Harrison Ruffin Tyler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harrison Ruffin Tyler
|
|
|---|---|
Tyler in 2018
|
|
| Born | November 9, 1928 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
|
| Died | May 25, 2025 (aged 96) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary Virginia Tech |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Frances Payne Bouknight
(m. 1957; died 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Relatives |
|
Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born November 9, 1928) was a special person who worked to protect history. He passed away on May 25, 2025. He was the very last grandson of John Tyler, who was the tenth president of the United States. This means that the time from President Tyler's birth to his grandson's death covered 235 years!
Harrison Tyler was very important in saving Sherwood Forest Plantation. This was the old family home of the Tylers. He also helped protect Fort Pocahontas, which was nearby. He gave many old family papers and a lot of money to the history department at the College of William & Mary. This department is now named after him. Besides his work in history, Tyler was also a chemical engineer and a business owner. He helped start a company called ChemTreat, Inc., which focused on water treatment.
Early Life and Education
Harrison Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, in Richmond, Virginia. His parents were Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler. His grandparents on his father's side were President John Tyler and his wife Julia Gardiner Tyler. Through his mother, he was also related to the Harrison family of Virginia. He was even a great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin. His mother was a teacher and took care of the family's important historical documents.
Tyler grew up during a tough time called the Great Depression. His family did not have much money. His father died when Harrison was only six years old. He had an older brother named Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. His mother taught him at home for a while. Later, he went to public schools in Charles City County, Virginia. He also attended St. Christopher's School.
Harrison's education at the College of William & Mary was paid for by a kind person named Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor. She gave $5,000, probably because his father was friends with Franklin D. Roosevelt. He finished college in 1949 with a degree in chemistry. Because it was hard to find a job in chemistry back then, Tyler continued his studies. He went to Virginia Tech and earned a degree in chemical engineering in 1951.
His Career in Water Treatment
After finishing his studies at Virginia Tech, Tyler worked as a project manager. He worked for a company called Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation. He even managed a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. He learned a lot about how to treat water, especially "hard water," when he worked in Cincinnati, Ohio. He even got a special invention patent for treating water to make aluminum shiny.
In 1963, a bigger company bought Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation. This change made Tyler decide to start his own business. He teamed up with William P. Simmons to create ChemTreat, Inc. This company focused on water treatment and was located in Glen Allen, Virginia. Tyler used his chemistry knowledge to solve problems with industrial water cooling systems. His company worked with places like hospitals and paper factories. In 2000, Tyler helped his employees own parts of the company. ChemTreat was later bought by another company in 2007.
Family and Preserving History
In July 1957, Harrison Tyler married Frances Payne Bouknight. She was from Mulberry Hill Plantation in Johnston, South Carolina. They lived in Richmond until Frances passed away on February 8, 2019. They had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (born 1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (born 1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (born 1961).
The Tylers bought Sherwood Forest Plantation from other family members in 1975. They worked hard to restore and preserve this historic home. In 1996, they also bought Fort Pocahontas and paid for its restoration. Starting in 1997, Tyler helped organize yearly American Civil War reenactments at Wilson's Wharf. He also worked with the College of William & Mary to study Fort Pocahontas.
In 2001, he gave $5 million and 22,000 books and documents to the history department at the college. He did this in honor of his father. Because of his generous gifts, the college named its history department the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History. Tyler often spoke with great passion about his family's history. However, he once said in an interview that he wasn't very interested in politics.
In 2012, Tyler had some small strokes. He was later diagnosed with dementia and lived in a nursing home. He passed away at his home in Richmond on May 25, 2025, when he was 96 years old.
