Last Living Grandson Of President John Tyler Dead At 96

The last living grandson of the 10th United States President, John Tyler, died at 96.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler died on May 25, according to a statement from his family.

His grandfather, President John Tyler, was born in 1790 and served as President from 1841 to 1845.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 and worked most of his life as a chemical engineer.

The grandson, John Tyler, also spent time as a preservationist and helped restore Fort Pocahontas.

🚨Breaking History News🚨
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of 10th U.S. President John Tyler (1841-1845), dies at 96. His grandfather left office 180 years ago. pic.twitter.com/XLGtIkKJ3B

— History Calendar (@historycalendar) May 28, 2025

Here’s what CBS reported:

The last living grandson of the 10th U.S. President John Tyler has died at 96 years old — the end of a link to a bygone era of American history.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler died on Sunday evening, May 25, his family said in a statement to CBS News. His grandfather, who was born in 1790, left the Oval Office more than 179 years ago, after serving from 1841 to 1845, well before the Civil War. President Tyler’s immediate descendants lived into the modern age because of two generations of late second marriages to much younger wives.

John Tyler, a Virginian slave owner and lifelong Democrat, served as the vice president to William Henry Harrison and became president quite unexpectedly after Harrison died suddenly three weeks after his inauguration — the first president to die while in office.

At the time, succession plans weren’t fully established and Tyler was initially hesitant about taking over, according to the National Constitution Center. He took the oath of office in public on April 6, 1841, saying, “I am the President, and I shall be held responsible for my administration.”

The last living grandson of President John Tyler has died.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 and died in 2025.

His grandfather, the 10th President of the United States, was born in 1790 and died in 1862. pic.twitter.com/MIBD1u71EM

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 28, 2025

Per People:

Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the grandson of President John Tyler, died on Sunday, May 25. He was 96.

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Harrison, who was the son of Lyon Gardiner Tyler and grandson of the 10th U.S. president, John Tyler, was the last living connection to an 18th-century presidential administration. On Harrison’s maternal side, his mother, Susan Ruffin Tyler, was a direct descendant of Pocahontas.

One hundred eighty years after his grandfather served in the White House, Harrison died of dementia in a Virginia nursing home, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. He died five years after his last remaining sibling, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., who died in September 2020 at age 95.

Harrison was born on Nov. 9, 1928, meaning he was born 138 years after his grandfather was born. At Harrison’s birth, his father, Lyon Sr., was 75 years old, and his grandfather had been deceased for 66 years. The president was 63 when he welcomed Lyon Sr. He had a total of 15 children when he died in 1862 at 71 years old.

My favorite presidential trivia is over.

John Tyler, our 10th president, served from 1841-1845.

Until this past weekend, he had a LIVING grandson.

Tyler was 63 when he had a son named Lyon
Lyon was 75 when he had a son named Harrison
Harrison was 96 when he died a few days ago pic.twitter.com/XymWz4xXpy

— Jeff Butera (@BayNews9Jeff) May 28, 2025