Twitter/X users were shocked by a surprising fact about the grandson of John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States. We can't blame them. We were shocked too. To explain, we turn to Vice President, Kamala Harris:
'As we usher in a new year, we've been thinking about the significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time in terms of how time passes and our perception of the significance of that passing.'
Okay. That didn't help at all. Let's try that again.
John Tyler was born in 1790 during the presidency of George Washington, and his grandson is still alive and living in Virginia!
are you serious?? pic.twitter.com/t2uzBgcmhq
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) December 31, 2023
Crazy, right?
— Jayroo (@jayroo69) December 31, 2023
That was our initial response as well. We tend to think of 1790 as ancient history, but it wasn't really all that long ago.
John Tyler's son Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was born in August 1853, when the former president was 63 years old. Then His son Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in November 1928, when his father was 75 years young. Wild
— rao zameer (@rao_zam) December 31, 2023
Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was one of John Tyler's fifteen children.
It's hard for people today to wrap their minds around this, but families were often much larger at the time. It wasn't uncommon for men to remarry if their first wife passed away, which also was much more common than today. A man who remarried a younger woman could continue to father children into his old age, and the Tylers were apparently quite productive … er, reproductive.
Ngl the grandson kinda cute for his age pic.twitter.com/3ke8WAj7Ay
— BELIEVE🌩️💀 (@_Bhelieve_) December 31, 2023
John Tyler's second wife, Julia, established the tradition of playing Hail to the Chief when the President of the United States enters the room. She also established the tradition of giving aging Tylers newborn sons.
The grandson is Harrison Ruffin Tyler and he is also related through his mother's side to the actual Pocahontas.
— Cleavage Crumbs (@CleavageCrumbs) December 31, 2023
The dude is literally a walking genetic US history capsule.
Amazing. We're not talking some Elizabeth Warren Native American ancestry Fauxcahontas situation here. The man is literally descended from Pocahontas herself.
His name is Harrison Ruffin Tyler, born in 1928. He is 95. pic.twitter.com/oQ4eSMsIMr
— Time Capsule Tales (@timecaptales) December 31, 2023
Harrison Tyler is, unfortunately, in ill health these days, but his story is remarkable.
As you might expect, he lost his father at a young age. Despite being the grandson of the tenth president of the United States, Harrison's family was poor during the Great Depression, as were most families. He went on to graduate from Virginia Tech and become a chemical engineer who focused on water treatment, received a patent, and even started his own company.
Is it Steven Tyler? Because that dude is pretty old.
— Luke DeNeui (@lukedeneui) December 31, 2023
Ha! It's not that Tyler and the dude does not look like a lady.
I don’t want to do the numbers and on a Saturday before New Years somebody help me out
— The Appalachian Podcast (@GetOnTap) December 31, 2023
Here are a few numbers for you.
These three generations of Tylers have lived through 234 years of American history. That is all but fourteen years of the history of our nation.
That is wild.
Interesting tidbit, he died 66 years before his grandson was born.
— Normal American...Soccer Fan (@normalus23) December 31, 2023
Speaking of numbers … Wow. That's an entire lifetime.
How about this one:
His grandson was born 138 years after he was born.
— Wayne 🇮🇪 (@dirt_diver_) December 31, 2023
Yowzers! We told you it was crazy.
— RichQuack (@RichQuack) December 31, 2023
There you go, visual learners. The people of Twitter/X are just so darn helpful.
He had two living grandsons up until about ten years ago or so but the other one died.
— Thomas J. Quinlan (@thomas_quinlan) December 31, 2023
Heck, my father's parents were born in the 1800s. My grandfather was born in 1899 & my grandmother in 1898.
His brother, Lyon, passed away in 2020. We're guessing some of you have more direct ties to people from the Olden Days™ than we might have expected too.
He needs to make a baby rn
— Anthony G. Fintuiti (@bustersdad) December 31, 2023
LOL. Somebody had to say it.
Seriously. He's nearly old enough to run for president. He might as well carry on the family legacy, right?
So, if you're already feeling like time is passing you by at lightning speed as we head into 2024, just remember that John Tyler has a living grandson. LOL.
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