by Kerry Dougherty
The death of convicted felon and Minneapolis drug addict George Floyd five years ago at the hands of a police officer did more than trigger race riots across the nation, cause an estimated $1-2 billion in damage and take the life of at least one person, retired St. Louis Police Officer David Dorn, father of five.
After the death of Floyd angry leftists attempted to excise unpleasant chapters of American history by toppling statues and renaming schools and buildings.
Many historical figures associated with slavery, no matter their contributions to our young nation more than 200 years ago, were marginalized, vilified and erased.
Even Virginian John Tyler, one of the commonwealth’s most interesting — if controversial — figures.
I’m thinking about him today because his grandson — yes, you read that correctly the grandson of the 10th president, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, 96 — died last Sunday in the Westminster-Canterbury facility in Richmond.
The fact that a man born in 1790 still had a living grandson until this week is a testament to good genes, young wives and late marriages.
John Tyler served as governor of Virginia and a U.S. Senator before running for vice president. When President William Henry Harrison died after just 31 days in office, Tyler became the first man to become president without being elected to that office.
The Richmond-Times Dispatch wrote this week that Harrison’s cabinet loathed Tyler and referred to him as “His Accidency.”
Very clever.
