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John Tyler was the first vice-president ever to take the oath of office due to the death of an incumbent. He was raised on a 1,200-acre Virginia plantation and graduated as the valedictorian of his class from the College of William and Mary, devoting his entire commencement speech to the education of women.
After four years of legal studies, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and from 1817 to 1821 served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He opposed a second Bank of the United States, the use of federal funds for internal improvements and the Missouri Compromise, declaring it an unconstitutional limitation on states' rights.
Tyler was elected governor of Virginia in 1825 and U.S. Senator two years later. In 1839, the anti-Andrew Jackson Whigs balanced the William Henry Harrison ticket with Tyler. Tyler succeeded him just a month into Harrison's presidency.
In 1845, he became the first president to have a veto overridden by Congress, but his accomplishments were many. He ended the Seminole War, orchestrated the first mission to China, expanded the Monroe doctrine to include Hawaii and annexed Texas.
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