Christopher Leahy joins to talk about one of our least-known presidents: John Tyler, who was the first vice president to rise to the presidency and was later ridiculed for supporting the Confederacy. Leahy’s book President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler, is the first comprehensive biography of Tyler in decades.
Our special guest today is Professor Christopher Leahy, a leading expert on the U.S. presidency and American politics in the 18th and 19th centuries. His book, President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler, published by LSU Press in 2020, is the first full-scale biography of America’s 10th president published in more than 80 years. Dr. Leahy has appeared on numerous podcasts discussing his work and he’s also the author of numerous journal articles and reviews in scholarly publications.