Timeline Description: John Tyler was America's tenth president. He was elected as vice-president, and he became president when President Harrison died in office. His biggest accomplishment was making Texas a state.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1790 | John Tyler is born John was born in Virginia to a wealthy, political family. His family was friends with former president William Henry Harrison's family, so the fact that they ran for president together was no surprise. |
| 1807 | Tyler's education John attended the College of William and Mary, which was the same college the others in his family had attended since it was established. He studied law and became a lawyer by the age 19. |
| 1813 | The War of 1812 The War of 1812 broke out with the British, and John Tyler was very active in opposing the British. He helped form a militia to fight them. |
| 1816 | Tyler the politician In this year, Tyler resigned from practicing law in order to join Virginia's Governor Council of State. This was his first move toward his political career. |
| 1817 | Elected to the US House of Representatives Technically, Mr. Tyler began his career in the House in December of 1816, but he won his first official election the following spring when he was elected to a full term in 1817. |
| 1820 | The Missouri Compromise During this time, Missouri was seeking to become an official state. However, Tyler voted against it because they wanted to become a state that outlawed slavery. |
| 1825 | The US Senate Tyler bounced back and forth between state and federal political positions, and in 1825 he became the governor of Virginia. Then, in 1827, he moved on to work in the US Senate. |
| 1832 | Growing political tensions Tyler opposed many of the politicians of his day, as a growing number moved toward federal rights instead of state rights. He helped veto the bill that tried to reopen the Second Bank of the United States, and in doing this he joined himself with President Andrew Jackson. |
| 1836 | A run for vice-president Tyler ran as William Henry Harrison's running mate in the presidential election of 1836, but they were beat out by Martin Van Buren. |
| 1840 | The next election Once again, Harrison and Tyler ran for office together. This time they beat out Martin Van Buren, and John Tyler found himself the Vice-President of the United States of America. |
| 1841 | The President! Only a few months after the election, President Harrison died of pneumonia. Tyler became president. |
| 1841 | The Presidency (1841-1845) Many people argued at first whether or not Tyler should be president, but the entire situation paved the way for how the death of a president should be handled. It spurred the 25th Amendment, which detailed the actions that should be taken upon a president's death. |
| 1842 | Impeachment! For the first time in history, the House of Representatives tried to impeach a president. The people were generally unhappy with the way Tyler's presidency was going, and they wanted to end it. They were unsuccessful. |
| 1845 | The Annexation of Texas Shortly before Tyler left office, he accomplished what he is most well-known for during his presidency—the annexation of Texas, making it an official state. Tyler left office shortly after that. |
| 1861 | A Confederate Supporter At the beginning of the Civil War, Tyler supported the South's succession from the Union, saying he supported state's rights. He died a year later, and his death was not recognized by the White House because of his support of the Confederacy. |