Edward P. Crapol

John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol is a biography of America’s 10th President. Mr. Carpol was a professor in the Department of History at the College of William and Mary.

John Tyler became America’s 10th President after President William Henry Harrison died in office after only 31 days. This was a first for the new republic, and Mr. Tyler set many precedents for the country, as well as for his successors.

President Tyler, a Virginian, is remembered as the first VP to become President after the elected official died. He was nicknamed “His Accidency” and worked hard to shape the system, as well as executive power, for future generations.

Like many other powerful people, Mr. Tyler was also full of hypocrisies once getting into a position of power. Once sitting being that big desk, in that round room, within the white mansion, he acted against his own ideology of advocating state’s rights, limited government, and his interpretation of the Constitution.

John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol also addresses the subject of Tyler’s treason of siding with the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The only President to die while being a citizen of another country that was also at war with the United States.

The author, however, argues that Tyler’s presidency was groundbreaking in many ways. From the Annexation of Texas, to defining the role of a VP taking over the highest office in the land, from negotiating border agreements to policies advancing foreign policy with Asia.

Mr. Carpol is certainly sympathetic to his subject, and his arguments for Tyler’s accomplishments are convincing. However, his sympathy for slavery, and the Confederacy, has tarnished his reputation in American history for the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, this is a capable, readable, and well-researched biography. I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot about a President whose name most Americans won’t even recognize.… (mehr)

I found Edward Crapol's book to be an extremely informative study of America's tenth president, though part of this was because I know so little about Tyler before I picked up this book. Still, Crapol did a fine job in arguing that Tyler's presidency was more significant than has been appreciated, particularly in terms of its foreign policy. Crapol's focus on this area (a sign of his own academic concentration and the book's origins as a study of the foreign policy of the Tyler administration) demonstrates Tyler's considerable achievements, yet without glossing over or downplaying Tyler's pro-slavery agenda. Because of its lack of detail about Tyler's pre-presidential years (which are addressed only in passing) this may not be the first book I recommend people read if they want to learn about Tyler, but it definitely is one that is essential for a complete understanding of his life and his presidency.… (mehr)

I have the same gripes that other reviewers mentioned: repeats, lack of chronological narrative (each chapter is rather an essay on specific aspect of Tyler's policy). I can't really call this book a biography since there are some aspects of John Tyler life that just are not covered. For example, there is a fleeting mention of his first wife, but we know nothing about her nor the circumstances they met. I found the description of each of policy challenges to be quite good, very well explained - I just wish each chapter wouldn't be so self-contained, with some things described anew in each chapter.… (mehr)