John Tyler: The Expelled President

Abstract John Tyler served as president from 1841 to 1845 and was the first isolated president. As the first vice president to become president upon the death of his predecessor, Tyler faced questions about his political legitimacy and was soon expelled by his own political party, making him an anomaly of presidential history: the president without a party. Despite these disadvantages, Tyler managed to achieve notable successes in both domestic and foreign policy. This chapter gives an overview of Tyler’s administration, first by noting the state of the presidency in 1841 when Tyler unexpectedly came to office and examining Tyler’s pre-presidential thoughts on executive power. It then moves to Tyler’s presidency, focusing on his actions in domestic policy and then transitioning to discuss his activities in foreign policy. The chapter concludes by evaluating Tyler’s administration through the lens of the presidential roles.