About this episode

The episode discusses the USS Princeton disaster and its impact on President John Tyler and his cabinet.

In the spirit of Texas, we’re sharing this episode from the archives where we took on the single deadliest disaster to befall a presidential cabinet – the explosion aboard the USS Princeton in 1844. We look at four of the key players aboard and how they got there - President John Tyler, Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Captain Robert Stockton, and Julia Gardiner, "The Rose of Long Island" – and how this tragedy shook up Tyler's plans for love and Texas. Find out more at plodpod.com. Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Check out our merch shop at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Houston Event June 13th, 2026 Details: https://calendar.houstonlibrary.org/event/16693436 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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