 1870, at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Tyler enlisted in the Prussian Army and joined the First Uhlan regiment under King John of Saxony. He served in the occupation of France in 1871 with distinction.

After returning to the United States in 1873, Tyler sought employment as a mining engineer near Salt Lake City. His efforts were impeded by the economic depression following the Panic of 1873, which limited opportunities. Although he obtained a position with a railroad, his salary was insufficient to meet his financial obligations, leading to ongoing financial difficulties. In 1875, Tyler married Sarah Griswold Gardiner, a third cousin of his, on August 5. His marriage was followed by a government appointment when President Rutherford B. Hayes designated him as a surveyor for the United States Department of the Interior.

Tyler continued his work as a mining engineer until his death. In 1883, at the age of 35, he died from a fever while working in New Mexico. His early death ended his career in engineering and public service.