John Tyler, 10th president of the United States, was called "His Accidency" by his foes because he was the first president to get the job without being elected to it. He took the helm when President Harrison died after only one month in office.

Tyler had other "firsts" as president: His first wife was the first wife to die while her husband was still president, and he was the first president to marry while in office.

Tyler was the last of the Virginia aristocrats in the White House. He was a Southerner until his death, even being elected to the Confederate Congress after unsuccessfully trying to keep the Union from dissolving and entering the Civil War. He was the only president who also allied himself with the Confederacy.