John Tyler — His Accidency

John Tyler was the first man who was elevated from vice president to president of the United States because of the death of the president. John Tyler was the running mate of William Henry Harrison, who was elected in 1840; but Harrison died on April 4, 1841, after serving as president for only 30 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes.

The last words that Harrison spoke before he died were directed at John Tyler (although the words were actually spoken to the doctor in attendance, Harrison thought he was speaking to Tyler). He said, "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more."

John Tyler's detractors called him "His Accidency" in an effort to deride him, but Tyler proved that he was up to the task of being president of the United States, although his term was certainly not without difficulty.

John Tyler and Henry Clay were at odds on several issues. One of these issues in question was banking regulation, and the Whig Party was so upset with Tyler that they actually ousted him from the party. After Tyler vetoed a tariff bill, impeachment proceedings were started. The impeachment bill claimed that Tyler had misused his power of veto, but the resolution went nowhere.

On the plus side, The "Log Cabin" bill was pushed through Congress. The Log Cabin bill gave a settler the right to claim 160 acres of land before it was offered publicly for sale, and later to pay $1.25 an acre for it.

Tyler did sign a tariff bill in 1842 that protected northern manufacturers. He ended the Canadian border dispute with the Webster-Ashburton treaty, and Texas was annexed in 1845.