WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Great Men Back Then: Harrison Ruffin Tyler

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

Did you know the grandson of the 10th president of the United States is still alive? Listen to learn more about him. 

You are listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Lauren Scott, and this is Great Men Back Then, the show where we talk about great people in American history. What if I told you that the 10th president of the United States, born during George Washington's first term as president, had a grandson that was still living? You may find that hard to believe, although it is entirely true. John Tyler, Former president of the United States had many grandchildren, one of whom was named Harrison Ruffin Tyler, and he is still alive today at age of 95. Let me put things in perspective for you. His grandfather, John Tyler, was born in 1970. He served as president from 1841 to 1845. He was the first president to be widowed and married while in office. and he was the president who fathered the most children. Harrison Tyler's father, son of John

Tyler, was born in 1853. His name was Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. Being born in 1853 meant that John Tyler was 63 whenever this son was born. Lyon Tyler followed in similar footsteps as his father and ended up marrying a younger woman, which meant that Harrison Tyler was born whenever his father was 75. So it is because John Tyler was 63 when his son was born, his son Lyon, and then Lyon was 75 when his son was born, that has allowed Harrison Tyler, the grandson of the 10th president of the United States, to still be alive today. Although President Tyler was, a wealthy man when he died, he had so many inheritors of his wealth that it was spread pretty thin. So although Harrison Tyler was a grandson of a president, he actually grew up pretty poor during

the Great Depression. Although he was poor, he did have connections and his family was somewhat close with the Roosevelt family. So he visited the White House multiple times while Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president. And there are stories that the Roosevelt family learned through a colleague that Harrison Tyler would not be able to go to college and pursue an education because they had great financial struggles. And so one day, they anonymously received $5,000, but they believe that was somewhat tied to the Roosevelt family because they learned that he would not be able to attain an education if they didn't have some sort of financial help. So because of that $5,000 check, Harrison Tyler was able to get educated at the College of William and Mary. He graduated with a degree

in chemistry in 1949 and then later continued his education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he received another degree in chemical engineering. After he received the second degree in 1951. He worked as a project manager for Virginia Carolina Chemical Corporation, where he led a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. Eventually in 1968, he co-founded a water treatment company that became wildly successful. Not only did he co-found this successful company though, but he eventually ended up purchasing the plantation house that his grandfather lived on. It's called Sherwood Forest. So he and his wife purchased this in 1975 and dedicated themselves to restoring it. He was a dedicated preservationist and the restoration of the Sherwood Forest

plantation is a great example of this, but not only that, later in 1996, he purchased and financially supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas. So this is interesting because he is actually a descendant of Pocahontas, and Harrison Tyler's son, whose name is William, said, quote, there's a high likelihood that he's the closest living genetic relation to Pocahontas in the world. Thank you for listening to Great Men Back Then. I'm Lawrence Scott on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.