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After leaving office, John Tyler was not heavily involved in politics, mainly due to his unpopularity. However, during the secession crisis between Lincoln's election and the outbreak of war at Fort Sumter, Tyler attempted to negotiate peace terms between North and South at a peace conference in Washington. Tyler, as a Virginian and former president, was seen as someone who could bring the two sides together, much as some former presidents (like Carter and Nixon) in recent times have been called out of retirement to aid in difficult political situations. However, Tyler was unable to negotiate much of anything because of the intense antagonism of the parties. Following Virginia's secession after Fort Sumter, Tyler was elected as Congressman to the Confederate Congress, the only former president to take any kind of active role in the rebel government. Much like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, Tyler did not approve of secession before the fact but accepted the decision of his "country." Also, it must be remembered that politicians in this period were often elected whether or not that desired or sought public office, and even those who detested politics usually served against their will out of a sense of public duty. Tyler died before the end of the war.

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16y ago

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