Senate. In February, 1830, after taking part
in the Virginia convention for revising the State
constitution, he returned to his seat in the Senate,
and found himself first drawn toward Jackson by the
veto message (May 27) upon the Maysville turnpike
bill; supported Jackson in the Presidential election
of 1832, but broke with the Administration on the question
of the removal of the deposits from the United States
Bank, and voted for Mr. Clay’s resolution to
censure the President. He was nominated by the
State-rights Whigs for Vice-President in 1835, and
at the election on November 8, 1836, received 47 electoral
votes; but no candidate having a majority of electoral
votes, the Senate elected Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky.
The legislature of Virginia having instructed the Senators
from that State to vote for expunging the resolutions
of censure upon President Jackson, Mr. Tyler refused
to obey the instructions, resigned his seat, and returned
home February 29, 1836. On January 10, 1838,
he was chosen president of the Virginia Colonization
Society. In the spring of 1838 he was returned
to the Virginia legislature. In January, 1839,
he was a candidate for reelection to the United States
Senate; the result was a deadlock, and the question
was indefinitely postponed before any choice had been
made. December 4, 1839, the Whig national convention,
at Harrisburg, Pa., nominated him for Vice-President
on the ticket with William Henry Harrison, and at
the election on November 10, 1840, he was elected,
receiving 234 electoral votes to 48 for Richard M.
Johnson, of Kentucky. By the death of President
Harrison April 4, 1841, Mr. Tyler became President
of the United States. He took the oath of office
on April 6. Among the more important events of
his Administration were the “Ashburton treaty”
with Great Britain, the termination of the Indian
war in Florida, the passage of the resolutions by Congress
providing for the annexation of Texas, and the treaty
with China. On May 27, 1844, he was nominated
for President at a convention in Baltimore, but although
at first he accepted the nomination, he subsequently
withdrew his name. On June 26, 1844, Mr. Tyler
married Miss Julia Gardiner, of New York, his first
wife having died September 9, 1842. After leaving
the White House he took up his residence on his estate,
Sherwood Forest, near Greenway, Va., on the bank of
the James River. Was president of the Peace Convention
held at Washington February 4, 1861. Afterwards,
as a delegate to the Virginia State convention, he
advocated the passage of an ordinance of secession.
In May, 1861, he was unanimously elected a member
of the provisional congress of the Confederate States.
In the following autumn he was elected to the permanent
congress, but died at Richmond January 18, 1862, before
taking his seat, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery,
in that city.
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