John Tyler was born in Charles City County, Virginia, to a wealthy plantation family. After becoming a lawyer in 1809, he served first in the Virginia legislature (1811­16) and then in the U.S. House of Representatives (1817­21). Throughout his political life, Tyler consistently supported a strict construction of the Constitution. He served as governor of Virginia from 1825 to 1827 then was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1836. Four years later, Tyler was elected vice president as a member of the Whig Party. Tyler became president when William Henry Harrison died a month after his inauguration in 1841. During his presidency the Seminole War ended, the U.S. Naval Observatory and the U.S. Weather Bureau were established, Texas was annexed, and a trade agreement with China was reached. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, Tyler remained loyal to the state until his death in 1862.
