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Harrison Ruffin Tyler

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Harrison Ruffin Tyler
Tyler in 2018
Born(1928-11-09)November 9, 1928
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMay 25, 2025(2025-05-25) (aged 96)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materCollege of William & Mary
Virginia Tech
Occupations
  • Chemical engineer
  • Businessperson
  • Preservationist
Spouse
Frances Payne Bouknight
​
​
(m. 1957; died 2019)​
Children3
Parents
Relatives

Harrison Ruffin Tyler (November 9, 1928 – May 25, 2025) was an American preservationist and archivist who, at the time of his death in 2025, was the last surviving grandson of the tenth U.S. president, John Tyler (1790–1862). The time between the president’s birth and his grandson’s death spanned 235 years. Harrison Tyler was prominent in preserving the Tyler ancestral home Sherwood Forest Plantation and nearby Fort Pocahontas. He also donated voluminous historic family materials and funds to the history department at the College of William & Mary, which bears his name. Tyler was also a chemical engineer and business man who co-founded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company.

Early life and education

Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, in Richmond, Virginia, to Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler, the son of President Tyler and his wife Julia Gardiner.[1] Through his mother, he was a descendant of the Harrison family and a great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin.[2] His mother was a teacher and caretaker of the family's historical documents.[3]

Tyler grew up poor during the Great Depression and his father died when he was age six. He had an older brother, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., was homeschooled by his mother, and then attended Charles City County public schools.[4] He later attended St. Christopher's School.[5] Tyler's education at the College of William & Mary was funded by Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, with a $5,000 check, likely as a result of his father's friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt.[4] He graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1949.[5] Due to a shortage of employment opportunities in chemistry, Tyler continued his education at Virginia Tech, where he received a degree in chemical engineering in 1951.[6]

Career

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Tyler worked as a project manager for Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation, and led a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. He familiarized himself with soft water and learned how to treat hard water when he worked as a start-up engineer for a plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a patent in water treatment pertaining to shiny aluminium. In 1963, Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation was acquired by Mobil.[5] The change in corporate culture prompted Tyler to leave the company and found ChemTreat, Inc., with partner William P. Simmons. The water treatment company was headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.[7] He used chemistry to address problems with industrial water cooling systems.[8] The company worked with hospitals and the paper and pulp sector.[9] In 2000, Tyler led an employee stock ownership program at his company.[10][4] ChemTreat was acquired by the Danaher Corporation in 2007.[11]

Personal life

The Tyler Garden (pictured), dedicated to members of the Tyler family on the campus of the College of William & Mary, was constructed with funds donated by Tyler.

In July of 1957, Tyler married Frances Payne Bouknight of Mulberry Hill Plantation in Johnston, South Carolina.[12] The couple lived in Richmond until her death February 8, 2019.[2] They had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (born 1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (born 1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (born 1961).[9][13] Later in life, he lived in a nursing home in the area.[14]

Tyler had spoken publicly of his family's history;[15] the Tyler’s purchased the Sherwood Forest Plantation from relatives in 1975 and oversaw its restoration.[4][8] In 1996, they purchased and financially supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas.[9][16] Beginning in 1997, Tyler sponsored annual American Civil War reenactments at Wilson's Wharf.[17] In 1997, he collaborated with the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to assess and research Fort Pocahontas.[9] In 2001, he donated $5 million and 22,000 books and documents from his father to the College of William & Mary department of history.[10] In 2012, he told New York magazine that he didn’t have much interest in modern politics. Around that year the college renamed the department the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History in his honor.[10]

Tyler suffered a series of mini-strokes in 2012. He was diagnosed with dementia. He died at his home in Richmond on May 25, 2025.[18][14]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch 1928, p. 13.
  2. ^ a b Daily Press 1979, p. 207.
  3. ^ Kilian 1992.
  4. ^ a b c d Brockell 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Besch 2017, p. 225.
  6. ^ Weinger 2012.
  7. ^ Besch 2017, p. 225–226.
  8. ^ a b The Progress-Index 2007, p. A9.
  9. ^ a b c d Besch 2017, p. 226.
  10. ^ a b c Kolenich 2021.
  11. ^ Blackwell 2007.
  12. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch 1957, p. 45.
  13. ^ Daily Press 2019, p. A10.
  14. ^ a b Vogelsong, Sarah (May 28, 2025). "Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of 10th U.S. president and longtime Richmonder, dies at 96". The Richmonder. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  15. ^ Junek 1996b, p. 1.
  16. ^ National Park Service.
  17. ^ Besch 2017, p. 227.
  18. ^ Jeong, Andrew; Murphy, Brian (May 29, 2025). "Harrison Tyler, grandson of 1840s president John Tyler, dies at 96". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 29, 2025.

Sources

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