It sounds impossible—but until 2024, there was a man alive whose grandfather was born when George Washing
ton was president.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 95, was the grandson of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. John Tyler was born in 1790, just one year into Washington’s presidency. Though he never met Washington, Tyler grew up in the world shaped by the Founding Fathers—and eventually became one of them himself.
So how was it possible that his grandson only recently passed away?
His second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler, was 30 years his junior. Their son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, was born when John Tyler was in his 60s—and Lyon, in turn, fathered Harrison when he was in his 70s. The result? Just three generations stretching from 1790 to 2024.
Harrison Tyler had a long and very successful professional career. He was a chemical engineer, a philanthropist, and the longtime steward and ardent preservationist of 
Sherwood Forest Plantation, the Tyler family home in Virginia.
With his passing, we lose a remarkable man—and one of the last living links to the earliest days of the American republic.
An Infamous Note
During the Civil War, former president, John Tyler became a traitor to the United States of America. Under different circumstances, he might have been arrested and imprisoned for eating a group, determined to kill American soldiers and destroy the American republic! Click here to read about this in context.
Great article. Love learning history and was very surprised to see the connection of only 3 generations to reach our founding.