President John Tyler Still Has One Living Grandchild — Seriously

This story is crazier than you think.

You know who President John Tyler is, right? You should know he spent some time in the White House, and that even though he died in 1862 in the early days of the American Civil War, he still has one grandchild living today.

How is that even possible?

It’s strange, but true. During his 71-year life, Tyler fathered 15 children, more than any other U.S. president. He had eight children with his first wife, Letitia Christian. In 1844, he married Julia Gardiner, with whom he had another seven children. All of his grandchildren should be dead by now, right?

Wrong!

Harrison Ruffin Tyler Still Lives

It’s true.

The 91-year-old grandson of the tenth American president spends his days in a Virginia nursing home. But that doesn’t keep him away from being a part of interesting history.

Because his second wife was so much younger, Tyler still fathered children throughout his sixties, including Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., born in 1853. He followed his father’s path by having Harrison while he was 75 and his wife aged 39.

Talk about an age difference.

Harrison was named after William Henry Harrison, the president his grandfather replaced and is related to Pocahontas.

“I’m related to her like 10,000 other people,” William said.

In all likelihood, he’s the closest living genetic relation to Pocahontas in the world. Is your head spinning yet?

Closing Thoughts

Presidential children come and go, sometimes making history for themselves. Robert Todd Lincoln was a statesman. Chelsea Clinton is a community organizer. Jenna Bush works for the “Today Show.” But nothing is ever really know about presidential grandchildren.

As strange as this story may be, it’s all true. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.

If you don’t know much about President Tyler, know this. It’s trivia worth knowing.

Noah Nelson is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. He serves as a senior columnist for The Daily Illini and a writer on Medium. “Life: A Collection of Short Stories” is his first book available now on Amazon.