Julia Tyler (1820-1889) was an American first lady (1844-1845) and the second wife of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. Thirty years younger than her husband, Julia married John Tyler two years after the death of his first wife, Letitia, in 1842. As first lady, she played both a social and political role in the White House, still a rare occurrence for a president's wife in the 19th century. Though Julia was born to a wealthy Northern family, she, along with her husband, supported the Southern cause in the sectional crisis preceeding the American Civil War (1861-65), a position Julia would maintain even after John Tyler's death in 1862.
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May 24
Presidential
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After her husband's death in 1862, Julia Tyler returned to her home state of New York. A supporter of the South during the American Civil War, her house was attacked and nearly set on fire by Union veterans after she openly displayed a Confederate flag on her property.
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