They named their first child David Gardiner Tyler in honor of his maternal grandfather.
(meta data) TITLE: Julia Tyler - White House Historical Association Skip to Main Content First Ladies First Family Life Significant Events Social Justice Interiors & Furnishings Fine & Decorative Arts Gardens & Grounds #### Presidential Retreats Vacations and Getaways of the First Families #### Eisenhower White House 1953 - 1961 Explore Life & Work in the Executive Mansion #### "The President's Own" The Distinguished History of the United States Marine Band #### Presidential Pastimes Finding Respite in the Executive Mansion See More Collections #### About Us Our History, Mission, & Team #### Education The Rubenstein Center #### Publications Our Books & Journals #### Press Inquiries, Fact Sheets & Images Support Us Preserve & Protect History Book the Decatur House Intimate Gatherings & Large Celebrations Plan Your Visit The White House & Lafayette Square Contact Us Have a question? Get in touch. Digital Library Thousands of Images covering the History of the White House Official White House Ornaments, Books & More # Julia Tyler Born in 1820, Julia Gardiner by the age of 20 was already famous as the "Rose of Long Island." Descended from prominent and wealthy New York families, she was trained for a life in society. A European tour with her family gave her glimpses of social splendors. Late in 1842, the Gardiners went to Washington for the winter social season, where Julia became the undisputed darling of the capital. She attracted the most eminent men in the city, among them President Tyler, a widower since September. Tragedy brought Tyler's courtship poignant success the next winter. Julia's father lost his life in the explosion of a huge naval gun. Tyler comforted Julia in her grief and won her consent to a secret engagement. The first president to marry in office took his vows in New York on June 26, 1844. The news was then broken to the American people, who greeted it with keen interest, much publicity, and some criticism about the couple's difference in age: 30 years. As young Mrs. Tyler said herself, she "reigned" as first lady for the last eight months of her husband's term. She enjoyed her position immensely and filled it with grace. For receptions she revived the formality of the Van Buren administration, welcoming guests with plumes in her hair and attended by maids of honor. She once declared, "Nothing appears to delight the President more than...to hear people sing my praises." The Tylers' happiness was unshaken when they retired to their home at Sherwood Forest in Virginia. There, Julia bore five of her seven children and acted as mistress of the plantation until the Civil War. She defended both states' rights and the institution of slavery. She championed the political views of her husband, who remained for her "the President" until the end of his life. His death in 1862 came as a severe blow to her. As a refugee in New York, she devoted herself to volunteer work for the Confederacy. Its defeat found her impoverished. Congress in 1870 voted a pension for Mary Lincoln, and Julia Tyler used this precedent in seeking help. In December 1880 Congress voted her $1,200 a year - and after Garfield's assassination, it passed bills to grant uniform amounts of $5,000 annually to Mrs. Garfield, Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Polk, and Mrs. Tyler. Living out her last years comfortably in Richmond, Julia died there in 1889 and was buried there at her husband's side. ## Related Information John Tyler Portrait Painting by Francesco Anelli ## Related Cherry Blossoms ## You Might Also Like ## Collection Cherry Blossoms Since the first cherry blossom planting in 1912 by First Lady Helen Herron Taft, Washingtonians have celebrated the scenic beauty and... ## Collection Presidential Inaugurations In April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York City. Constitutional guidelines for inaugurations are sparse, offering... ## Collection Animal Ambassadors Animals, whether pampered household pets, working livestock, birds, squirrels, or strays, have long been a major part of White House... ## Collection The Presidents Biographies &amp; Portraits ## Collection The First Ladies Biographies &amp; Portraits ## Bio Florence Harding Daughter of the richest man in a small town, Florence Mabel Kling was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1860, and grew... ## Bio Anna Harrison Anna Harrison was too ill to travel when her husband set out from Ohio in 1841 for his inauguration. It was... ## Bio John Tyler Dubbed "His Accidency" by his detractors, John Tyler was the first vice president to be elevated to the office of... ## Bio Claudia Johnson Christened Claudia Alta Taylor when she was born in near Karnack, Texas, in 1912, she received her nickname as a small... ## Bio Hannah Van Buren Cousins in a close-knit Dutch community, Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren grew up together in Kinderhook, New York. They... ## Bio Angelica Van Buren Martin Van Buren never remarried after his wife, Hannah, died on February 5, 1819. He entered the White House in 1837 as a... ## Bio Abigail Powers Fillmore First of the first ladies to hold a job after marriage, Abigail Fillmore was helping her husband's career. She was... See More
train01274
David Gardiner (politician)
Career.:Death aboard the "Princeton".
President Tyler had proposed to his daughter Julia in February 1843. She had refused him at first but sometime in 1843 they agreed to marry at some future time out of respect for the fact that the President had only been a widow since September 1842. David Gardiner and his daughters Julia and Margaret were aboard a pleasure cruise on the Potomac River. As the USS "Princeton" neared Mount Vernon, the world's biggest naval gun, The Peacemaker that was being demonstrated exploded, killing Gardiner and six others. Funeral services for the five white victims were held in the East Room of the White House. Gardiner was interred in the Public Vault at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His remains were later moved to the Gardiner family plot at the South End Cemetery in East Hampton, New York. 
 President Tyler proposed marriage several more times before being accepted. He and Julia Gardiner wed on June 26, 1844.