Our first ladies #10

 

Letitia Tyler (née Christian; November 12, 1790 – September 10, 1842) was the first wife of President John Tyler and first lady of the United States from 1841 to 1842.^[1]

She married Tyler, then a law student, in 1808 at Cedar Grove, her family home. Their twenty-nine year marriage appears to have been a happy one, although Letitia avoided the limelight during her husband's political rise, remaining in Virginia during most of his time in congress. Her later life was dogged by ill-health; a paralytic stroke suffered in 1839 left her an invalid. As first lady, she remained in the White House living quarters, leaving them only to attend her daughter Elizabeth's wedding in January 1842. She suffered another stroke in September 1842 and died, becoming the first First Lady to while serving in her role.

Together, John and Letitia Tyler had four daughters and three sons who lived to maturity.

 

Tyler 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.^[10] She also appears on a one-half ounce gold coin and a bronze medal issued by the United States Mint on July 2, 2009.