Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born November 9, 1928) is an American chemical engineer, businessman, and preservationist who co-founded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company.
Through his mother, he is a great-grandson of Edmund Ruffin,[2] and a descendant of Benjamin Harrison IV, Robert Carter I and Pocahontas.
[5] Tyler, whose father died when he was a boy, was homeschooled by his mother and then attended Charles City County public schools.
[6] Due to a shortage of employment opportunities in chemistry, Tyler continued his education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he received a second bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1951.
[7] 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.
[6] The change in corporate culture prompted Tyler to leave the company and found ChemTreat, Inc., with partner William P. Simmons.
[12] Tyler and Frances Payne Bouknight of Mulberry Hill Plantation, Johnston, South Carolina announced their engagement in 1957.