John Tyler was the first U.S. president who wasn’t elected.

U.S. History

J ohn Tyler became president on April 4, 1841, upon the death of William Henry Harrison. He was the first of eight vice presidents who have been elevated to the nation’s highest office due to a presidential death, as per an interpretation of some vague wording in the U.S. Constitution. Given that this act of succession had never been tested before Tyler took office, several Whig Party members referred to the new POTUS as “acting president” — and they stuck him with an unflattering nickname.

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By the Numbers

Words in William Henry Harrison’s inaugural address

8,445

States admitted to the U.S. during Tyler’s presidency (Florida)

Did you know?

The Harrison-Tyler ticket featured the first official campaign slogan.

“Tippecanoe and Tyler Too,” the first official presidential campaign slogan, was used by William Henry Harrison and running mate John Tyler during the 1840 election. Harrison had earned the nickname “Old Tippecanoe” for his victory during the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Whig Party strategists turned the nickname into a catchy rhyme to attract voters, and even commissioned a song based on the slogan. Ohioan jeweler Alexander Coffman Ross wrote the lyrics to the song, titled “Tip and Ty,” which included the line “We’ll beat little Van” — a reference to opponent Martin Van Buren. The incumbent president fought back with a campaign song of his own, set to the tune of “Rock-a-bye Baby” and featuring the lyrics, “Rock-a-bye Baby, Daddy’s a Whig / When he comes home, hard cider he’ll swig.” In the end, Harrison’s campaign won the hearts of voters, as Old Tippecanoe and Tyler, too, were elected.