LXXXIII.
LXXXIII. JOHN TYLER.
LXXXIII. Governor.
LXXXIII. December 1, 1808, to January 11, 1811.
The ancestry of John Tyler is said to date from the Norman
Conquest, and he also claimed descent from the brave
Wat Tyler, so celebrated in English history. His immediate
progenitor, Henry Tyler, first appears in the records of
Virginia, January 7, 1652, as a patentee of lands in James
City County, and in 1699 the City of Williamsburg was laid
off and established upon his land. Henry Tyler died in
1710, leaving two sons, Francis and John, the latter being
the grandfather of Governor Tyler.
John Tyler, the subject of this sketch, was born February
28, 1747. He was educated at William and Mary College,
which institution he entered at eight years of age, and having
there graduated, he studied law for five years under the
guidance of Robert Carter Nicholas. Being duly licensed,
he practiced his profession for a time in James City, but in
1772 removed to Charles City County. In 1776, he married
Mary Armistead, daughter of Robert Armistead.
John Tyler was the friend and associate of Thomas Jefferson,
George Wythe, and Patrick Henry, and his soul burned
with the same patriotic fires which kindled theirs. He was
appointed by the Virginia Convention, July 5, 1776, one of
the Judges of the High Court of Admiralty, and in 1778 he
represented Charles City County in the House of Delegates,
of which body he was Speaker from 1781 to 1786. In 1780
he was appointed a member of the Council of State; in 1786
was again appointed a Judge of the Court of Admiralty, and
was consequently a member of the first Court of Appeals of
the State. He was appointed a Judge of the General Court
in 1788, and served in this capacity until December 1, 1808,
when he was elected Governor of Virginia.
This year of 1808 was notable from the fact that the importation
of Africans into the United States ceased by law on
the 1st of January—a circumstance to be remembered, as is
every step that has been taken by the government upon this
interesting subject, so vitally interwoven with the political,
industrial, and domestic life of one section of the country.
As an evidence of the wonderful advance of the United
States in growth and prosperity, it is stated that in 1810 the
number of newspapers printed in the Union was estimated at
upwards of twenty-two million, and the number of mills for
manufacturing paper at about 180. These figures are given
upon unquestionable authority and are an astonishing proof
of the vigorous life of the new republic.
Governor Tyler's administration as chief executive of
Virginia was highly satisfactory, and in public and private
he won the warm regard of his associates. He was simple
in his manners, distinguished for the uprightness and fidelity
with which he discharged his official duties, and enjoyed in
an uncommon degree the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens.
Upon the expiration of his term as Governor, John Tyler
was called by the appointment of Mr. Madison to the Judgeship
of the District Court of the United States for Virginia,
which office he held until his death, at his seat, "Greenway,"
in Charles City County, January 6, 1813.
The County of Tyler, formed in 1814, from Ohio County,
perpetuates the memory of Governor Tyler, which is otherwise
gratefully cherished in the annals of the Old Dominion.
