Letitia Christian Tyler (November 12, 1790 - September 10, 1842), first wife of of John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1841 until her death. She met John Tyler, when he was a law student, in 1808. In his only surviving love letter to her, written a few months before their wedding, Tyler promised, "Whether I float or sink in the stream of fortune, you may be assured of this, that I shall never cease to love you." Their 29 year marriage appears to have been a singularly happy one. Mrs. Tyler avoided the limelight during her husband's political rise, preferring domestic responsibilities to those of a public wife. In 1839, she suffered a paralytic stroke that left her an invalid. As First Lady, she remained in the upstairs living quarters of the White House. She died in the White House in 1842 from a stroke at the age of 51. They had four daughters and three sons live to maturity. Artist unknown.