Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born November 9, 1928) is a retired American chemical engineer, businessman, and preservationist. He cofounded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company, in 1968, and restored the Sherwood Forest Plantation. He is a son of Lyon Gardiner Tyler and the last living grandchild of former U.S. president John Tyler. Tyler purchased Fort Pocahontas in 1996 and advocated for its preservation.
After graduating from Virginia Tech, Tyler worked as a project manager for Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation, where he led a plant in Charleston, South Carolina. Tyler became familiar with soft water and learned how to treat hard water when he worked as a start-up engineer for a plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received a patent in water treatment pertaining to shiny aluminum. In 1963, Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation was acquired by Mobil.[6] The change in corporate culture prompted Tyler to leave the company and found ChemTreat, Inc., with partner William P. Simmons. The water treatment company was headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.[8] He used chemistry to address problems with industrial water cooling systems.[9] The company worked with hospitals and the paper and pulp sector.[10] In 2000, Tyler led an employee stock ownership program at his company.[11][5] ChemTreat was acquired by the Danaher Corporation in 2007.[12]
Personal life
Tyler and Frances Payne Bouknight of Mulberry Hill Plantation, Johnston, South Carolina announced their engagement in 1957.[13][2] The couple was married from July 1957 until her death on February 8, 2019, and had three children: Julia Gardiner Tyler Samaniego (born 1958), Harrison Ruffin Tyler Jr. (born 1960), and William Bouknight Tyler (born 1961).[10][14] They resided in Richmond, Virginia.[2]
Tyler is a preservationist. His family purchased the Sherwood Forest Plantation from relatives in 1975 and oversaw its restoration.[4][5] Tyler has spoken publicly of his family's history.[9][15] In 1996, he purchased and financially supported the preservation of Fort Pocahontas.[10][16] Beginning in 1997, Tyler sponsored annual American Civil War reenactments at Wilson's Wharf.[17] In 1997, he collaborated with the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to assess and research Fort Pocahontas.[10] In 2001, he donated $5 million and 22,000 books and documents from his father to the College of William & Mary department of history.[11] In 2021, the college renamed the department the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History in his honor.[11]
Tyler had a series of mini-strokes starting in 2012 and has dementia as of 2020.[5] As of 2021, he lives in a Virginia nursing home, and his son William oversees the Sherwood Forest Plantation.[11] His grandfather is the earliest former president of the United States with a living grandchild.[5]
Besch, Edwin W. (2017). U.S. Colored Troops Defeat Confederate Cavalry: Action at Wilson's Wharf, Virginia, 24 May 1864. McFarland. ISBN978-1-4766-2737-3.