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Harrison Ruffin Tyler

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Harrison Ruffin Tyler
Born (1928-11-09) November 9, 1928 (age 96)
Virginia, U.S.
Alma materCollege of William & Mary
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Occupation(s)Chemical engineer, businessperson, preservationist
Spouse
Frances Bouknight
​
​
(m. 1957; died 2019)​
Children3
Parent(s)Lyon Gardiner Tyler
Susan Ruffin Tyler
RelativesEdmund Ruffin (great-grandfather)
John Tyler (grandfather)
Julia Gardiner Tyler (grandmother)

Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born November 9, 1928) is a retired American chemical engineer, businessman, and preservationist who cofounded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company. A grandson of the 10th U.S. President John Tyler, he has played a role in preserving historical sites such as Sherwood Forest Plantation and Fort Pocahontas, while also donating historical materials to the College of William & Mary.

Early life and education

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Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, to Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler.[1] His paternal grandparents were Julia Gardiner and the tenth President of the United States, 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descendant of Benjamin Harrison IV, Robert Carter I and Pocahontas.[3] She was a teacher and caretaker of the family's historical documents.[4] Despite his familial connections, Tyler grew up poor during the Great Depression.[5]

Tyler, whose father died when he was a boy, was homeschooled by his mother and then attended Charles City County public schools. He briefly attended St. Christopher's School.[6] He had an older brother, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Jr.[5] Possibly through his father's friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor funded Tyler's education at the College of William & Mary with a $5,000 check.[5] He graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1949.[6] Due to a shortage of employment opportunities in chemistry, Tyler continued his education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he received a second bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1951.[7]

Career

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After graduating from Virginia Tech, Tyler worked as a project manager for Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation, where he led a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. Tyler became familiar with soft water and learned how to treat hard water when he worked as a start-up engineer for a plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a patent in water treatment pertaining to shiny aluminum. In 1963, Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation was acquired by Mobil.[6] The change in corporate culture prompted Tyler to leave the company and found ChemTreat, Inc., with partner William P. Simmons. The water treatment company was headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.[8] He used chemistry to address problems with industrial water cooling systems.[9] The company worked with hospitals and the paper and pulp sector.[10] In 2000, Tyler led an employee stock ownership program at his company.[11][5] ChemTreat was acquired by the Danaher Corporation in 2007.[12]

Personal life

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Tyler and Frances Payne Bouknight of Mulberry Hill Plantation, Johnston, South Carolina announced their engagement in 1957.[13][2] The couple was married from July 1957 until her death on February 8, 2019, and had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (born 1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (born 1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (born 1961).[10][14] They resided in Richmond, Virginia.[2]

Tyler is a preservationist. His family purchased the Sherwood Forest Plantation from relatives in 1975 and oversaw its restoration.[4][5] Tyler has spoken publicly of his family's history.[9][15] In 1996, he purchased and financially supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas.[10][16] Beginning in 1997, Tyler sponsored annual American Civil War reenactments at Wilson's Wharf.[17] In 1997, he collaborated with the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to assess and research Fort Pocahontas.[10] In 2001, he donated $5 million and 22,000 books and documents from his father to the College of William & Mary department of history.[11] In 2021, the college renamed the department the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History in his honor.[11]

Tyler had a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012 and has dementia as of 2020.[5] As of 2021, he lives in a Virginia nursing home, and his son William oversees the Sherwood Forest Plantation.[11] His grandfather is the earliest former president of the United States with a living grandchild.[5]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch 1928, p. 13.
  2. ^ a b c Daily Press 1979, p. 207.
  3. ^ Junek 1996a, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Kilian 1992.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Brockell 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Besch 2017, p. 225.
  7. ^ Weinger 2012.
  8. ^ Besch 2017, p. 225–226.
  9. ^ a b The Progress-Index 2007, p. A9.
  10. ^ a b c d Besch 2017, p. 226.
  11. ^ a b c d Kolenich 2021.
  12. ^ Blackwell 2007.
  13. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch 1957, p. 45.
  14. ^ Daily Press 2019, p. A10.
  15. ^ Junek 1996b, p. 1.
  16. ^ National Park Service.
  17. ^ Besch 2017, p. 227.

Bibliography

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