Priscilla Cooper Tyler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Priscilla Cooper Tyler
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| Acting First Lady of the United States | |
| In role September 10, 1842 – June 26, 1844 |
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| President | John Tyler |
| Preceded by | Letitia Tyler |
| Succeeded by | Julia Tyler |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elizabeth Priscilla Cooper
June 14, 1816 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 29, 1889 (aged 73) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Robert Tyler
(m. 1839; died 1877) |
| Children | 8 |
Elizabeth Priscilla Cooper Tyler (born June 14, 1816 – died December 29, 1889) was a special person in the White House. She was the daughter-in-law of John Tyler, who was the tenth president of the United States. Priscilla served as the official hostess of the White House and acted as the First Lady of the United States from September 1842 to June 1844.
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Priscilla Cooper's Early Life
Priscilla Cooper was born in New York City in 1816. Her father, Thomas Apthorpe Cooper, was a very successful actor and producer for the stage. Her mother, Mary Fairlie Cooper, was a well-known person in New York society. Priscilla's grandfather, James Fairlie, fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Priscilla started working as an actress when she was 17 years old. Her family was successful in acting and had a good life. However, they lost their money during a big economic crisis called the Panic of 1837. The family lost their home on Broadway and sometimes had very little to eat.
Meeting Robert Tyler
While acting in a play called Othello in Richmond, Virginia, Priscilla met Robert Tyler. Robert was the oldest son of John Tyler, a rich plantation owner and former US Senator. In the 1800s, acting was not seen as a very respected job. Actresses often had low social standing. This, along with the Cooper family's money problems, made it seem unlikely that Priscilla and Robert would marry.
Despite these social differences, the couple got married in Bristol, Pennsylvania on September 12, 1839. After their wedding, they moved to Williamsburg, Virginia. They lived with Robert's family, where John and Letitia Tyler welcomed Priscilla warmly. Priscilla quickly became close to her father-in-law, John Tyler. He even let her open accounts at every store in Williamsburg. She also formed a strong bond with her mother-in-law, Letitia Tyler.
Priscilla and Robert's Children
Robert and Priscilla Tyler had eight children together:
- Mary Fairlei Tyler (1840–1845)
- Letitia Christian Tyler (1842–1924)
- John Tyler (1844–1845)
- Grace Rae Tyler Scott (1845–1919)
- Priscilla Cooper Tyler Goodwyn (1849–1936)
- Elizabeth Tyler Foster (1852–1928)
- Julia Campbell Tyler Tyson (1854–1884)
- Robert Tyler (1857–1939)
In 1840, John Tyler was elected Vice President of the United States. Just one month after becoming president, William Henry Harrison suddenly died. This meant John Tyler became the new President of the United States.
Serving as White House Hostess
When John Tyler became president, his wife, Letitia, was often sick and couldn't do many things. So, the job of White House hostess was given to Priscilla Tyler. She was only 25 years old, and her youth was seen as a good thing. Priscilla was very happy to have the chance to host events at the White House.
White House Events and Activities
Priscilla made sure that social events happened regularly at the White House. She hosted small dinners twice a week when Congress was meeting. She also held public receptions every two weeks and larger parties with about a thousand guests each month. Priscilla even started having concerts by the United States Marine Band on the White House lawn.
She worked with former first lady Dolley Madison to learn how to do her job well. Priscilla learned to handle the social life in Washington, D.C., even though there were many strong disagreements between political groups. Her role as a "proxy" or stand-in hostess was common back then. Younger female family members often helped out for presidents' wives. Because of her important role, Priscilla Tyler's time as acting first lady is often studied more by historians than Letitia Tyler's time.
Most people, both in the United States and other countries, thought highly of Priscilla Tyler. They described her as outgoing, attractive, smart, and witty. She was also the first woman acting as first lady to travel with the president as an official member of his group. She went with John Tyler to Boston in June 1843 for the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument.
In March 1844, Robert and Priscilla Tyler moved to Philadelphia. After they left, Letitia Tyler-Semple took over as the acting first lady. President Tyler remarried on June 26, 1844, and his new wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, became the White House hostess.
Later Years
After leaving the White House, the Tylers lived in Philadelphia until the American Civil War began. Robert worked as a lawyer and was active in the Democratic Party. When the Civil War started in 1861, the Tylers moved to Virginia. There, Robert became the register of the Confederate Treasury, a government job during the war.
After the war, Robert became the editor of a newspaper called the Mail and Advertiser in Montgomery, Alabama. Priscilla Tyler stayed in Montgomery after her husband died in 1877. She lived there until her own death. The personal papers of the Tyler family, including Priscilla Cooper Tyler's, are kept at the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary.
