Julia Tyler, First Lady

Julia Tyler, First Lady

Julia Gardiner Tyler (May 17, 1820 - July 10, 1889) was the second wife of John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States, and served as First Lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845. In early 1842, Julia was introduced to President John Tyler at a White House reception. Initially the northern beauty felt little attraction to the grave, reserved Virginia gentleman, who was thirty years her senior. But they began seeing each other in January 1843, only a few months after the death of First Lady Letitia Christian Tyler. They married in 1844. Julia enjoyed the duties of First Lady. In the last month of the Tyler administration, she hosted a grand White House ball that drew 3,000 guests. Their 18 year marriage produced 7 children. After her husband's death in 1862, she moved north to Staten Island, where her sympathy for the Confederates strained relations with her family and neighbors. She returned to Virginia to live with the aid of her grown children and, in her last years, a federal pension provided to all presidential widows. She suffered a stroke in 1889 and died at the age of 69. Painting by Francisco Anelli.

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3241 x 4050 px | 37.6 MB

27.4 x 34.3 cm | 10.8 x 13.5 in (300 dpi)