Marriage of Julia Gardiner and John Tyler

Date: June 26, 1844 • Location: East Village, United States

Julia Gardiner (pictured) married U.S. President John Tyler at the Church of the Ascension in New York, becoming the first lady.

Julia Gardiner Tyler was the first lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845, as the second wife of President John Tyler. A member of the influential Gardiner family, Tyler had many figures as suitors. She met the widowed President Tyler in 1842, and agreed to marry him after he comforted her in the aftermath of her father David Gardiner's death. They married in secret, making her first lady immediately upon their marriage, serving in the role for the final eight months of his presidency.