Harrison Ruffin Tyler

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in November 1928 to Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler.[1] His paternal grandparents were Julia Gardiner and John Tyler. Through his mother, he is a great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin,[2] and a descendant of Benjamin Harrison IV, Robert Carter I and Pocahontas.[3] She was a teacher and caretaker of the family's historical documents.[4] Despite his familial connections, Tyler grew up poor.[5]

Tyler was homeschooled by his mother and then attended Charles City County public schools. He briefly attended St. Christopher's School.[6]^: 225 Possibly through Lyon's friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor funded Tyler's education at College of William & Mary with a $5,000 check.[5] He graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1949.[6]^: 225 In 1951, Tyler completed a degree in chemical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.[7]

Tyler is a chemical engineer and businessperson.[4] After graduation, he worked as a project manager for the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation where he led a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. Tyler became familiar with soft water. He learned how to treat hard water when he worked as a start-up engineer for a plant in Cincinnati. Tyler received a patent in water treatment pertaining to shiny aluminum. In 1963, Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation was acquired by Mobil.[6]^: 225 The change in corporate culture prompted Tyler to found ChemTreat, Inc., with partner William P. Simmons. The water treatment company was headquarter in Glen Allen, Virginia.[6]^{: 225–226} He used chemistry to address problems with industrial water cooling systems.[8] The company worked with hospitals and the paper and pulp sector.[6]^: 226 In 2000, Tyler led an employee stock ownership program at his company.[9][5] ChemTreat was acquired by the Danaher Corporation in 2007.[10]

Tyler is a preservationist. His family purchased the Sherwood Forest Plantation from relatives in 1975 and oversaw its restoration.[4][5] Tyler spoke publicly of his family's history.[8][11] In 1996, he purchased and financially supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas.[6]^: 226[12] Beginning in 1997, Tyler sponsored annual American Civil War reenactments at Wilson's Wharf.[6]^: 227In 1997, he collaborated with the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to assess and research Fort Pocahontas.[6]^: 226 In 2001, he donated $5 million and 22,000 books and documents from his father to the College of William & Mary department of history.[9] In 2021, the college renamed the department to the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History in his honor.[9]

Tyler and Frances Payne Bouknight of Mulberry Hill Plantation, Johnston, South Carolina announced their engagement in 1957.[13][2] The couple were married from July 1957 until her death on February 8, 2019, and had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (1961).[6]^: 226[14] They resided in Richmond, Virginia.[2]

Tyler has identified as conservative and pro-business.[7]

Tyler had a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012 and now has dementia.[5] He lives in a Virginia nursing home and his son William oversees the Sherwood Forest Plantation.[9] His grandfather is the earliest former President of the United States with living grandchildren.[5]

• Appearances on C-SPAN