Jump to content

William Henry Harrison: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverted edits by 76.188.197.109 (talk) to last version by ClueBot
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Im redirecting obscure presidents, so it does not contain useless data. For discuss go to List of Presidents of the United States talk page.
Line 1: Line 1:
#REDIRECT [[List of Presidents of the United States]]
:''"William H. Harrison" redirects here. This article is about the General and President. For his great-great-grandson, see [[William H. Harrison (Wyoming Congressman)]].''
{{Infobox_President | name=William Henry Harrison
| nationality=American
| image=Wh9.gif|thumb|right|Official White House portrait of William Henry Harrison
| order=9th [[President of the United States]]
| term_start=[[March 4]], [[1841]]
| term_end=[[April 4]], [[1841]]
| predecessor=[[Martin Van Buren]]
| successor=[[John Tyler]]
| order2= [[United States Senator]] <br> from [[Ohio]]
| term_start2= [[March 4]], [[1825]]
| term_end2= [[May 20]], [[1828]]
| predecessor2= [[Ethan Allen Brown]]
| successor2=[[Jacob Burnet]]
| order3 =1st
| office3 =Governor of Indiana Territory
| term_start3 =[[May 13]], [[1800]]
| term_end3 =[[December 28]], [[1812]]
| predecessor3 =None
| successor3 =[[John Gibson]]
| birth_date={{birth date|1773|2|9|mf=y}}
| birth_place=[[Charles City County, Virginia|Charles City County]], [[Colony of Virginia]]
| death_date={{death date and age|1841|04|4|1773|02|09}}
| death_place=[[Washington, D.C.]]
| spouse=[[Anna Harrison|Anna Symmes Harrison]]
| occupation=[[Soldier]]
| alma_mater=[[University of Pennsylvania]]
| party=[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
| vicepresident=[[John Tyler]] (1841)
| religion=[[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]]
| signature=William Henry Harrison Signature.png
|nickname = Old Tippecanoe
|allegiance=[[United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears=1791-1797, 1812-1814
|rank=[[Brigadier General]]
|commands=
|unit=
|battles=[[Tecumseh's War]]/[[War of 1812]]<br/>[[Battle of Tippecanoe]]<br/>[[Battle of the Thames]]
|awards=
|laterwork = President of the United States
|}}

'''William Henry Harrison''' ([[February 9]], [[1773]] – [[April 4]], [[1841]]) was an [[Military history of the United States|American military leader]], [[Politics of the United States|politician]], and the ninth [[President of the United States]]. He served as the first [[Governor of Indiana Territory|Governor]] of the [[Indiana Territory]] and later as a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] and [[United States Senate|Senator]] from [[Ohio]]. Harrison first gained national fame for leading U.S. forces against [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]s at the [[Battle of Tippecanoe]] in 1811 and earning the [[nickname]] "Tippecanoe" (or "Old Tippecanoe"). As a [[general]] in the subsequent [[War of 1812]], his most notable contribution was a victory at the [[Battle of the Thames]], which brought the war in his region to a successful conclusion.

When Harrison took office in 1841 at the age of 68, he was the [[List of United States Presidents by age|oldest]] man to become President - a record that stood for 140 years, until [[Ronald Reagan]] was inaugurated in 1981 at the age of 69. Harrison died thirty-one days into his term — the [[List of United States Presidents by time in office|briefest presidency]] in the history of the office. He was also the first U.S. President to die while in office. His death threw the country into a [[constitutional crisis]].<ref>"The Constitution of that time contained no Twenty-fifth Amendment to lay out procedures governing the vice president's actions when the chief executive became disabled or when there was a vacancy before the end of the incumbent's term. The document provided only that the 'Powers and Duties of the said Office . . . shall devolve on the Vice President . . . [who] shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.' In another section, the Constitution referred to the vice president 'when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.'" [http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_John_Tyler.htm John Tyler, Tenth Vice President (1841)]. Secretary of the Senate, United States Government. Last accessed [[2007-04-01]].</ref>

==Early years==
Harrison was born into a prominent [[List of U.S. political families#The Harrisons|political family]] at the [[Berkeley Plantation]] in [[Charles City County, Virginia|Charles City County]] [[Virginia]], the youngest of the seven children of [[Benjamin Harrison V]] and Elizabeth Bassett. His father was a Virginia planter who served as a delegate to the [[Continental Congress]] (1774–1777), signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] (1776), and was [[Governor of Virginia]] (1781-1784).<ref>
''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''
by James Hall, Pg 10-11</ref> William Henry Harrison's brother, [[Carter Bassett Harrison]], later became a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]], representing Virginia. Harrison's father-in-law was [[Congressman]] [[John Cleves Symmes]]. His stepmother-in-law was the daughter of [[New Jersey]] [[Governor]] [[William Livingston]]. He was the first cousin of [[Burwell Bassett]] on his mother's side. Harrison was the last president to be born a British subject.

At age 14 Harrison entered school. He first attended [[Hampden-Sydney College]] where he began to study medicine under Dr. [[Benjamin Rush]].<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 2</ref> He later attended the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidents/williamhenryharrison.html whitehouse.gov]</ref> Harrison attended the University of Pennsylvania with the intention of becoming a physician, but did not receive a degree. He explained in his biography that he did not enjoy the profession of medicine, and when his father died in 1791, Harrison was left without money for further schooling. Harrison was 17 when his father died and he was left in the guardianship of [[Robert Morris (financier)|Robert Morris]], his mother died years earlier.<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 2</ref>

===Early Military Career===
[[Image:William H. Harrison.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This [[portrait]] of Harrison originally showed him in [[civilian]] clothes as the [[Sixth United States Congress|Congressional delegate]] from the [[Northwest Territory]] in 1800, but the uniform was added after he became famous in the War of 1812.]]
[[Henry Lee III|Gov. Lee]] of [[Virginia]] heard Harrison's situation and persuaded Harrison to join the army. Within 24 hours of meeting and discussing his future with Lee, Harrison, at the age of 18, was commissioned as an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], 11th U.S Regt. of Infantry.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 28</ref> He was first sent to [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] in the [[Northwest Territory]] where the army had been fighting the [[Northwest Indian War]] since 1785. At the time [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] consisted of 25-30 log cabins. The army was demoralized from a defeat at the hands of [[Miami Tribe]] suffered just a few days before Harrison's arrival.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio'' by James Hall, Pg 21</ref> Harrison once wrote' "I certainly saw more drunken men in those 48 hours...than I have in all of my previouse life." Harrison reported that this shocked him enough to stay wary of alcohol, the cause of death of nearly four fifths of the infantry. He would spend much of his life in the [[Northwest Territory]].

[[General]] [[Anthony Wayne|"Mad Anthony" Wayne]] took command of the western army in 1792. Harrison was promoted to lieutenant that summer because of his strict attention to discipline. The following year he was promoted to serve as [[aide-de-camp]].<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 3</ref> It was Wayne from whom Harrison learned how to successfully command an army on the [[American frontier]]. Harrison participated in Wayne's decisive victory at the [[Battle of Fallen Timbers]] in 1794, which brought the [[Northwest Indian War]] to a close.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 44</ref> Lieutenant Harrison was one of the signers of the [[Treaty of Greenville]] in 1795, which opened much of present-day Ohio to settlement by Americans.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 53</ref>

Harrison resigned from the Army in the end of 1797 to become Secretary of the [[Northwest Territory]], and acted as [[Governor of the Northwest Territory|governor]] when Governor [[Arthur St. Clair]] was absent.

===Congressman===
In 1799 at age 26, Harrison was elected as the first [[delegate]] representing the Northwest Territory in the [[Sixth United States Congress]], serving from [[March 4]], [[1799]], to [[May 14]], [[1800]].<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 58</ref> As delegate, he successfully promoted the passage of the [[Harrison Land Act]], which made it easier for the average settler to purchase land in the Northwest Territory by allowing land to be sold in small tracts. This sudden availability of cheap land was an important factor in the rapid population growth of the Northwest Territory.<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 5</ref> Harrison resigned from Congress to become governor of the newly formed [[Indiana Territory]] after being appointed by [[United States President|President]] [[John Adams]].<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 66</ref> The Indiana Territory consisted of the future states of [[Indiana]], [[Illinois]], [[Michigan]], [[Wisconsin]] and the eastern portion of [[Minnesota]].

===Governor===
Harrison moved to [[Vincennes, Indiana| Vincennes]], the capital of the new territory, in 1800. While in Vincennes, Harrison built a plantation style home called [[Grouseland]] for its many birds.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 68</ref> It was the first brick structure in the territory. The home served as the center of social and political life in the territory. The home has been restored and is a popular tourist attraction. He had built a second home near [[Corydon, Indiana| Corydon]], the second capital, at [[Harrison Spring| Harrison Valley]] as well.

As governor, Harrison had wide ranging powers in the new territory including the authority to appoint all territory officials, the territorial legislature, and dividing the territory into districts. A primary responsibility as territorial governor was to obtain title to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] lands so that white settlement could expand in the area and the region could attain statehood.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 66-67</ref> Harrison was also extremely eager to expand the territory for personal reasons, as his own political fortunes were tied to Indiana's rise to statehood. In 1803 [[United States President| President]] [[Thomas Jefferson]] granted Harrison authority to negotiate and conclude treaties with the Indians. Harrison oversaw the creation of thirteen treaties, purchasing more than {{convert|60000000|acre|sqkm}} of land including much of present day [[Indiana]] from Native American leaders.<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 7</ref> The [[Treaty of Grouseland]] in 1805 was thought by Harrison to have appeased Native Americans however, tensions, always high on the frontier, became much greater after the 1809 [[Treaty of Fort Wayne]], in which Harrison illegally purchased more than 2,500,000 acres (10,000 km²) of American Indian land.

In 1803 Harrison lobbied Congress to repeal the 6th article of the [[Northwest Ordinance]] to permit slavery in the territory. He claimed it was necessary to make the region more appealing to settlers and ultimately make the territory economically viable. Congress suspended the article for ten years and granted the territory the right to decide for itself. Harrison then through the legislature he had appointed had indenturing legalized later in 1803. His attempt to legalize slavery in 1805 and 1807 caused a significant stir in the territory. In 1809 he found himself at odds with the legislature when the anti-slavery party came to power. They promptly rebuffed many of his plans for slavery and repealed the indenturing laws he had passed in 1803.<ref>''Life of Walter Quintin Gresham, 1832-1895'', By Matilda Gresham, Pg 21</ref>

{{See also| History of slavery in Indiana}}

===General===
An Indian resistance movement against U.S. expansion had been growing around the [[Shawnee]] brothers [[Tecumseh]] and [[Tenskwatawa]] (The Prophet). Tecumseh called upon Harrison to nullify the Treaty of Fort Wayne, warned against any whites moving onto the land, and continued to widen his Indian [[confederation]]. In 1811 [[Tecumseh's War]] began and Harrison was authorized to march against the confederacy and engaged them in the [[Battle of Tippecanoe]].<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 111</ref> In the ensuing battle it was claimed that Harrison had a bullet pierce his hat. He ultimately won his famous victory at [[Prophetstown]] next to the [[Wabash River|Wabash]] and [[Tippecanoe River]]s. Harrison was publicly hailed as a national hero, despite the fact that his troops had greatly outnumbered the Indian forces and yet suffered many more casualties.

When Tecumseh's War merged with the [[War of 1812]], Harrison remained in command of the army in Indiana. After the loss of [[Detroit, Michigan| Detroit]], General [[James Winchester]] became the commander of the [[Army of the Northwest (United States)|Army of the Northwest]] and Harrison was offered the rank or [[Brigadier General]] which he refused and resigned from the army. After a brief time in command [[President of the United States|President]] [[James Madison]] removed Winchester and made Harrison the commander on Sept. 17, 1812. Harrison inherited an army made up of fresh recruits which he endeavored to drill. Initially he was greatly outnumbered and assumed a defensive posture. After receiving reinforcements in 1813 Harrison then advanced the army farther north to battle the Indian's and their new [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] allies. He won victories in [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]] and retook [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] before invading [[Canada]] and crushing the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] at the [[Battle of the Thames]], in which Tecumseh was killed.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 278-288</ref> After the Battle of Thames the Secretary of War divided the command of Harrison's army assigning him to a backwater post and giving the front to one of his subordinates. Harrison was already having disagreements with [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[John Armstrong, Jr.|John Armstrong]] over the lack of coordination and effectiveness of the invasion of Canada. When he was reassigned he promptly resigned from the army to prevent what he called an act of "subversive military order and discipline". His resignation was accepted in the summer of 1814.<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 24-25</ref>

After the war was concluded, Congress made an investigation into Harrison's resignation in which they decided that Harrison had been mistreated by the Secretary of War during his campaign and was justified in his resignation. They also awarded Harrison a gold medal for his service to the nation during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 25</ref><ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 288</ref>

===Tecumseh's Curse===

According to a legend, Tecumseh's brother had placed a curse on Harrison, claiming that every President to be elected in a year ending with the number zero (which happens every 20 years) would die in office. This [[Curse of Tecumseh]] is sometimes called the "zero-year curse".<ref>[http://americanhistory.about.com/od/uspresidents/a/tecumseh.htm ''Tecumseh's Curse and the US Presidents: Coincidence or Something More?'' By Martin Kelly</ref> Remarkably, though there is no documentary evidence to prove the curse was made, it in fact "came true" for Harrison as well as for the next six eligible Presidents - [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]], [[James Garfield|Garfield]], [[William McKinley|McKinley]], [[Warren G. Harding|Harding]], [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]] and [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]]. [[Ronald Reagan]]'s survival of an [[Reagan assassination attempt|assassination attempt]] seems to have "broken the curse", and, so far, [[George W. Bush]] has evaded it.

The US has had three presidents in the same year two times. The first time was in 1841 when [[Martin van Buren]] ended his single term. William Henry Harrison was inaugurated and died a month later, with Vice President [[John Tyler]] stepping into the vacant office. The second time was in 1881, when [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] relinquished the office to [[James A. Garfield]], who was assassinated. With the death of Garfield, [[Chester A. Arthur]] stepped into the Presidency.

==Post-war Life==
After the war Harrison was appointed by President James Madison to serve as a commissioner to negotiate two treaties with the Indians tribes in the northwest. Both treaties where advantageous to the [[United States]] and gained a large tract of land in the west for settlement.

=== Senator and Ambassador ===
Harrison was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, serving from [[October 8]], [[1816]], to [[March 4]], [[1819]].<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 298</ref> He was elected and served in the [[Ohio State Senate]] from 1819 to 1821. He ran for [[governor of Ohio]] in 1820 but was defeated. In 1824, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until [[May 20]], [[1828]]. In the Senate he became known for his impassioned debates. Harrison was referred to by fellow westerners in Congress as a [[Buckeye]], a term of endearment in respect of the Buckeye [[chestnut]] tree.

He resigned from the Senate in 1828 to become [[Minister Plenipotentiary]] to [[Colombia]] serving in 1828 and 1829. He left for Columbia and resided in [[Bogota, Columbia| Bogota]] arriving December 22.<ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 300</ref> He found the condition of the citizens saddening and reported to the [[Secretary of State]] that the country was on the edge of anarchy and that he thought [[Simon Bolivar]] was about to become a despotic [[military dictator]]. While the minister there he wrote a lengthy letter of rebuke to Bolivar stating "...the strongest of all governments is that which is most free." He went on to call for Bolivar to refrain from terrorizing his enemies and encourage the development of a democracy.<ref>A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, J. N. Whitting, 1840, Pg 26-27</ref><ref>''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio''by James Hall, Pg 301-309</ref> He was soon recalled from his position when the administration of President [[Andrew Jackson]] came to power. He arrived back in the United States in June.

=== Private Citizen ===

Harrison returned to the United States in 1829 and settled on his farm in [[North Bend, Ohio]], by then his adopted home state.<ref>''The Life and Times of William Henry Harrison'', By Samuel Jones Burr, Pg 257</ref> There he entered a relative state of retirement having been continually in government service for nearly 40 years. Having accumulated no substantial wealth during his life he subsisted on his savings and a small income from pensions, but mostly from the income produced by his farm. He also gained some money from a biography he contributed to that was written by his biographer John Dawson and a second book written by James Hall entitled ''A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison'' that was published in 1836. By the time he began to run for President the second time there were already more than a dozen books on the life of Harrison.

On his farm he grew many acres of corn and established a [[distillery]] to produce [[whiskey]]. After a brief time of brewing he became disturbed by the effects his product made on its consumers and closed down the distillery. He even went so far as to address the [[Hamilton County, Ohio| Hamilton County]] Agricultural Board in 1831 claiming that he had sinned in creating the whiskey and hoped that others would learn from his mistake and also stop producing liquors.<ref>The Life and Times of William Henry Harrison, By Samuel Jones Burr, Pg 258 </ref>

His private life would only last a few years though and he would return to public life and the national stage in 1836.

[[Image:WmHHarrison-campaign poster.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Chromolithography|Chromolithograph]] campaign poster for William Henry Harrison]]

===1840 Presidential Campaign===
{{main|United States presidential election, 1840}}

Harrison was the Northern [[United States Whig Party|Whig]] candidate for President in [[U.S. presidential election, 1836|1836]], but lost the election to [[Martin Van Buren]]. He was the candidate again (and again faced Van Buren, now the incumbent President) in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1840|1840 election]], basing his campaign heavily on his heroic military record and the weak U.S. economy brought on by the [[Panic of 1837]].

The Democrats attempted to ridicule Harrison by calling him "Granny Harrison, the petticoat general," because he resigned from the army before the [[War of 1812]] ended. When asking voters whether Harrison should be elected, they asked them what his name backwards was, which happens to be "No Sirrah."

Democrats also cast Harrison as a provincial, out-of-touch old man who would rather "sit in his log cabin drinking hard cider" than attend to the administration of the country. This strategy backfired, however, when Harrison and his vice presidential running-mate, [[John Tyler]], immediately adopted both symbols, using the images in banners, posters, and even bottles of hard cider that were shaped like log cabins.

Their campaign was from then on marked by exaggeration of Harrison's connections to the common man. (Harrison came from an aristocratic Virginia family, but his supporters promoted him as a humble frontiersman in the style of the popular [[Andrew Jackson]].) A memorable example of these efforts was the [[Gold Spoon Oration]] delivered by a Whig congressman. Van Buren, by contrast, was presented as a wealthy elitist who spent taxpayers' money on champagne and crystal goblets from which to sip it.

An old Whig chant from the time of the election played up on this difference between candidates:

''Old Tip he wore a home-spun coat, he had no ruffled shirt-wirt-wirt,''
''Old Matt he has the golden plate, and he's a little squirt-wirt-wirt!''

People singing the chant were supposed to spit tobacco juice while singing the "wirt-wirt" parts.

The Whigs also played up Harrison's military record and reputation as the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe. Their campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," became one of the most famous in American politics.

On election day, Harrison won a [[landslide victory|landslide electoral victory]], though the popular vote remained very close.

==Presidency 1841==
===Shortest presidency and the cause of Harrison's death===
When Harrison arrived in Washington, he focused on showing that he was still the steadfast hero of [[Battle of Tippecanoe|Tippecanoe]]. He took the oath of office on [[March 4]], [[1841]], an extremely cold and wet day.<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr072.html Harrison's Inauguration (Reason): American Treasures of the Library of Congress<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nevertheless, he faced the weather without his overcoat and delivered the longest [[inaugural address]] in American history. At 8,444 words, it took nearly two hours to read (even after his friend and fellow Whig, [[Daniel Webster]], had edited it for length). He then rode through the streets in the inaugural parade.

Most of his business during Harrison's month-long presidency involved heavy social obligations &mdash; an inevitable part of his high position and arrival in Washington &mdash; and receiving visitors who were seeking his favor in the hope that he would appoint them to the numerous offices the president then had at his disposal. Harrison and Clay had also disagreed about government [[patronage]], which was entirely given at the discretion of the President. Harrison had tried to end the dispute by promising in his inaugural address not to use the power to enhance his own standing in the government; however, the very fact of his appointment to power sent scores of people to line up at the doors of the [[White House]].

Harrison's only act of consequence was to call Congress into a special session, which he set to begin on [[May 31]], [[1841]]. He and Whig leader [[Henry Clay]] had disagreed over the necessity of the special session (which Harrison opposed, but Clay desired in order to immediately get his economic agenda underway), but Clay's powerful position in both the legislature and the Whig Party quickly forced Harrison to give in. He thus proclaimed the special session in the interests of "the condition of the revenue and finance of the country."<ref>[http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/Harrison-William-Henry-and-Tyler-John.html William Henry Harrison and John Tyler - Harrison&#x0027;s presidency, The accession of tyler<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Harrison was the first sitting president to have his picture taken. The original [[daguerreotype]] has been lost, although copies of it exist.<ref>[http://www.whitehousehistory.org/08/subs/08_b.html The White House Historical Association], retrieved [[January 23]], [[2007]]</ref>

On March 26, Harrison became ill with a [[common cold|cold]]. The presumptive story, which has become common knowledge despite its falsity, is that the inauguration day exposure was the cause of his illness. In fact, it was more than three weeks after the inauguration when Harrison began showing any sign at all of ill health, although the cold did worsen after Harrison was caught in a rain shower that day and rapidly turned to [[pneumonia]] and [[pleurisy]].<ref>Cleaves, Freeman. Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time. New York: Scribner's, 1939</ref> (According to the prevailing medical misconception of the times, microorganisms being still unknown, it was believed that his illness was directly caused by the bad weather, when, in fact, he was likely a victim of the [[virus]] that causes the [[common cold]], exacerbated by the drastic pressures of his changing circumstances and the unceasing crush of office seekers.) He sought to rest in the White House, but could not find a quiet room because of the steady crowd of office seekers; in addition, his extremely busy social schedule made any rest time scarce.

[[Image:WmHHarrison-poster.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Poster of Harrison's accomplishments.]]
Harrison's doctors tried various methods to cure him, applying [[opium]], [[castor oil]], [[Virginia snakeweed]], and even actual [[snakes]]. But the treatments only made Harrison worse and he went into delirium. He died nine days after becoming ill,<ref>Cleaves, Freeman. Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time. New York: Scribner's, 1939</ref> at 12:30 a.m., on [[April 4]], [[1841]], of right lower lobe [[pneumonia]], [[jaundice]], and overwhelming [[septicemia]], becoming the first American president to die in office. His last words were to his doctor, but assumed to be to John Tyler, "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." Harrison served the shortest term of any American president: only 30 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes.

Harrison's funeral took place in the [[Wesley Chapel (Cincinnati)|Wesley Chapel]] in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio in 1841. It was said no man was mourned this much since George Washington.{{fact|date=April 2008}} He was a founding member of [[Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati|Christ Church]], Cincinnati. He was buried in [[North Bend, Ohio]] at the [[William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial (North Bend, Ohio)|William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial]].

=== Legacy ===
The untimely death of Harrison was a disappointment to [[Whig Party (United States)|Whigs]], who hoped to pass a revenue tariff and enact measures to support [[Henry Clay|Henry Clay's]] [[American System (economic plan)|American System]]. [[John Tyler]], Harrison's successor and a long-time Democrat, abandoned the Whig agenda, leaving himself without a party.

Harrison's son, [[John Scott Harrison]], was also elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio from 1853 to 1857. Harrison's grandson, [[Benjamin Harrison]] of Ohio, became the 23rd president in 1889, making them the only grandparent-grandchild pair of presidents to date. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison gave his inaugural address in the rain. Understanding his grandfather's mistakes, he asked his outgoing predecessor (and later his successor), [[Grover Cleveland]], to hold an umbrella above his head, since he also delivered a long inaugural address.

[[Image:Cincinnati-harrison-statue.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Statue of Harrison on horseback in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]].]]He was the first, but not only, U.S. president to have no military vessel named after him. However, during the [[American Civil War]], the [[Union Army]] named a post near [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] "[[Camp Harrison]]."

[[Harrison County, Indiana]]; [[Harrison County, Mississippi]]; [[Harrison County, Iowa]]; [[Harrison County, Ohio]]; and [[William Henry Harrison High School]] are all named in honor of Harrison.

Harrison died nearly penniless. Congress voted to give his wife a pension payment of $25,000,<ref>{{Citation | last = Damon | first = Allan L. | title = Presidential Expenses | journal = American Heritage | year = 1974 | date = June 1974 | volume = 25 | issue = 4 | url = http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1974/4/1974_4_64.shtml}}</ref> equivalent to one year's worth of Harrison's salary.<ref>{{Citation | last = Summers | first = Robert S. | year = 2007 | title = POTUS: William Henry Harrison | url = http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/whharrison.html | accessdate = 2007-11-12}}</ref>

===Administration and Cabinet===<!-- This section is linked from [[John Tyler]] -->
[[Image:Harrison tomb.JPG|220px|thumb|right|Harrison's tomb and memorial in [[North Bend, Ohio]].]]
{{Infobox U.S. Cabinet
|align=left
|clear=yes
|Name=Harrison
|President=William Henry Harrison
|President date=1841
|Vice President=[[John Tyler]]
|Vice President date=1841
|State=[[Daniel Webster]]
|State date=1841
|War=[[John Bell (Tennessee politician)|John Bell]]
|War date=1841
|Treasury=[[Thomas Ewing|Thomas Ewing, Sr.]]
|Treasury date=1841
|Justice=[[John J. Crittenden]]
|Justice date=1841
|Post=[[Francis Granger]]
|Post date=1841
|Navy=[[George Edmund Badger|George E. Badger]]
|Navy date=1841
}}

===Supreme Court appointments===
''none''

===States admitted to the Union===
''none''

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Books==
*Cleaves, Freeman. ''Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time''. New York: Scribner's, 1939.
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=YqIEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=william+henry+harrison&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a#PPP4,M1 The Life and Time of William Henry Harrison, By Samuel Jones Burr, 1840]
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=8N0aAAAAMAAJ&client=firefox-a A Memoir of the Public Services of William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, By James Hall, 1836]
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=4KYEAAAAYAAJ&client=firefox-a A Sketch of the Life and Public Services of William Henry Harrison, By Isaac Rand, 1840]

== External links ==
{{portalpar|Ohio|Flag of Ohio.svg}}
{{portalpar|Indiana|Flag of Indiana.svg|50}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/harrison Extensive essay on William Henry Harrison and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]
* [http://www.american-presidents.com/presidents/william-henry-harrison William Henry Harrison Biography and Fact File]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/wh9.html White House biography]
* [http://williamhenryharrison.org/ biography by Appleton's and Stanley L. Klos]
*{{CongBio|H000279}}
* [[s:William Henry Harrison's Inaugural Address|Inaugural Address]], via [[Wikisource]]
<br clear="all">

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Winthrop Sargent]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary of Northwest Territory]]|years=[[June 28]], [[1798]] – [[October 1]], [[1799]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Willing Byrd]]}}
{{s-new|reason=Indiana Territory established}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Indiana Territory]]|years=1800 – 1812}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Gibson (Indiana)|John Gibson]] (acting)}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Amos Stoddard]]|as=[[District of Louisiana|Commandant of the District of Louisiana]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Indiana Territory (Upper Louisiana)]]|years=1804 – 1805}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Wilkinson]]|as=[[Louisiana Territory|Governor of Louisiana Territory]]}}{{s-bef|before=[[Andrew Jackson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Military Affairs Committee]]|years=1825 – 1828}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Hart Benton (senator)|Thomas Hart Benton]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Martin Van Buren]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the United States]]|years=[[March 4]], [[1841]] – [[April 4]], [[1841]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Tyler]]}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl|title=Delegate from the [[Northwest Territory]]|years=[[March 4]], [[1799]] – [[May 14]], [[1800]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William McMillan]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John McLean]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member from [[Ohio's 1st congressional district]]|years=1816–1819}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Randolph Ross]]}}
{{s-par|us-oh-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=Ephraim Brown<br />George P. Torrence}}
{{s-ttl|title=Senator from [[Hamilton County, Ohio|Hamilton County]]|years=1819–1821|alongside=Ephraim Brown}}
{{s-aft|after=Ephraim Brown<br />Benjamin M. Piatt}}
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ethan Allen Brown]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Senators from Ohio|Senator from Ohio (Class 3)]]|years=1825 – 1828|alongside=[[Benjamin Ruggles]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jacob Burnet]]}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Beaufort T. Watts]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Colombia|United States Minister to Colombia]]|years=[[May 24]], [[1828]] – [[September 26]], [[1829]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas P. Moore]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|party}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Whig Party|Whig Party presidential candidate]]|years=[[U.S. presidential election, 1836|1836]]¹, [[U.S. presidential election, 1840|1840]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Henry Clay]]}}
{{s-ref|The Whig Party ran regional candidates in 1836. Harrison ran in the Northern states, [[Hugh Lawson White]] ran in the Southern states, and [[Daniel Webster]] ran in [[Massachusetts]].}}

{{USpresidents}}
{{USWhigPresNominees}}
{{USSenOH}}
{{INGovernors}}
{{William Henry Harrison cabinet}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

{{Persondata
|NAME = Harrison, William Henry
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician, military leader
|DATE OF BIRTH = [[February 9]], [[1773]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Charles City County, Virginia]]
|DATE OF DEATH = [[April 4]], [[1841]]
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Washington, D.C.]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, William Henry}}
[[Category:1773 births]]
[[Category:1841 deaths]]
[[Category:First Families of Virginia]]
[[Category:Harrison family]]
[[Category:Deaths by sepsis]]
[[Category:History of Indiana]]
[[Category:Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the Northwest Territory]]
[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Whig Party (United States) presidential nominees]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1836]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1840]]
[[Category:United States Army generals]]
[[Category:United States Senators from Ohio]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]
[[Category:American people of the War of 1812]]
[[Category:History of the United States (1789–1849)]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Hampden-Sydney College alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]]
[[Category:Governors of Indiana Territory]]

[[ang:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ar:وليام هنري هاريسون]]
[[bn:উইলিয়াম হেনরি হ্যারিসন]]
[[bs:William Henry Harrison]]
[[bg:Уилям Хенри Харисън]]
[[ca:William Henry Harrison]]
[[cs:William Henry Harrison]]
[[co:William H. Harrison]]
[[cy:William Henry Harrison]]
[[da:William Henry Harrison]]
[[de:William H. Harrison]]
[[et:William Henry Harrison]]
[[es:William Henry Harrison]]
[[eo:William H. Harrison]]
[[fa:ویلیام هنری هریسون]]
[[fr:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ga:William Henry Harrison]]
[[gd:William Henry Harrison]]
[[gl:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ko:윌리엄 헨리 해리슨]]
[[hr:William Henry Harrison]]
[[io:William Henry Harrison]]
[[id:William Henry Harrison]]
[[is:William Henry Harrison]]
[[it:William Henry Harrison]]
[[he:ויליאם הנרי הריסון]]
[[pam:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ka:უილიამ ჰენრი ჰარისონი]]
[[sw:William Henry Harrison]]
[[la:Gulielmus Henricus Harrison]]
[[lv:Viljams Harisons]]
[[lt:William Henry Harrison]]
[[hu:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ms:William Henry Harrison]]
[[nl:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ja:ウィリアム・ハリソン]]
[[no:William Henry Harrison]]
[[nn:William Henry Harrison]]
[[oc:William Henry Harrison]]
[[nds:William Henry Harrison]]
[[pl:William Henry Harrison]]
[[pt:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ro:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ru:Гаррисон, Уильям Генри]]
[[sq:William Henry Harrison]]
[[simple:William Henry Harrison]]
[[sl:William Henry Harrison]]
[[sh:William Henry Harrison]]
[[fi:William Henry Harrison]]
[[sv:William Henry Harrison]]
[[ta:வில்லியம் ஹென்றி ஹாரிசன்]]
[[vi:William Henry Harrison]]
[[tr:William H. Harrison]]
[[yi:וויליאם הענרי העריסאן]]
[[zh:威廉·亨利·哈里森]]

Revision as of 21:53, 5 June 2008

Redirect to:

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=William_Henry_Harrison&oldid=217404634"