John Tyler became the first vice president to succeed to the presidency without being elected when President Harrison died just one month into his administration. Called “His Accidency” by political foes, Tyler’s term was not an easy one.

John Tyler grew up on a 1,200-acre plantation situated along the banks of the James River. Before becoming Harrison’s vice president, Tyler served as U.S. Representative, as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, then as U.S. Senator and Virginia’s governor.

Elected as a Whig, he vetoed legislation proposed by his own party; his entire Cabinet, with the exception of Secretary of State Daniel Webster, resigned. Tyler focused much of his energies on the annexation of Texas, which passed shortly before he left office.

A year and a half after he became president, Tyler’s wife Letitia died. Twenty-one months later, Tyler remarried. Julia Tyler, 30 years younger than her husband, savored her new role as first lady and enlivened the White House with elegant parties. Through his two marriages, Tyler had a total of 15 children, more than any other president.

In 1845, the Tylers retired to their Sherwood Forest estate in Tidewater Virginia. When the Civil War began, Tyler sided with the South. In November 1861, he was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives, but never took his seat. On January 12, 1862, he contracted what was diagnosed as “bilious fever.” Six days later, he died. At his funeral, his coffin was draped in a Confederate flag.