Who is John Tyler and why do we have a coin named after him?

          John Tyler, 10th President of the US

For many, seeing the new John Tyler gold dollar coin for the first time may be perplexing.  Who is he and why do we have a coin named after him?

John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States, the first president to gain the office by succession.  He was elected as the Vice President of William Henry Harrison in 1840, serving from 1841-1845. He was chosen as a running mate as a political pawn hoping his Virginia roots would draw southern voters to Harrison.  One month into Harrison’s term, Harrison died and Tyler became president. The interpretation of succession was not clear at the time of Harrison’s death and many felt he was president by accident, thus earning him the nickname of “His Accidency.”

His maverick manner plagued his presidency with controversy and by the end of his term, neither the Democrats or the Whigs supported him. While in office, President Tyler supported the cause of Texas statehood [not a popular position at that time]. He vetoed the National Bank Bill and signed the bill that annexed Texas to the United States three days before leaving office.

 After the completion of his term, he returned to Virginia and remained there until his death in 1862.  At that time he was serving as a member of the Confederate Congress, having supported the Confederacy when the Civil War broke out.