Julia Tyler, a Very Controversial Woman in 1800s

9. Julia Struck A Deal With A New York Herald Reporter

Julia became tired of the newspapers saying nasty things about her. She wanted people to read something nice about her, but reporters only wrote about the gossip or social mistakes she made. Therefore, Julia took matters into her own hands and struck a deal with New York Herald reporter FW Thompson.

Julia told Thompson that he would receive exclusive access to all her social gathers if he did one thing – wrote excellent statements about her is the newspaper. Specifically, she told Thompson to write about how flawless she looked, dressed, and how well she partied. In his articles, Thompson started referring to Julia as “Presidentress” or “The President’s Bride.”

8. Julia Didn’t Always Wear Clothing Approved By Society

It seems that if Julia could break a rule, at least on the social spectrum, she did it. She never really showed any worry about what other people, though, especially people who just gossiped in high society.

While Julia enjoyed wearing big, fancy dresses, she didn’t worry about if the upper part lacked some fabric or if more skin showed that what should. She enjoyed the sleeveless dresses and didn’t worry about wearing a shawl, which made people look twice when she walked down the street. Julia also wore jewelry that didn’t always fit in her high society, but Julia never seemed to mind the looks from other women.

7. Julia Ghostwrote Articles In Newspapers About Her Beauty

Julia wasn’t a stranger to the papers in her area. Reporters sometimes followed her around so they could get the next story of this scandalous woman. Before she held the power of First Lady, Julia couldn’t say much to the reporters. In fact, she had to let them write what they wanted to about her.

However, after she married the president, this all changed – at least for a short period of time, she held the position, which was under one year. One way Julia got the newspapers to say something nice about her is writing articles under a different name. In these articles, she usually wrong about her beauty.

6. Julia Eloped With President John Tyler

Julia and John’s relationship received much criticism. Part of this is because of Julia’s history in the newspapers. The other part is because of their 30 year age difference. This might be the reason that the couple decided to elope when they married.

Only 12 guests attended the couple’s wedding ceremony at the New York Church of the Ascension, but this didn’t keep people quiet, and the news quickly spread about their marriage. While some people celebrated the couple’s wedding, other people didn’t support their union.

5. Society Had Mixed Feelings About President Tyler’s Marriage To Julia

There are many reasons why some people didn’t support President Tyler’s marriage to Julia. While some of this is because of Julia’s controversial past, another reason is because of the couple’s age difference. Julia was 30 years younger than her new husband. In fact, he had a daughter that was older than Julia.

Another reason many people scowled at their marriage was because of their reasoning. The couple stated that they quickly decided to get married in a small ceremony to help Julia through her grief after her father’s sudden death during the Peacemaker explosion.

4. Julia Loved Her Duties As First Lady

While Julia couldn’t stay out of the public gossip pages before she married President Tyler, she seemed to get a better handle on how to act socially once she married. Many people speculate this happened because she made herself rather busy hosting balls and other events.

Living the fancy life wasn’t new to Julia, so moving into the White House didn’t bother her. What bothered her was the realization that she married a much older man, who never planned on becoming president. Julia had to use her energy to help her tired husband make it through the last year of his presidency.

3. The Tyler Family Moved To Sherwood Forest After Leaving The White House

John Tyler, who became president when William Henry Harrison died 32 days after becoming the 9th President of the United States, never tried to become president after his term ended. Part of this is because Tyler never cared to become president in the first place. The other part is because his health started to decline.

The family moved to Sherwood Forest Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia, after Tyler’s presidency ended. Julia quickly found a new role as a former first lady and running the family’s plantation house.

2. Julia Became Accustomed To The Southern Lifestyle

Julia grew up in a northern free state, and she quickly became accustomed to plantation life. While some people feel this is because she compared slaves to the hired help her family had throughout her life, many people think it is because she simply enjoyed having things done for her.

Julia managed the plantation in a way that allowed her to live a leisurely lifestyle. Though she never thought of slavery before, she grew to understand the institution and support it. She openly wrote about her support for slavery in newspapers.

1. No Matter What People Thought, Julia Was Always Well-Liked

While many people don’t think of Julia Tyler when talking about historical first ladies, she remains one of the most well-liked first ladies in history. Even when she lived, Julia had a lot of friends and even some fans. People, especially young women, liked how she walked by the beat of her own drum and looked up to her.

Today, Julia continues to gain the interest of minds all around the United States. In fact, the more people read about her, the more they want to know about her. There are many historians who are looking into the details of Julia’s life.

How did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“16 Facts About Julia Tyler, The Most Controversial First Lady of the 1800s.” Ellie Tharp. Ranker.

“Why Julia Tyler is Known as the Most Scandalous First Lady in American History.” Helen Flatley, Vintage News. February 2019.

“Julia Tyler: American First Lady.” Betty Boyd Caroli, Britannica. October 2019.

“America’s First Ladies #10 – Julia Gardiner Tyler.” Ancestral Findings.