Somewhat sickly much of his life, John Tyler suffered increasingly worse health as he aged. He was preparing to take his seat in the Confederate Congress in Richmond, Virginia, when he died, on January 18, 1862.

Due to his allegiance to the Confederacy, Tyler's death was ignored by the federal government, with a very conspicuous lack of official notices and condolences. The Confederacy did recognize his death, however, and a Confederate flag was draped over his casket during the funeral.

Tyler wanted to be buried on his Sherwood Forest estate in a location selected by his wife and memorialized with “an uncostly monument of granite or marble,” but the Civil War had driven his family from the estate so he was buried at Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery, just feet away from President James Monroe. The General Assembly of Virginia originally planned to erect some type of monument, but their focus at the time was on the war and not placing headstones.

In 1914 the U.S. Congress finally authorized funds for a memorial to Tyler, which was unveiled in October 1915. The central feature is a tall shaft surmounted by an eagle with drooping wings. A bust of Tyler sits on a "pedestal" at the bottom of the shaft.

SEE ALSO
Sherwood Forest
Civil War
James Monroe

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This page was last updated on June 28, 2018.