5. John Tyler and the impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives
John Tyler was a member of the Whig party when he ascended to the Presidency following the death of William Henry Harrison. His party supported high tariffs as a means of protecting American products, which he opposed. Tyler was not averse to tariffs themselves, but the distribution of the funds to the states was something he opposed. Tyler was from Virginia, where tariffs were generally opposed as they were throughout the South, where access to British markets for sale of cotton was a critical part of the economy. Northern states supported higher tariffs. When the Whig controlled Congress sent the President two bills raising tariffs and affecting distribution he vetoed both.
An outraged Whig coalition expelled the President from his own party. Congress responded by combining the two into one bill with some minor changes and Tyler vetoed it again. Prior to Tyler’s administration vetoes of Congressional bills had been based on issues of whether or not they were constitutional, rather than a matter of policy (other than Andrew Jackson). On July 10, 1842, Congressman John Botts introduced a resolution of impeachment, calling for a committee to be formed. The resolution was tabled until the following January through the intervention of Henry Clay, though he did not rule out impeachment. It was finally voted down 127 – 83. It was not the only act of Congress which hinted at impeaching John Tyler.