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William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was the 9th president of the United States. His nickname was "Old Tippecanoe" and he was a well-respected war veteran. Harrison served the shortest term of any United States president. His term lasted for exactly one month.[1]
William Henry Harrison | |
|---|---|
 1835 portrait | |
| 9th President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841 | |
| Vice President | John Tyler |
| Preceded by | Martin Van Buren |
| Succeeded by | John Tyler |
| United States Minister to Gran Colombia | |
| In office February 5, 1829 – September 26, 1829 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Beaufort Taylor Watts |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Patrick Moore |
| United States Senator from Ohio | |
| In office March 4, 1825 – May 20, 1828 | |
| Preceded by | Ethan Allen Brown |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Burnet |
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the Hamilton County district | |
| In office December 5, 1819 – December 2, 1821 | |
| Preceded by | Ephraim Brown |
| Succeeded by | Ephraim Brown |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 1st district | |
| In office October 8, 1816 – March 3, 1819 | |
| Preceded by | John McLean |
| Succeeded by | Thomas R. Ross |
| 1st Governor of the Indiana Territory | |
| In office January 10, 1801 – December 28, 1812 | |
| Appointed by | John Adams |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Posey |
| Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Northwest Territory's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1799 – May 14, 1800 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | William McMillan |
| 2nd Secretary of the Northwest Territory | |
| In office June 28, 1798 – October 1, 1799 | |
| Governor | Arthur St. Clair |
| Preceded by | Winthrop Sargent |
| Succeeded by | Charles Willing Byrd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 9, 1773 Charles City County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | April 4, 1841 (aged 68) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Cause of death | Enteric fever |
| Resting place | Harrison Tomb State Memorial |
| Political party |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 10, including John, 2 with Dilsia, including Marie Harrison |
| Father | Benjamin Harrison V |
| Relatives | Harrison family of Virginia |
| Education |
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| Occupation |
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| Awards | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |
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| Years of service |
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| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | Legion of the United States |
| Commands | Army of the Northwest |
| Battles/wars |
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He was elected president in 1840, and took the oath of office on March 4, 1841. His inauguration speech lasted an hour and forty minutes. William Henry Harrison caught a serious case of pneumonia, and on April 4 that same year he died. He was the first president to die in office.[2] Harrison was the oldest president to take office at 68 years, 23 days, until it was outdone in 1981 by Ronald Reagan who assumed the presidency at the age of 69. He was the last president to be born before the United States Declaration of Independence.
His grandson was the 23rd president of the United States, Benjamin Harrison.
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Harrison was born on February 9, 1773. He is the youngest of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Bassett's seven children. They lived in Berkeley Plantation at Charles City County, Virginia. He was the last president to be born as a British citizen before the American Independence. His father was a planter and a delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–1777) who signed the Declaration of Independence. He was Governor of Virginia between 1781 and 1784.[3] His older brother Carter Bassett Harrison was elected a representative of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives.
In 1787, he attended the Presbyterian Hampden-Sydney College. He attended the school until 1790. Harrison was fluent in Latin and French.
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In 1795, he met Anna Symmes. They had 10 children.
He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841 which was a cold and wet day. His inaugural address was the longest in American history at 8,460 words and lasting almost two hours.[4]
Harrison's inaugural address was a detailed statement of the Whig agenda, mainly unclaimed honest of Jackson's and Van Buren's policies.
Harrison promised to reestablish the Bank of the United States and extend its maximum amount for credit by issuing paper currency (see Henry Clay).
Harrison is also regarded as the President with the shortest term in office, serving 30 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes.
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On March 26, 1841, Harrison became ill with a cold. His illness was believed to have been caused by the bad weather in the inauguration.[5]
The cold was worsened, quickly turning to pneumonia and pleurisy.[5] He tried to rest in the White House, but could not find a quiet room because of the crowd of office seekers. His very busy social schedule made it harder for time to rest.
Harrison's doctors tried cures of applying opium, castor oil, leeches, and Virginia snakeweed. But the treatments only made Harrison worse, and he became restless.
Harrison died on his 32nd day as president on April 4, 1841 at 12:30 am of pneumonia, jaundice, and septicima. He was 68 years old and the first president of the United States to die in office.
Harrison's funeral took place in Wesley Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 7, 1841, three days after his death.[6] His original interment was in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.. He was later buried in North Bend, Ohio.
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