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The Presidencies of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler
Wearied by the hotly contested "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign that unseated the Democratic incumbent, Martin Van Buren, Harrison succumbed to pneumonia after only one month in office, the first chief executive to die in the White House. His death precipitated a governmental crisis, which Vice President John Tyler promptly resolved--to the consternation of his Whig Party--by claiming the office and title of president, thus setting a precedent that only later was codified in the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
Instead of the pliable Harrison, the Whigs confronted in Tyler a tenacious defender of presidential prerogative and a formidable foe of their plan to establish congressional supremacy over the executive branch. Threatened with impeachment, repeatedly exhorted to resign, banished from the Whig Party, abandoned by his cabinet, and burned in effigy, Tyler stood firm and maintained the integrity of the presidential office.
Peterson argues that the Tyler administration deserves more credit than it has received for what was accomplished--and preserved--under difficult circumstances.
Instead of the pliable Harrison, the Whigs confronted in Tyler a tenacious defender of presidential prerogative and a formidable foe of their plan to establish congressional supremacy over the executive branch. Threatened with impeachment, repeatedly exhorted to resign, banished from the Whig Party, abandoned by his cabinet, and burned in effigy, Tyler stood firm and maintained the integrity of the presidential office.
Peterson argues that the Tyler administration deserves more credit than it has received for what was accomplished--and preserved--under difficult circumstances.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1989
40 people want to read
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July 18, 2021
This entry in the American Presidency series, a two-for-one look at a couple of our lesser presidents, is actually one of the best in the series I’ve read so far. Books in the series follow a basic formula: the first chapter or two sets the scene of what was happening in the country politically and socially at the time. Then the rest of the book recounts, in great detail, even-handedly, and often dryly, everything that happened during the administration. Peterson sticks to the formula, but actually tells an engaging story in the process, and thoughtfully examines the legacy of her two subjects.
Of course, William Henry Harrison didn’t leave much of a legacy as president. After the scene-setting chapters, Harrison’s presidency gets but a single chapter of its own. The focus of the chapter is somewhat more on his administrative style than on any policy positions he expected to pursue. After all, his own allies expected him to be something of a pliant pushover. But after he gets sick and dies in all of two sentences, before moving on to his successor, Peterson considers what might have been: "Indications are that (Harrison) would have grown more unhappy and refractory as the Cabinet and Congress attempted to limit his executive power."
Enter John Tyler. Peterson does a thorough job covering the abrupt presidential transition, the constitutional questions that arose, and Tyler’s decisive move in insisting he was no mere “acting president” but had become the president in his own right. That sets the stage for the rest of the book, as Tyler didn’t just “grow more unhappy and refractory as the Cabinet and Congress attempted to limit his executive power" - he stood his ground in a way that we’ll never know whether Harrison would have.
Henry Clay, and later John Calhoun, are almost what you could call the villains in this book. Clay is so determined to run the show from the Senate, and so incensed that Tyler won’t stand for it, that Clay ends up coming across as petty and vindictive. In trying to destroy Tyler, Clay ends up destroying his own last best chance to be elected president in 1844. And Calhoun, as a late addition to Tyler’s Cabinet, is more focused on serving his own interests than the president’s.
The tale of Tyler’s presidency is bookended by a long and contentious debate over the reestablishment of a national bank, and a long and contentious debate over the annexation of Texas - both debates that Tyler ultimately won. In between, Peterson describes a number of foreign policy successes, including border negotiations with Britain and a trade agreement with China, though those were more Secretary of State Daniel Webster’s doing than Tyler’s.
In fact, there are many times when Tyler himself fades into the background in the story of his own presidency. As Congress tries to do its thing, and he gives some of his more prominent Cabinet members relatively free rein to do their own thing, Tyler can often seem like a passive observer. When opposition in Congress grows more fierce over time, and his revolving-door Cabinet becomes less luminous and more unmanageable, "Tyler seemed to lose control of his government,” Peterson observes.
While the focus of the book is on Tyler’s presidency, Peterson does spend a bit of time on the whirlwind romance that led to Tyler’s second marriage and the tongue-wagging it caused in the capital. She provides a thoroughly descriptive account of the USS Princeton disaster that killed two of Tyler’s Cabinet members. And she gets in some colorful anecdotes about technological advances during Tyler’s term, such as the telegraph being put into widespread use, and the creation of the modern postal service.
Ultimately, Tyler, the man without a party, doesn’t stand for reelection. So we’re left to wonder what to make of his presidency (at this point in the book, Harrison is but a mere memory). One drawback of the book is that, in describing Tyler's actions, it focuses more on "what" he did than "why." We're told that he downplayed the expansion of slavery when advocating for the annexation of Texas, but Peterson never really analyzes exactly what Tyler actually believed - whether he was gung-ho for expanding slavery, or was more focused on expanding the country's territory, whether he hoped maintaining an equilibrium between slave and non-slave states would help preserve the Union, or believed expanding slavery would actually help diffuse it and lead to its eventual end. Knowing more about his motives could help the reader come to a more informed conclusion about whether finally annexing Texas was a great achievement of Tyler's presidency, or a troublesome move that brought us closer to disunion.
Another drawback, which is also something of a strength, of a book focusing on Tyler’s administration is that it makes no mention whatsoever of his post-presidency and his traitorous defection to the Confederacy. That, more than anything, has shaped how history has looked upon Tyler.
But this book is about Tyler the president, not Tyler the man. So his actions as ex-president are not considered when judging his actions as president. Peterson cites a number of historians’ interpretations of events throughout the book, and considers their verdicts on his presidency at the end, ultimately concluding that "the achievements of the Tyler presidency, operating under tremendous difficulties, were astonishingly significant."
Not necessarily great, not terrible, but "significant." It's a fair conclusion, since it’s unlikely that Tyler will ever be considered among the greats, and his post-presidential actions have rightfully tarnished his legacy. But by judging him on his presidency alone, Peterson provides a valuable and unique viewpoint. She leaves it to other biographers to provide a fuller measure of the man.
Of course, William Henry Harrison didn’t leave much of a legacy as president. After the scene-setting chapters, Harrison’s presidency gets but a single chapter of its own. The focus of the chapter is somewhat more on his administrative style than on any policy positions he expected to pursue. After all, his own allies expected him to be something of a pliant pushover. But after he gets sick and dies in all of two sentences, before moving on to his successor, Peterson considers what might have been: "Indications are that (Harrison) would have grown more unhappy and refractory as the Cabinet and Congress attempted to limit his executive power."
Enter John Tyler. Peterson does a thorough job covering the abrupt presidential transition, the constitutional questions that arose, and Tyler’s decisive move in insisting he was no mere “acting president” but had become the president in his own right. That sets the stage for the rest of the book, as Tyler didn’t just “grow more unhappy and refractory as the Cabinet and Congress attempted to limit his executive power" - he stood his ground in a way that we’ll never know whether Harrison would have.
Henry Clay, and later John Calhoun, are almost what you could call the villains in this book. Clay is so determined to run the show from the Senate, and so incensed that Tyler won’t stand for it, that Clay ends up coming across as petty and vindictive. In trying to destroy Tyler, Clay ends up destroying his own last best chance to be elected president in 1844. And Calhoun, as a late addition to Tyler’s Cabinet, is more focused on serving his own interests than the president’s.
The tale of Tyler’s presidency is bookended by a long and contentious debate over the reestablishment of a national bank, and a long and contentious debate over the annexation of Texas - both debates that Tyler ultimately won. In between, Peterson describes a number of foreign policy successes, including border negotiations with Britain and a trade agreement with China, though those were more Secretary of State Daniel Webster’s doing than Tyler’s.
In fact, there are many times when Tyler himself fades into the background in the story of his own presidency. As Congress tries to do its thing, and he gives some of his more prominent Cabinet members relatively free rein to do their own thing, Tyler can often seem like a passive observer. When opposition in Congress grows more fierce over time, and his revolving-door Cabinet becomes less luminous and more unmanageable, "Tyler seemed to lose control of his government,” Peterson observes.
While the focus of the book is on Tyler’s presidency, Peterson does spend a bit of time on the whirlwind romance that led to Tyler’s second marriage and the tongue-wagging it caused in the capital. She provides a thoroughly descriptive account of the USS Princeton disaster that killed two of Tyler’s Cabinet members. And she gets in some colorful anecdotes about technological advances during Tyler’s term, such as the telegraph being put into widespread use, and the creation of the modern postal service.
Ultimately, Tyler, the man without a party, doesn’t stand for reelection. So we’re left to wonder what to make of his presidency (at this point in the book, Harrison is but a mere memory). One drawback of the book is that, in describing Tyler's actions, it focuses more on "what" he did than "why." We're told that he downplayed the expansion of slavery when advocating for the annexation of Texas, but Peterson never really analyzes exactly what Tyler actually believed - whether he was gung-ho for expanding slavery, or was more focused on expanding the country's territory, whether he hoped maintaining an equilibrium between slave and non-slave states would help preserve the Union, or believed expanding slavery would actually help diffuse it and lead to its eventual end. Knowing more about his motives could help the reader come to a more informed conclusion about whether finally annexing Texas was a great achievement of Tyler's presidency, or a troublesome move that brought us closer to disunion.
Another drawback, which is also something of a strength, of a book focusing on Tyler’s administration is that it makes no mention whatsoever of his post-presidency and his traitorous defection to the Confederacy. That, more than anything, has shaped how history has looked upon Tyler.
But this book is about Tyler the president, not Tyler the man. So his actions as ex-president are not considered when judging his actions as president. Peterson cites a number of historians’ interpretations of events throughout the book, and considers their verdicts on his presidency at the end, ultimately concluding that "the achievements of the Tyler presidency, operating under tremendous difficulties, were astonishingly significant."
Not necessarily great, not terrible, but "significant." It's a fair conclusion, since it’s unlikely that Tyler will ever be considered among the greats, and his post-presidential actions have rightfully tarnished his legacy. But by judging him on his presidency alone, Peterson provides a valuable and unique viewpoint. She leaves it to other biographers to provide a fuller measure of the man.
December 30, 2009
I did it - with one day to spare! Ten presidents in 2009... Yay for stupid New Year's Resolutions!
And now a giant caveat: Presidents nine and ten were one book... Gasp! Scandal! But, William Henry Harrison, our ninth president only served 31 days, and very few (like none) biographers consider Harrison deserving of a book. Here is why I disagree:
- WHH is the first of the Ohio Presidents and the last to have been born before the revolution (and therefore a British subject at birth)
- WHH was the oldest elected president (67) until Ronald Regan
- WHH gave the longest inaugural speech and served the shortest presidency (32 days)
Additionally, WHH was a famed war hero and expansionist who is credited for mitigating several Indian squirmishes and negotiating treaties for western territory. He was a long-term legislator and governor before defeating Martin Van Buren in 1840 and wrestling the White House from the Democrats.
Henry Clay, the Whig party leader who orchestrated the Harrison and John Tyler ticket, truly believed he was facilitating the election of a puppet government. Unfortunately for Clay, WHH quickly resented the micromanagement and asserted his supremacy by ordering a special congressional session to address the ongoing financial crisis that was exposing the government to complete bankruptcy. When WHH died from complications of a bad cold, the country was faced with a giant constitutional crisis: What to do now?
John Tyler, WHH's vice president from Virginia, assumed the Presidency as per the founding fathers - except his interpretation was of a permanent solution and Congressional leaders assumed he was simply an "acting" President until a special election could be held. Tyler was relentless and set the precedent for future presidential succession (and ultimately the 25th amendment) - an amazing feat considering the national turmoil so near to the outbreak of the civil war.
Tyler was conversely the youngest president at 51 years old and had previously been a Democrat despite running on the Whig ticket. Tyler had not been expected to play a large role in the administration, so his ideas were unknown to party leaders. The Whigs were unpleasantly surprised when Tyler vetoed nearly their entire agenda in his first year in office. The feud grew to a tit-for-tat program of revenge in which Tyler was expelled from the Whig party, he could not keep a cabinet or Supreme Court fully seated, and all his efforts were stonewalled - sometimes to complete international embarrassment and/or financial endangerment of the country.
The only measure of significance that Tyler was able to accomplish was the long awaited annexation of Texas, literally on his last day in office. Tyler lost any hope for re-election when he could find no legitimate party to sponsor his nomination, and the two candidates, Polk and the raging Henry Clay, ran on diverging Texas platforms.
Texas had previously declared itself independent from Mexico and was shopping around for the best option for its future. Should it be independent, a part of the US, or a European protectorate? The US was passionately divided because Texas would enter the union as a slave state - and therefore served as a metaphor for the greater North/South debate. Tyler, a slave-owning states' rightist, desired Texas to be accomplished under his agenda, and managed to pass an annexation treaty in order to claim the glory... then left his successor with the inevitable war with Mexico who was none too happy that Texas put itself on the market.
And then Tyler retired to his Virginia plantation... That is where this crappy biography ends. Wikipedia tells me Tyler married his second wife while still in the White House, proceeded to father a total of 15 children, sided with the confederacy at the outset of the Civil War, and was eventually elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. Tyler died before assuming office and without knowledge of the war's conclusion, but incredibly two of his grandsons are listed as still-living US citizens... presumably they came back in to the fold at some point :-)
Do not read this book. No matter what crazy hobby requires it, any random google search will provide you with better.
And now a giant caveat: Presidents nine and ten were one book... Gasp! Scandal! But, William Henry Harrison, our ninth president only served 31 days, and very few (like none) biographers consider Harrison deserving of a book. Here is why I disagree:
- WHH is the first of the Ohio Presidents and the last to have been born before the revolution (and therefore a British subject at birth)
- WHH was the oldest elected president (67) until Ronald Regan
- WHH gave the longest inaugural speech and served the shortest presidency (32 days)
Additionally, WHH was a famed war hero and expansionist who is credited for mitigating several Indian squirmishes and negotiating treaties for western territory. He was a long-term legislator and governor before defeating Martin Van Buren in 1840 and wrestling the White House from the Democrats.
Henry Clay, the Whig party leader who orchestrated the Harrison and John Tyler ticket, truly believed he was facilitating the election of a puppet government. Unfortunately for Clay, WHH quickly resented the micromanagement and asserted his supremacy by ordering a special congressional session to address the ongoing financial crisis that was exposing the government to complete bankruptcy. When WHH died from complications of a bad cold, the country was faced with a giant constitutional crisis: What to do now?
John Tyler, WHH's vice president from Virginia, assumed the Presidency as per the founding fathers - except his interpretation was of a permanent solution and Congressional leaders assumed he was simply an "acting" President until a special election could be held. Tyler was relentless and set the precedent for future presidential succession (and ultimately the 25th amendment) - an amazing feat considering the national turmoil so near to the outbreak of the civil war.
Tyler was conversely the youngest president at 51 years old and had previously been a Democrat despite running on the Whig ticket. Tyler had not been expected to play a large role in the administration, so his ideas were unknown to party leaders. The Whigs were unpleasantly surprised when Tyler vetoed nearly their entire agenda in his first year in office. The feud grew to a tit-for-tat program of revenge in which Tyler was expelled from the Whig party, he could not keep a cabinet or Supreme Court fully seated, and all his efforts were stonewalled - sometimes to complete international embarrassment and/or financial endangerment of the country.
The only measure of significance that Tyler was able to accomplish was the long awaited annexation of Texas, literally on his last day in office. Tyler lost any hope for re-election when he could find no legitimate party to sponsor his nomination, and the two candidates, Polk and the raging Henry Clay, ran on diverging Texas platforms.
Texas had previously declared itself independent from Mexico and was shopping around for the best option for its future. Should it be independent, a part of the US, or a European protectorate? The US was passionately divided because Texas would enter the union as a slave state - and therefore served as a metaphor for the greater North/South debate. Tyler, a slave-owning states' rightist, desired Texas to be accomplished under his agenda, and managed to pass an annexation treaty in order to claim the glory... then left his successor with the inevitable war with Mexico who was none too happy that Texas put itself on the market.
And then Tyler retired to his Virginia plantation... That is where this crappy biography ends. Wikipedia tells me Tyler married his second wife while still in the White House, proceeded to father a total of 15 children, sided with the confederacy at the outset of the Civil War, and was eventually elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. Tyler died before assuming office and without knowledge of the war's conclusion, but incredibly two of his grandsons are listed as still-living US citizens... presumably they came back in to the fold at some point :-)
Do not read this book. No matter what crazy hobby requires it, any random google search will provide you with better.
May 14, 2010
This is a very dry treatment of the presidencies of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. The only reason for finishing this book is my determination to read a biography of each of the US presidents. Otherwise, it would have been abandoned early on. It gives blow by blow descriptions of most of the political happenings of 1840-1845. If you’re into political history, you might find it more interesting than I did.
It was interesting to read about the beginnings of the strife that eventually led to the Civil War. The Civil War was about so much more than just slavery and arose out of a very complicated background of state interests.
Of course, not much can be said about William Henry Harrison’s 30 day presidency.
America, at the time of John Tyler’s presidency, was in the midst of great turmoil and change and his presidency was a microcosm of the national strife boiling. He was continually at odds with Congress, was abandoned by the party he was affiliated with at the time of election, and went through numerous cabinet upheavals. He even was threatened with impeachment a couple of times. Because of the stalemate between him and Congress, not much was accomplished during his presidency, not much that he would have considered important or meaningful, I would guess. He paved the way for Texas annexation and helped accomplish some important treaties, a notable one being a trade treaty with China.
At the end of the book, the author mentions a quote about Polk being the one bright spot between Jackson and Lincoln and then goes on to say that Tyler’s presidency, however, was anything but dull. I couldn’t help but wish that if she observed that Tyler’s presidency was anything but dull, that she would have made a little bit more of an effort to make this book less dull.
It was interesting to read about the beginnings of the strife that eventually led to the Civil War. The Civil War was about so much more than just slavery and arose out of a very complicated background of state interests.
Of course, not much can be said about William Henry Harrison’s 30 day presidency.
America, at the time of John Tyler’s presidency, was in the midst of great turmoil and change and his presidency was a microcosm of the national strife boiling. He was continually at odds with Congress, was abandoned by the party he was affiliated with at the time of election, and went through numerous cabinet upheavals. He even was threatened with impeachment a couple of times. Because of the stalemate between him and Congress, not much was accomplished during his presidency, not much that he would have considered important or meaningful, I would guess. He paved the way for Texas annexation and helped accomplish some important treaties, a notable one being a trade treaty with China.
At the end of the book, the author mentions a quote about Polk being the one bright spot between Jackson and Lincoln and then goes on to say that Tyler’s presidency, however, was anything but dull. I couldn’t help but wish that if she observed that Tyler’s presidency was anything but dull, that she would have made a little bit more of an effort to make this book less dull.
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May 11, 2022As the title says the book is about the Presidencies, and not full life biographies. The 1st chapter is a 16 page review from Washington to the 1840's. Harrison arrives on scene in 1836 and is dead 26 pages later. Tyler becomes president with nothing about his previous eventful life and ends with Tyler being replaced by Polk. That's it.
I had already read Tippacanoe and was familiar with Harrison's military battles with Indians and the British. If you want more on Harrison I would recommend Tippacanoe. It reads well and is a full account of his life.
"The Presidencies..." also reads well, is chronological, doesn't sugar coat stupid decisions, and has enough information about other characters to give the reader enough perspective to learn that Webster was generally a good guy and Clay was always an ass! I would recommend this book to those who want to know about the 1840's, the annexation of Texas, or the presidency of Tyler. But if you want full life biographies of Harrison or Tyler this book is not a good choice.
I had already read Tippacanoe and was familiar with Harrison's military battles with Indians and the British. If you want more on Harrison I would recommend Tippacanoe. It reads well and is a full account of his life.
"The Presidencies..." also reads well, is chronological, doesn't sugar coat stupid decisions, and has enough information about other characters to give the reader enough perspective to learn that Webster was generally a good guy and Clay was always an ass! I would recommend this book to those who want to know about the 1840's, the annexation of Texas, or the presidency of Tyler. But if you want full life biographies of Harrison or Tyler this book is not a good choice.
February 21, 2019
Dry as a bone reading material, but it seems to accurately describe this time in history. Did not know that Tyler signed the bill bring Texas into the USA.
September 11, 2012
For the few of you out there who have been following my reviews, please forgive the amount of time that has passed since I started to read this book. The period covered in American history was very exciting. This book, however, was not. I found this a very difficult read.
That is not to say this is not a good book. Peterson covers this fascinating period in great detail. The politics of the period were extreme. Consider the politics in the United States today (2012). Today, the two major political parties are polarized. In the 1840s, add the conflict of slavery between the north and the south; add the poor relations and Great Britain and Mexico almost leading to two wars; add a financial collapse and the first time a sitting President died in office. This was not a good time for any President or government.
The first chapter of the book covers the brief time that William Henry Harrison was in office. Harrison, the oldest person voted into office in the early history of the United States, caught a cold during his inaugural address and died one month later. At the time, there were no provisions in the Constitution to cover such a tragic event.
Earlier in Tyler's career, when he was elected to the Senate, there was a debate over "nullification" in which South Carolina proposed a law whereby a state could choose to disregard a federal law. Jackson, who was President at the time, would not allow the law to be enacted. Tyler left the Democratic Party over this debate and joined the Whig Party.
Skip ahead a few years to the election of 1836. Tyler was a compromise candidate who was expected to follow directions of a strong Congress. The US Congress during this period was made up of some very influential representatives of American history - people like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John Quincy Adams. After Harrison's death, the Congress saw his succession as an opportunity to limit the powers of the President, and to have Congress, led by Henry Clay, to assert control.
Tyler was too firm in his convictions to allow this to happen, but while Congress could not control him, they would not support him. In fact throughout his Presidency, Congress would not pass anything proposed or supported by Tyler. Tyler himself vetoed more bills passed by Congress than any of his predecessors. As a direct result, he was thrown out of the Whig party. He was a President without a party, without the support needed to accomplish his political goals.
None of this is to say that Tyler was a weak or a bad President, although he was not an effective President. The author takes pains not to side with his supporters or his detractors. During his Presidency, Tyler set the stage for the completion of Manifest Destiny, or the belief that the United States should span from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He actually signed the bill annexing Texas as a State, and he did the groundwork needed to take control of the Oregon Territory.
Contextually, I would say that both are correct. While Tyler himself had strong convictions and would not allow himself to be a marionette to Clay and others, he was not strong enough to build any kind of coalition to actually achieve greatness.
That is not to say this is not a good book. Peterson covers this fascinating period in great detail. The politics of the period were extreme. Consider the politics in the United States today (2012). Today, the two major political parties are polarized. In the 1840s, add the conflict of slavery between the north and the south; add the poor relations and Great Britain and Mexico almost leading to two wars; add a financial collapse and the first time a sitting President died in office. This was not a good time for any President or government.
The first chapter of the book covers the brief time that William Henry Harrison was in office. Harrison, the oldest person voted into office in the early history of the United States, caught a cold during his inaugural address and died one month later. At the time, there were no provisions in the Constitution to cover such a tragic event.
Earlier in Tyler's career, when he was elected to the Senate, there was a debate over "nullification" in which South Carolina proposed a law whereby a state could choose to disregard a federal law. Jackson, who was President at the time, would not allow the law to be enacted. Tyler left the Democratic Party over this debate and joined the Whig Party.
Skip ahead a few years to the election of 1836. Tyler was a compromise candidate who was expected to follow directions of a strong Congress. The US Congress during this period was made up of some very influential representatives of American history - people like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John Quincy Adams. After Harrison's death, the Congress saw his succession as an opportunity to limit the powers of the President, and to have Congress, led by Henry Clay, to assert control.
Tyler was too firm in his convictions to allow this to happen, but while Congress could not control him, they would not support him. In fact throughout his Presidency, Congress would not pass anything proposed or supported by Tyler. Tyler himself vetoed more bills passed by Congress than any of his predecessors. As a direct result, he was thrown out of the Whig party. He was a President without a party, without the support needed to accomplish his political goals.
None of this is to say that Tyler was a weak or a bad President, although he was not an effective President. The author takes pains not to side with his supporters or his detractors. During his Presidency, Tyler set the stage for the completion of Manifest Destiny, or the belief that the United States should span from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He actually signed the bill annexing Texas as a State, and he did the groundwork needed to take control of the Oregon Territory.
Contextually, I would say that both are correct. While Tyler himself had strong convictions and would not allow himself to be a marionette to Clay and others, he was not strong enough to build any kind of coalition to actually achieve greatness.
September 13, 2013
Harrison, famously, occupied the White House for only a month. Such a brief tenure, of course, makes biography easy-- or does it complicate it? Either way, Peterson doesn't spend much time on the ninth President, zeroing in on the campaign that won him the brief tenure. She injects a rare bit of color here, recounting the various campaign slogans and fight songs and capturing some of the political mood. Unfortunately, she quickly loses the spark and slumps into an impenetrable drone.
Harrison's Presidency was to be marked chiefly by his opposition to Jackson's policies, he said in that fateful inaugural address. He would reestablished Jackson's hated national bank, end the patronage and political spoils system, and generally defer to Congress. He was a limited-government Whig, and a peacemaker at heart.
Of course, he was to be denied his chance at reform. His short time in the White House was filled with favor-seekers; before he or they were gratified or disappointed by lasting reform, Harrison died of complications from a cold. He was barely short of a month in office. Peterson's treatment of the whole situation is brisk, business-like and dry; functional but unexciting, matter-of-fact but perfunctory.
So much for Harrison. His successor fares a little better, both historically and in the narrative. Tyler, after stumbling through the legal thickets surrounding the process of replacing a dead president, and overcoming his personal antipathy to the position, casts his agenda of strengthening the military and protecting the "honor of the country". Tyler's an interesting character; he seems a throwback, even in these early days, to the patrician Washington, a marked change from the rough-and-rowdy Jackson. The issues of his presidency- the annexation of Texas, foreign relations with France and Britain, are handled deftly, if not engagingly, in keeping with the utilitarian feel of the book. Completely, and disappointingly, absent were the Wanghia Treaty with imperial China and any sort of personal background.
This is another "gap book"- it fills in the empty spaces of popular knowledge about two relatively unknown presidents. It does so effectively, but not very engagingly. I wonder if that's due more to the dryness of the subjects, but with Tyler, especially, I think more color could have been brought in.
Harrison's Presidency was to be marked chiefly by his opposition to Jackson's policies, he said in that fateful inaugural address. He would reestablished Jackson's hated national bank, end the patronage and political spoils system, and generally defer to Congress. He was a limited-government Whig, and a peacemaker at heart.
Of course, he was to be denied his chance at reform. His short time in the White House was filled with favor-seekers; before he or they were gratified or disappointed by lasting reform, Harrison died of complications from a cold. He was barely short of a month in office. Peterson's treatment of the whole situation is brisk, business-like and dry; functional but unexciting, matter-of-fact but perfunctory.
So much for Harrison. His successor fares a little better, both historically and in the narrative. Tyler, after stumbling through the legal thickets surrounding the process of replacing a dead president, and overcoming his personal antipathy to the position, casts his agenda of strengthening the military and protecting the "honor of the country". Tyler's an interesting character; he seems a throwback, even in these early days, to the patrician Washington, a marked change from the rough-and-rowdy Jackson. The issues of his presidency- the annexation of Texas, foreign relations with France and Britain, are handled deftly, if not engagingly, in keeping with the utilitarian feel of the book. Completely, and disappointingly, absent were the Wanghia Treaty with imperial China and any sort of personal background.
This is another "gap book"- it fills in the empty spaces of popular knowledge about two relatively unknown presidents. It does so effectively, but not very engagingly. I wonder if that's due more to the dryness of the subjects, but with Tyler, especially, I think more color could have been brought in.
May 27, 2020
It is what it is: a thorough, albeit dry, informative, and straightforward chronicle of the presidential term shared by Harrison any Tyler. Fans of antebellum history will eat it up, while the book could be used as effective repellent to anyone otherwise.
I decided to read this entry after quickly consuming the American Presidents entry on John Tyler, which although I found fascinating, its short length left me desiring more. This book may suffice to serve as a broader re-exploration of what I had just read, improving my satisfaction regarding dates, facts and figures, such as Tyler's ascension to the presidency, expulsion from the Whigs, the Princeton disaster, and Texas annexation; while still leaving me hungry for a thorough psychological analysis of Tyler's state of Mind (with the exception of a nice little epilogue) that would be indicative of a biographical exploration rather than an academic account of a lone presidential term.
If you're in my camp, hungry for more information after reading the American Presidents series entry, give this one a go.
I decided to read this entry after quickly consuming the American Presidents entry on John Tyler, which although I found fascinating, its short length left me desiring more. This book may suffice to serve as a broader re-exploration of what I had just read, improving my satisfaction regarding dates, facts and figures, such as Tyler's ascension to the presidency, expulsion from the Whigs, the Princeton disaster, and Texas annexation; while still leaving me hungry for a thorough psychological analysis of Tyler's state of Mind (with the exception of a nice little epilogue) that would be indicative of a biographical exploration rather than an academic account of a lone presidential term.
If you're in my camp, hungry for more information after reading the American Presidents series entry, give this one a go.
August 2, 2011
William Henry Harrison was president for thirty days before succumbing to pneumonia. He was the first of eight presidents from the great state of Ohio.
John Tyler became the first to inherit the office of the presidency when it was not at all clear what the Constitution called for in this circumstance. Thus began four years of contentious battles between the Henry Clay-led Congress and the President. Tyler was eventually kicked out of the Whig party (to which he came after leaving the Democratic party) in the ongoing dispute. He vetoed more legislation than all previous presidents combined. The battles with Clay and the Whig-controlled Congress stood in the way of much true advancement for the country.
Nonetheless, he accomplished much during his time. With his Secretary of State Daniel Webster, he settled significant boundary disputes with Canada, avoiding a likely war with Britain, and ultimately annexed the Texas Republic. He was responsible for rescuing the nations economy without creating a national bank, created a steam-powered Navy and signed several treaties that expanded international markets for cotton, tobacco and other American goods.
On the downside, Tyler, a Southerner, did nothing to do away with slavery and was often more fixated on reelection than what was best for the country.
History seems to regard Tyler as an average or slightly below average U.S. President. It seems to me that he deserves more respect than that. But what do I know.
John Tyler became the first to inherit the office of the presidency when it was not at all clear what the Constitution called for in this circumstance. Thus began four years of contentious battles between the Henry Clay-led Congress and the President. Tyler was eventually kicked out of the Whig party (to which he came after leaving the Democratic party) in the ongoing dispute. He vetoed more legislation than all previous presidents combined. The battles with Clay and the Whig-controlled Congress stood in the way of much true advancement for the country.
Nonetheless, he accomplished much during his time. With his Secretary of State Daniel Webster, he settled significant boundary disputes with Canada, avoiding a likely war with Britain, and ultimately annexed the Texas Republic. He was responsible for rescuing the nations economy without creating a national bank, created a steam-powered Navy and signed several treaties that expanded international markets for cotton, tobacco and other American goods.
On the downside, Tyler, a Southerner, did nothing to do away with slavery and was often more fixated on reelection than what was best for the country.
History seems to regard Tyler as an average or slightly below average U.S. President. It seems to me that he deserves more respect than that. But what do I know.
October 4, 2009
I give Tyler good marks for starting off his presidency not allowing Clay to use him as a puppet, wielding power from the House. In many respects Tyler showed a lot of integrity. But I think he lost his way after being rejected by his own party. After that he made too much use of political patronage to try to round up a party to support him for a second term.
December 13, 2016
This book doesn't offer much information on Harrison. However it does an adequate job of describing the challenges facing Tyler during his administration. The author mostly focuses on the presidency, so there isn't much about the president's personal life. Overall, it was well written and informative.
October 27, 2016
Interesting read. Harrison died after of pneumonia after one month in office. Tyler's presidency was characterized by congressional attacks on his authority, usually spear-headed by Henry clay. Peterson believes Tyler was a much better president than previous biographers viewed him.
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