Presidentess

The first full biography of the controversial and complex First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyleran unjustly scandalized New Yorker, the second wife to President John Tyler, and a savvy and consequential political figure in the age of the Civil War.Myths, rumors, and gossip have long circulated around First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. Commonly believed to be politically insignificant, most of our fascination with Tyler surrounds her reputation as a highly desired superficial flirt. This salacious mythos was based on her status in a politically influential New York family and the popular rumor that she posed for a sexually suggestive advertisement for a dry goods store in Manhattan.Now, in the first full biography of Julia Tyler, Christopher J. Leahy and Sharon Williams Leahy correct such longstanding misconceptions about President John Tylers second wife and establish her reputation as an influential political force. Presidentess shows a presidential spouse who was more consequential than people realize and made a lasting contribution to the evolving role of first lady.Leahy and Leahy present a compelling portrait of a determined woman who came to embrace her new Southern identity after marrying John Tyler, serving as a faithful defender of his views and valuesincluding his decision to renounce the Union and join the Confederate government. In the aftermath of the Civil War, she orchestrated a public relations campaign to restore and protect her legacy as well as that of her late husband, the traitor president. In her later years, she successfully lobbied Congress for a pension and reclaimed her status as a former first lady.Presidentess casts a new light on Julia Gardiner Tylers life and legacy, including new revelations about the scandalous Rose of Long Island advertisement, an exploration of the dark side of New York Citys print culture, and Tylers essential role as an unwitting character in the presidential election of 1844. Presidentess gives a fully developed portrait of Julia Tyler, illuminating this controversial first lady and this pivotal turning point in American history.