Letitia Tyler's time as first lady was brief—from June of 1841 to September 1842—and difficult. A stroke had left her incapacitated since 1839. She was accustomed to planning and managing events. She had overseen many of the operations of the Tyler plantation and raised seven children while her husband held various elected positions. Despite her illness, she presided over her responsibilities as first lady from her second-story bedroom in the White House. Only once did she make a public appearance as first lady—at the wedding of her daughter Elizabeth.

Born Letitia Christian on November 12, 1790, on a plantation near Tidewater, Virginia, she was raised to learn domestic responsibilities, from family care to plantation management. Her father was a wealthy merchant involved in Virginia politics.

John Tyler's father (also named John; 1747-1813) was elected governor of Virginia in 1809. John Tyler (1790-1862; see entry in volume...