Keuka College history professor Christopher Leahy and independent scholar Sharon Williams Leahy have written what they describe as the first comprehensive biography devoted to Julia Gardiner Tyler, the second wife of President John Tyler.
"Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler" is scheduled for release Sept. 29 and draws on thousands of letters and other documents, including material the authors said had not previously been used by historians.
The project grew from Christopher Leahy's 2020 biography, "President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler." Sharon Leahy initially began transcribing Julia Tyler's correspondence, but the work expanded into a full biography after other scholars encouraged the couple to tell her complete story.
Their research included archival work at Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library, the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William & Mary and the East Hampton Public Library on Long Island, which holds hundreds of letters connected to the Gardiner family.
The authors challenge portrayals of Julia Tyler as merely a socialite and dispute a long-repeated claim that she appeared in a scandalous advertisement as a teenager before being taken to Europe by her family.
Julia Tyler married John Tyler in 1844 and served as first lady for eight months. The Leahys argue that she expanded the public role of the first lady, brought greater formality to White House events and built on traditions associated with earlier presidential spouses, including Dolley Madison.
Christopher Leahy has incorporated documents from his research into courses at Keuka College, including a class on American first ladies. He also serves as editor of the Journal of First Ladies Studies, to which Sharon Leahy contributes.
Leahy's next research project is expected to examine visits to Keuka College by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1938 and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 and their influence on the institution.
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