Letitia Christian Tyler

Letitia Christian Tyler (née Christian; November 12, 1790 – September 10, 1842) was the first lady of the United States from 1841 to 1842 as the first wife of President John Tyler. After meeting in 1808, the two married in 1813. Tyler managed their plantation in Virginia while her husband progressed his political career at the state capital and in Washington, D.C., accompanying him only while he was governor of Virginia. She had a stroke in 1839 that left her permanently disabled.

Tyler became the second lady of the United States when her husband became vice president of the United States in 1841, and she became the first lady when President William Henry Harrison died the following month and her husband ascended to the presidency. Tyler was unable to perform the duties of first lady due to her health, delegating them to her daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler. She died of a second stroke in 1842, becoming the first person to die while serving as first lady of the United States. Tyler played virtually no role in her husband's presidency, but maintained a positive reputation among the American people.

Early life Letitia Christian was born on November 12, 1790, at the Cedar Grove plantation in New Kent County, Virginia. She was the seventh child of Mary (née Browne) and Robert Christian, a wealthy planter who was well connected with the nation's political elite, including President George Washington. She was raised as a devout Episcopalian, and she closely followed norms of the time relating to piety and chastity. Christian did not receive a formal education, but she was taught how to be the mistress of a Southern plantation.

The Christian and Tyler families were familiar with one another, and Christian met John Tyler while he was visiting in 1808. They began a courtship in which Tyler often stopped to visit her while traveling to the state capital. Christian's father opposed Tyler on political grounds, as Tyler was a supporter of Thomas Jefferson. Their daughter Anne died in infancy in 1825, and a ninth unnamed child died at birth in 1832. Her management of the plantation, and in particular her ability to oversee the economic aspects, allowed her husband to be away for long periods of time, so his political career could progress. Her husband stepped away from politics twice, in 1821 and in 1836, to be closer to her. She may have attended the theater at least once while serving as first lady. While upstairs, she continued to spend her time reading her Bible and her prayer book. Her funeral was widely publicized as the first of an incumbent first lady. Her coffin lay in state in the East Room of the White House, then a procession carried her coffin away. Tyler had little influence on her husband's presidency, confined to the White House living quarters. She also played no public role, but she maintained a positive reputation despite her husband's embattled political situation. and she appears on a 28p (£0.28) commemorative postage stamp from the Isle of Man Post Office, issued May 23, 2006, as part of a series honoring Manx-Americans. She also appears on a one-half-ounce gold coin and a bronze medal issued by the United States Mint on July 2, 2009, as part of a series of commemorative first spouse coins.

Since 1982, Siena College Research Institute has periodically conducted surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president. Historians were found to know "almost nothing about" Tyler. 30th of 37 in 1993 37th of 40 in 2020

In the 2014 survey, Tyler and her husband were ranked the 36th out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".