Tyler made no attempt to respond until Congress returned from recess in January. [133]

Administration and cabinet
The Tyler cabinet[134]OfficeNameTermPresidentJohn Tyler1841–1845Vice PresidentNone1841–1845Secretary of StateDaniel Webster (W)1841–1843Abel P. Upshur (W)1843–1844John C. Calhoun (D)1844–1845Secretary of the TreasuryThomas Ewing (W)1841Walter Forward (W)1841–1843John Canfield Spencer (W)1843–1844George M. Bibb (D)1844–1845Secretary of WarJohn Bell (W)1841John Canfield Spencer (W)1841–1843James Madison Porter (W)1843–1844William Wilkins (D)1844–1845Attorney GeneralJohn J. Crittenden (W)1841Hugh S. Legaré (D)1841–1843John Nelson (W)1843–1845Postmaster GeneralFrancis Granger (W)1841Charles A. Wickliffe (W)1841–1845Secretary of the NavyGeorge Edmund Badger (W)1841Abel P. Upshur (W)1841–1843David Henshaw (D)1843–1844Thomas Walker Gilmer (D)1844John Y. Mason (D)1844–1845
Official portrait of President Tyler by George Peter Alexander Healy, c. 1864
The battles between Tyler and the Whigs in Congress resulted in a number of his cabinet nominees being rejected. He received little support from Democrats and, without much support from either major party in Congress, a number of his nominations were rejected without regard for the qualifications of the nominee. It was then unprecedented to reject a president's nominees for his Cabinet (though in 1809, James Madison withheld the nomination of Albert Gallatin as Secretary of State because of opposition in the Senate). Four of Tyler's Cabinet nominees were rejected, the most of any president. 