John Tyler, the Accidental President

By: Edward P. Crapol

Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The first vice president to become president on the death of the incumbent, John Tyler (1790-1862) was derided by critics as "His Accidency." In this biography of the 10th president, Edward P. Crapol challenges depictions of Tyler as a die-hard advocate of states' rights, limited government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Instead, he argues, Tyler manipulated the Constitution to increase the executive power of the presidency. Crapol also highlights Tyler's faith in America's national destiny and his belief that boundless territorial expansion would preserve the Union as a slaveholding republic. When Tyler sided with the Confederacy in 1861, he was branded as America's "traitor" president for having betrayed the republic he once led.

©2006 The University of North Carolina Press (P)2019 Tantor

Very repetitive

How many times do we have to hear that Tyler became the president after Harrison’s death? 20? 50? The author repeat himself so many times that the book is a chore to get through.

Well balanced and detailed history. We enjoyed it

Well balanced and detailed history of the Tyler presidency. We enjoyed the reader and the story very much.

John Tyler is an odd, but interesting study

John Tyler was one of those presidents most of us have forgotten about, but had far more influence than we probably realize. For one, he was the first VP who ascended to the presidency upon the death of a president in office. Secondly, Tyler was the first and only president to this point in history to have literally turned on his country and committed treason upon his efforts in the South's temporary secession from the USA. As a result, this biography gave some very interesting historical fodder upon both accounts. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this biography not only for the information, though that was excellent, but to see how politicians can be so easily led astray. While Tyler showed some courage and conviction about certain things, he also allowed things like legacy and power to very much get to his head .. leading him, eventually, to not only lose nearly all support from his constituents, but to lose nearly all grasp on what his role as president and statesman even meant to begin with. I would definitely recommend this biography to give some fascinating insight into Tyler the man, but also to better understand the world at that time as a related consequence.

Attempted Rescue Flounders

The author has put in a great effort trying to convince us and himself of Tyler’s worth by giving him credit for being there while things happened. But even he can’t erase the smears.

He’s set a very low bar for the determination of relevancy in a US president, and then essentially manufactures reasons to support his clearing that bar.

Still, it’s a Tyler biography which is more rare than should be of any President.

Excellent as it Could Be

Having listened to nearly 200 Audible books l would give high ranks to this well written documentary that addresses difficult subjects & issues. The narrator was equally talented & fluid. I can’t imagine someone ranking this presentation low unless they were extraordinarily sensitive on the issues discussed, were not familiar with Presidential biographies, or were expecting some sort of Hollywood ride from an 1800s simple world. I salute the author & enjoyed becoming familiar with the issues at hand during this era. Especially about the annexation of Texas, the fact that Britain’s flag once flew over Hawaii, & Britain also attempted to take Texas on the grounds of preventing it from becoming a slave state. Now Polk’s Presidency falls into sync better with me having previously finished his biography. Well Done.

An insightful and thought-provoking biography

My perception of John Tyler prior to this book was quite limited and biased towards the prevailing narrative: a failure in the White House and a white-supremacist scion of the old South. The author does a fantastic job of bringing this man to life and helping the reader understand the complexity of his nature. His political philosophies were molded by the the icons that preceded him: Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. All were Southern gentlemen and plantation owners from Virginia. They were our fledgling nation's aristocracy. Tyler shared so much in common with them that he may have been perceived quite differently had he come from their earlier era. Instead he came to power just as the South's "peculiar institution" was about to rip the nation apart. And his tragic flaw was that he could not separate himself from that institution or fully recognize its evil.

Tyler probably does not get enough credit for his political acumen. His decisive leadership in the aftermath of William Henry Harrison's untimely death averted a Constitutional crisis over determining how Presidential succession should work. And the precedent he established by quickly assuming the full duties of US President as opposed to some temporary or "acting" role, guided future Presidents Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, T. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman and L. Johnson until the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967 finally settled the issue of Presidential Succession into the US Constitution.

Tyler also deserves credit for his leadership in securing the annexation of Texas amid a swirl of domestic and international intrigue. James K. Polk often gets credit for the annexation, even though it was Tyler who worked tirelessly to get the groundwork laid during his administration - despite numerous headwinds in Congress. Had Tyler faltered or delayed action on Texas, its admission to the Union may have come at a higher cost.

Great insights

Too much is not taught about Tyler because of his support of the CSA and slavery.
He was the reason why would we later have the 25th amendment to the Constitution by setting example of Vice President taking control of the government when Harrison died in office.
He also expanded American influence not only over Texas, California, Oregon but also in the Pacific rim.
He built up the naval power of America.
But when states rights challenged by Lincoln he would be the only President to become a citizen of another country after leaving office.
His home and historical records would be destroyed by Northern troops in the war.
But this little known 10th Presidents had a large impact on the future of our country.

Better than I Expected

When I read some of the reviews, I was hesitant to begin reading this book, but I'm glad I listened to my impulses and went with it anyway because it was actually surprisingly interesting. Obviously, Tyler's story is not as exciting in comparison to that of Washington, Lincoln, or even his role model, Jefferson. He led a much more quiet life of a southern aristocrat and so his story would seem much more bland than other more notable presidents, but he also was not completely the insignificant president that I thought he was before reading the book. As a matter of fact, his presidency shaped the future of American foreign and domestic policies in several profound ways (annexation of Texas and Hawaii, continuation of the "extend the sphere" doctrine of Madison), most notably the precedent of presidential succession, which would be used multiple times. Tyler was a southern aristocrat during the Antebellum period, so obviously he owned slaves and falsely believed that slavery would continue through the 19th century and continue into the 20th, and as president he defended the institution of slavery. The author does a great job with balancing modern understanding of the evils of slavery and Tyler's own 19th century understanding, and Crapol does not shy away at pointing out Tyler's faults. He gives Tyler fair treatment without making him out to be a hero or a villain, and describes him in the context of his times, not ours.
This book is not a biography in the traditional chronological sense, and takes more of a thematic look into Tyler's life and presidency. Each chapter deals with certain topics (slavery, Texas, Hawaii, Tyler's support of the Confederacy, etc.) rather than a strict chronological account that is used in most biographies, but to me, this actually was one of the strengths of the book, whereas it may not have worked for other more notable presidents. Crapol does a great job at focusing on what were the most important aspects of Tyler's life and how/why he should be remembered in history.

Woke

Overall not bad but the author continues to display a chrono-centric demeanor by virtue-signaling his 2006 morales to President Tyler’s antebellum life. Narrator is awesome and sounds like Mo Rocca.

Interesting Man, Lackluster Authorship

Since this is the only John Tyler biography over a couple of hours in length on this platform I would still recommend listening to it for anyone who is trying to read/listen through Presidential biographies. It is so-so in comparison to other Presidential biographies and I found myself wandering off at times.

Edward Crapol's biography of John Tyler is not presented chronologically but more categorically where he highlights the major events in Tyler's presidency. While repetition at times does make listening to it become tedious, interesting facts and important policies/precedents do appear throughout. If anything, this book does leave the reader/listener with wanting to know more. An in depth examination of his entire life would be quite an entertaining read.

Additionally, I recommend to disregard the lynch mob of reviewers ready to hang John Tyler in effigy over his position on slavery. Crapol is clearly not a Tyler apologist, and in fact he tends to beat a dead horse borderline ad nauseam over what he understands as a moral failure of John Tyler's.

Overall, this book has potential but it falls short of a balanced examination of "His Accidency." Until such a book appears on this platform, Crapol still provides a biography worth a listen/read.