Letitia Christian Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (b. 1790)
Letitia Tyler (née Christian; November 12, 1790 – September 10, 1842) was the first wife of President John Tyler and first lady of the United States from 1841 to 1842.She married Tyler, then a law student, in 1808 at Cedar Grove, her family home. Their twenty-nine year marriage appears to have been a happy one, althrough Letitia avoided the limelight during her husband's political rise, remaining in Virginia during most of his time in Congress. Her later life was dogged by ill-health; a paralytic stroke suffered in 1839 left her an invalid. As first lady, she remained in the White House living quarters, leaving them only to attend her daughter Elizabeth's wedding in January 1842. She suffered another stroke in September 1842 and died, becoming the first First Lady to die while serving in her role.
1842Sep, 10
Letitia Christian Tyler
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Events on 1842
- 13Jan
1842 retreat from Kabul
Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. - 9Mar
Rancho San Francisco
The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush. - 30Mar
Crawford Long
Ether anesthesia is used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long. - 14Aug
Seminole Wars
American Indian Wars: Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma. - 7Dec
Ureli Corelli Hill
First concert of the New York Philharmonic, founded by Ureli Corelli Hill.