6. A fan of European royal pomp, Julia was the first to make ‘Hail to the Chief’ a Presidential anthem
As proud wife of the President, Julia was the one who insisted that the tune ‘Hail to the Chief’ be played to announce her husband’s arrival. That’s not to say that the tune hadn’t been used for Presidential ceremonies before. Set to music in 1812, the song – which took its lyrics from a Sir Walter Scott poem – was played to salute first President Andrew Jackson and then again at the inauguration of Martin Van Buren in 1837. However, it’s certainly the case that it was Julia Gardiner Tyler who ordered the White House musicians to adopt ‘Hail to Chief’ as the official Presidential Anthem and use it as a matter of protocol.
And that wasn’t the only notable change Julia made to official ceremonies involving the President. She also had President Tyler stand against the back wall of the Oval Office when receiving guests. Previously, the President and First Lady stood in the middle of the room, welcoming visiting dignitaries and other guests. While undoubtedly a safer option from a security point-of-view, Julia was actually more concerned that her much-older husband not be exhausted and overwhelmed by people from all sides.