Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. Dies 175 Years After His Grandfather, John Tyler, Left The White House

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Fri Oct 9, 2020, 02:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: CNN

(CNN) For many Americans, going two generations back takes them to World War II. For Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., who died September 26, two generations stretched to a century earlier, when steam locomotives ruled the land and his grandfather was 10th president of the United States.

Tyler, 95, was the grandson of John Tyler, who served as president from 1841 to 1845. He died from complications of Alzheimer's disease. A younger brother is among his survivors.

That someone in the 21st century could have a grandfather who knew Thomas Jefferson can be attributed to late-in-life paternity, second wives and longevity in his family: Three generations of Tyler men spanned an incredible 230 years.

While Tyler, a World War II veteran, lawyer and history professor at the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel, was proud of his ancestor and spoke about him, it was not what defined his life. Tyler lived in Franklin, Tennessee, at the time of his passing. He grew up in Virginia. His younger brother, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, 91, is now the last surviving grandson of the president.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/us/john-tyler-grandson-death-trnd/index.html

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Tyler's daughter, Susan Selina Pope Tyler, said Thursday that her father was a humble and compassionate man of faith who mentored others.



Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr.



President John Tyler, 1790- 1862.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyler

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I remember hearing about this gentleman here on DU, some time ago.

I was staggered by his very long life, and by the fact that his grandfather was John Tyler, who lived two generations ago.

A remarkable life.

May he rest in peace.

[appalachiablue]

2. In 2009 he and his brother, Harrison Ruffin Tyler

were interviewed about new President Barack Obama and made many complimentary remarks.

Quite a few members of the Harrison and Tyler families are still around, esp. Virginia.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Previously at DU:

These are just a few of the threads.

Thu Jan 26, 2012: Two of John Tyler's grandchildren still alive (Tyler born in 1790)

Thu Jan 11, 2018: John Tyler, America's tenth president, was born in 1790. He has two living grandchildren.

Mon Mar 12, 2018: How two of President John Tyler's grandsons are still alive, 174 years later

Sat Dec 1, 2018: Amazing but true: America is only 4 presidents' lives old

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Thanks so much for all these links! I'll check 'em out.

[Lucky Luciano]

3. I remember hearing about he and his brother a few years ago.

It really is pretty amazing.

[appalachiablue]

4. They are the later children of their father's 2nd marriage,

and he was also a later son by a 2nd marriage. That explains the years.

[marybourg]

5. Julia ( Pres. Tyler's 2nd wife) was a member of the Gardiner family.

which owns Gardiner’s Island, the private island between the two forks of Long Island. Lion (yes, that’s how he spelled it) Gardiner was the name of original owner.

It’s said that he purchased the island in 1639 from the Montaukett Indians for “a large black dog, some powder and shot, and a few Dutch blankets”.

[appalachiablue]

18. Thanks for mentioning. I know about Julia and the island,

I've seen T. Roosevelt's summer home, Sangamore Hill & some of LI, but didn't make it out to Gardiner's, next time.

It's a terrific history and would be great for a PBS or Netflix series, pirate treasure and all!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardiners_Island

[marybourg]

19. Isn't Sagamore Hill wonderful? That top floor retreat?

[appalachiablue]

20. It was very interesting, wonderful grounds too. You can

really picture TR, all the children, pets and more. Mom lived in NY during WWII and loved history, incl. the Dutch.

In the 80s my brother lived in the city & wanted to co-buy a place on Fire Island but I recall him saying properties couldn't be insured which I thought was strange. Until I learned more about hurricanes & northeasters that far north.

As kids we went thru one in coastal Md., and Sandy swiped by Delaware where I was, but no direct hits thank heaven.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. How wonderful.

This is the kind of historical connection I just love.

Back in 1986, when Haley's comet last showed up, we made a point of making sure our young son, then three years old, got to see it. A few days after that viewing, we were having a family dinner that included an elderly relative. I prodded my son to talk about seeing the comet, and got the response I was hoping for from the elderly relative: "When I was your age I saw the comet the last time around."

Yes!

Here's another story. In 1976 I was living in the Washington DC area, and made a point of going to the Mall on July 4th that year. It was totally wonderful. I have recently decided that I will be on the Mall on July 4, 2026, our nation's 250th, whatever the correct term is. I've already informed my son that he needs to be there with me. I will tell every single person I meet that I was there fifty years earlier. My son will probably roll his eyes, but I've already told him he needs to plan to be there on July 4, 2076, our nation's Tricentennial. He stands a decent chance of being there as he will only be 93 years old, and on his father's side they live well into their 90s. I want him to tell every single person he sees that day that he was there 50 years earlier, and his parent were there 100 years earlier. Which is true. His dad and I were both on the Mall on July 4, 1976, but we didn't meet for some two more years.

What I find even more interesting, is that none of our grandparents (his or mine) were even born by July 4 1876, and all four of them were born in Europe. So it's an interesting happenstance of birth year and location that matters here.

I love history.

[StevieM]

7. +1 to your really cool post. Recommended. (eom)

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Thank you.

The reason I am planning to be on the Mall in 2026 has to do with a science fiction novel that references that date.

Some years ago I did the math and realized my son has a decent chance to be around in 2076, which was when I started making these plans. I really do believe in long term planning.

In 2017 I got to see the total eclipse of the sun in Nebraska with some friends. In August, 2045, a week before my 97th birthday, there will be another solar eclipse that I hope to see. If I am still living in northern New Mexico, I will simply need to go north to Colorado Springs for totality. And totality will last around 6 full minutes, compared to the 2 minutes 20 seconds of the 2017 eclipse. And so all of you reading this who are younger that I am, do plan to see that eclipse. Trust me, there is nothing at all that compares to totality.

Meanwhile, there will be another total eclipse in 2024. Totality on that one passes through Austin, TX. I have friends who live there and they already know I will by visiting them then.

[Glorfindel]

11. Back in 1986, I was listening to NPR interviewing people who had seen

Halley's Comet two times. My mind was blown when my high school Spanish teacher, Mrs. Edwards, came on the radio talking about how she and her brother had seen the comet last time around. I hadn't seen or heard from her since I graduated in 1963. (She had long since moved to California.)

I love history, too!

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Here is a thought that staggered me when I first had it

I, like many others who post on DU all the time, have lived through over a fourth of our nation's history. Simple math illustrates it. Our nation was "born" July 4th, 1776, which makes the United States 244 years old. I'm now 71. Four times 71 equals 284, so I actually have a decent chance now of some day being able to say that I will have been alive (by then) for a third of our nation's history.

We have a maple tree in our front yard that is estimated to be about 250 years old. It may predate our nation. I may be old, but our nation is young.

[appalachiablue]

15. Great post, you've inspired me. In 1976 my sister & I

were in Europe and missed the bicentennial but she saw Paris. In 1987 my mom and she were in Paris for the bicentennial of the revolution; they brought me earrings but not the guillotine ones which were sold out.

I'll remind younger relatives of milestones like you mentioned and have them look out for upcoming anniversaries.

In Va., there are members of the old families around. A college friend is related to James Monroe, another is a Harrison. Regular folks. Our neighbors at a summer cottage were Tylers; the son Randy (Randolph) played with us as kids and my aunt knew his dad.

- Here's Thomas Jefferson's 5th great grandson, impersonator Rob Coles of Albemarle Co., Va. I met him in the 1980s at work in Alexandria but wondered about authenticity, I was inexperienced. Rob passed away in 2013, age 61 sorry to say.

https://richmond.com/news/local/jefferson-descendant-re-enactor-dies-at-61/article_4fa8a216-2234-11e3-9899-0019bb30f31a.html

[whistler162]

21. I was working at a camp and knocked out

with a bug of some kind on the 4th in 1976.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

24. Re: the 50th anniversary of the Bicentennial, Haley's Comet, and generations repeating activities

While cleaning up a USB drive, I ran across pictures from a story about a father and son who were present for the first and last launches of the Space Shuttle. Trying to find the thread about the Bicentennial and Haley's Comet, I found this:

Sat Sep 21, 2019:Any plans for the Sestercentennial in 7 years?

Father and Son at First and Final Shuttle Launches: Story Behind the Photos

By Natalie Wolchover July 19, 2011



Two pictures taken 30 years apart show a father and son viewing the first and final shuttle launches.
(Image: © Courtesy of Chris Bray)

Chris Bray and his father, Kenneth, attended the launch of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, on July 8. Thirty years earlier, they saw the launch of STS-1, the very first one. Possessing nearly identical photos of himself and his father at the two launches, Bray uploaded a composite image of them to Flickr and posted a link to the image on Reddit. It quickly shot up the ranks.

It has been viewed on Flickr more than 700,000 times and has garnered media coverage by the likes of Washington Post and MSNBC. [See the image.]

Here is the story behind the two photos.

{snip}

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

25. Those pictures are wonderful.

That's the kind of connection over the years that I so love.

[appalachiablue]

26. Great father & son story, historic and personal. Thanks for posting.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

23. Re: the 50th anniversary of the Bicentennial, Haley's Comet, and generations repeating activities

While cleaning up a USB drive, I ran across pictures from a story about a father and son who were present for the first and last launches of the Space Shuttle. Trying to find the thread about the Bicentennial and Haley's Comet, I found this:

Sat Sep 21, 2019:Any plans for the Sestercentennial in 7 years?

Father and Son at First and Final Shuttle Launches: Story Behind the Photos

By Natalie Wolchover July 19, 2011



Two pictures taken 30 years apart show a father and son viewing the first and final shuttle launches.
(Image: © Courtesy of Chris Bray)

Chris Bray and his father, Kenneth, attended the launch of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, on July 8. Thirty years earlier, they saw the launch of STS-1, the very first one. Possessing nearly identical photos of himself and his father at the two launches, Bray uploaded a composite image of them to Flickr and posted a link to the image on Reddit. It quickly shot up the ranks.

It has been viewed on Flickr more than 700,000 times and has garnered media coverage by the likes of Washington Post and MSNBC. [See the image.]

Here is the story behind the two photos.

{snip}

[PatSeg]

9. In those pictures

you can see a remarkable resemblance, but being it is only two generations, I suppose it isn't all that remarkable.

Incredible story.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. Late paternity led to my having a great-grandfather who fought in the civil war

but the Tylers’ span of history is astounding.

[The Genealogist]

16. I've probably posted this here before

but back in 2009, I went to the 101st birthday party of a woman who is a relative by marriage. Her father was quite old when she was born, and was a civil war veteran. That got quite a bit of attention. The mayor of her city even dropped in!

[appalachiablue]

17. It's certainly possible, she was b. 1908 and her father

could have been b. around 1840 and served in the Civil War 1861-1865, at age 21- 25.

In 1908 he was 68 years old, and fathered a child. Voila!

I have a photo of my older brother as an infant in the late 1940s, being held by mom; her mother, his grandmother b. 1896; and her mother, his great grandmother b. 1864 during the Civil War.

My mom saw Civil War veterans as a girl at events in Richmond and Philadelphia in the 1920 and 1930s. The old soldiers were in their 80s or 90s and some were teenagers when they enlisted, others were young drummer boys.

[The Genealogist]

22. I don't have the deographics in front of me, but I think you are pretty close on the dates

He would have been about that age.