https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/william-henry-harrison-1773-1841 Indian resistance to American expansion came to a head, with the leadership of Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet"), in a conflict that became known as Tecumseh's War. The Constitution clearly provided for the vice president to take over the "Powers and Duties of the said Office" in the event of a president's removal, death, resignation, or inability, but it was unclear whether the vice president formally became president of the United States, or simply temporarily assumed the powers and duties of that office, in a case of succession. [130][132][133] Harrison's wife Anna was still in Ohio packing to be with her husband in Washington, scheduled for May, when she was informed of Harrison's death. [38], On May 13, 1800, President John Adams appointed Harrison as the governor of the Indiana Territory, based on his ties to the west and his apparent neutral political stances. "[5] Harrison was a signatory of the Treaty of Greenville (1795), as witness to Wayne, the principal negotiator for the U.S.[12] Under the terms of the treaty, a coalition of Indians ceded a portion of their lands to the federal government, opening two-thirds of Ohio to settlement. William Henry Harrisons funeral is held in Washington, D.C. William Henry Harrisons casket is entombed at North Bend, Ohio. Henry Clay was favored, but Harrison had supporters at the convention. [32] In 1804, Harrison was assigned to administer the civilian government of the District of Louisiana. Hordes of office applicants came to the White House, which was then open to any who wanted a meeting with the president. William Henry Harrison, our ninth president, was the first to have an inaugural parade, in 1841. The others were Daniel Webster, Hugh L. White, and Willie P. Mangum. He was against agitating the Southern United States on the slavery question. [95] The Democrats, in turn, ridiculed the elder Harrison by calling him "Granny Harrison, the petticoat general", because he resigned from the army before the War of 1812 ended. Harrison briefly served as a major general in the Kentucky militia until the government commissioned him on September 17 to command the Army of the Northwest. Harrison responded, "by my sword, and my own right arm, sir". His farm stretched over 2,800 acres and the original log cabin had been expanded to a twenty-two-room home to house his growing familythe Harrisons had ten children, and Anna Harrison was often in poor health because of frequent pregnancies. At Fort Washington, Harrisons polish and coolness under fire impressed his commander, General Mad Anthony Wayne, who commanded the newly organized Legion of the United States, which had been formed to defend the countrys territorial claims against Indian tribes. Exactly one month after taking the oath of office, Harrison was dead. "[114] His own cabinet attempted to countermand his appointment of John Chambers as Governor of the Iowa Territory in favor of Webster's friend James Wilson. [144], Harrison's son John Scott Harrison represented Ohio in the House of Representatives between 1853 and 1857. In 1790, he entered what is now the University of Pennsylvania medical school in Philadelphia to study under Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Tyler obliged and was sworn into office on April 6, 1841. I wish them carried out. [12] In 1793, he became Wayne's aide-de-camp and acquired the skills to command an army on the frontier;[6] he participated in Wayne's decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794, which ended the Northwest Indian War. The following year Harrison was sent to Congress as a territorial delegate. ", "William Harrison: The American Franchise", "American TreasuresHarrison's Inauguration", "William Henry Harrison Inaugural Address", "William Harrison: March 4, 1841 Inaugural Address", "Letter from Harrison to R. Buchanan, Esq., March 10, 1841", "American History Series: The Brief Presidency of William Henry Harrison", "Pres. WebCreate your account. President John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary that Harrison, who he said had a lively and active but shallow mind, had become the greatest beggar and the most troublesome of all office-seekers. Nevertheless, on May 24, 1828, Adams named Harrison minister to Gran Colombia (which included present-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and parts of Peru and Brazil). [5] While benefiting from land speculation on his own behalf, and acquiring two milling operations, he was credited as a good administrator, with significant improvements in roads and other infrastructure. We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia. [128], That June, Harrison's body was transported by train and river barge to North Bend, Ohio, and he was buried on July 7 at the summit of Mt. [107] On Wednesday, March 24, 1841, Harrison took his daily morning walk to local markets, without a coat or hat. General James Winchester offered Harrison the rank of brigadier general, but Harrison wanted sole command of the army. [5] He led an army north with 950 men to intimidate the Shawnee into making peace, but the tribes launched a surprise attack early on November 7 in the Battle of Tippecanoe. "[119], In the evening of Saturday, April 3, Harrison developed severe diarrhea and became delirious, and at 8:30p.m. he uttered his last words, to his attending doctor, assumed to be for Vice President John Tyler:[119] "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. But Harrison continued stumping for himself, suspending his speaking tour later in June after his son Benjamin Harrison died, but resuming in September to huge crowdsan estimated 100,000 people turned out for a speech in Dayton, Ohio. They cast him 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. The inaugural address was a detailed statement of the Whig agenda, a repudiation of Jackson's and Van Buren's policies, and the first and only formal articulation by Harrison of his approach to the presidency. The Whigs planned a traditional presidential campaign until a political attack forever changed campaigning. [69] Americans blamed the British for inciting the tribes to violence and supplying them with firearms, and Congress passed resolutions condemning the British for interfering in American domestic affairs. Behind the casket trotted the riderless Whitey, the symbol of a fallen hero. I ask nothing more.. [120] Harrison was then administered laudanum, opium, and camphor, along with wine and brandy. His sole concession to Clay was to name his protg John J. Crittenden to the post of Attorney General. Harrison's political career began in 1798, with an appointment as secretary of the Northwest Territory. Harrisons predecessor, Martin Van Buren, gave a speech of 3,800 words. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Andrew Jackson, in his second inaugural address, managed only 1,100 words. Four years later, the party nominated him again, with John Tyler as his running mate, under the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too". Brief Summary of William Henry Harrison Van Buren won easily, but Harrison was the top Whig vote getter. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1819 and served until 1821 but lost a bid for governor in 1820. Clay pressed him on the special session on March 13, but Harrison rebuffed him and told him not to visit the White House again, to address him only in writing. On November 25, 1795, Harrison eloped with twenty-year-old Anna Tuthill Symmes, the well-educated daughter of John Cleves Symmes, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey who was one of southwestern Ohios biggest land speculators. Gazlay. President James Madison appointed Harrison general of the Army of the Northwest after the United States had suffered several early defeats near Canada in the War of 1812 against the British. The following year Harrisons mother died. Tecumseh berated the condescending Harrison repeatedly, and insisted that the Fort Wayne Treaty was illegitimate, arguing that one tribe could not sell land without the approval of the other tribes. Harrison was against devising financial schemes for the nation, rather he left that wholly to Congress. FELLOW-CITIZENS: Before my arrival at the seat of Government the painful communication was made to you by the officers presiding over the several Departments The assertion is based upon the White family's oral history. Harrison died on April 4, 1841, making him the first U.S. president to die in office, and was buried in the William Henry Harrison tomb in North Bend, Ohio. In November 1791, at age 18, he enlisted in the army as an ensign in the 10th Regiment at Fort Washington near Cincinnati (in what is now Ohio). He also was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Continental Congress, and the governor of Virginia (178184). [17] Harrison was promoted to captain in May 1797 and resigned from the Army on June 1, 1798. He took the oath of office on Thursday, March 4, 1841, a cold and wet day. His vice president, John Tyler, assumes the office of president. After hearing news of her husbands election, Anna Harrison said: I wish that my husbands friends had left him where he is, happy and contented in retirement.. He asked Harrison to nullify it and warned that Americans should not attempt to settle the lands sold in the treaty. [20] They honeymooned at Fort Washington, since Harrison was still on military duty. Virginia Humanities acknowledges the Monacan Nation, the original people of the land and waters of our home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. At Fort Meigs near the village of Toledo in Ohio, Harrisons forces withstood a siege by the British and their Native American allies led by Tecumseh. [70] Harrison was succeeded by John Gibson as acting governor of the territory. [66] When no second attack came, the Shawnee defeat had become more certain. He was also passed over for a diplomatic post to Russia. Harrison's significance in presidential history does not lie in his brief term in office, but rather in the innovative campaign techniques designed by his party to secure him the office. WebWilliam Henry Harrison delivered the longest Inaugural address, at 8,445 words, on March 4, 1841a bitterly cold, wet day. [79], Harrison was appointed in 1828 as minister plenipotentiary to Gran Colombia, so he resigned from Congress and served in his new post until March 8, 1829. William Henry Harrison was buried near his home in North Bend, Ohio. Harrison launched a successful counterattack after Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry defeated British ships on nearby Lake Erie and sent Harrison the famous dispatch: We have met the enemy, and they are ours. On October 5, 1813, Harrison defeated retreating British and Native American forces at the Thames River in what is now the province of Ontario. He and Clay had disagreed over the necessity of such a session, and Harrison's cabinet proved evenly divided, so the president initially vetoed the idea. His army defeated the British, and Tecumseh was killed, on October 5, 1813, at the Battle of the Thames. President Van Buren hosted his successor at a White House dinner on February 13. [83], In May of 1817, Harrison served as one of the founding vestry members of the Episcopal congregation, Christ Church in downtown Cincinnati (now Christ Church Cathedral). Several monuments and memorial statues have been erected in tribute to Harrison. Some Indians disputed the authority of the tribes joining in the treaty. The physicians tried remedies ranging from laxatives and opium to a liniment made from Virginia snakeweed. [135] The cabinet consulted with Chief Justice Roger Taney and decided that, if Tyler took the presidential oath of office, he would assume the office of president. Congress. WebWilliam Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 April 4, 1841) was the 9th president of the United States. Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term? A brother, Carter Bassett Harrison, served six years in the House of Representatives. At sixty-seven, Harrison was the oldest person to run for president at the time. Despite this, the contretemps continued until the president's death. He attended Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County and the School of Medicine of the College of Philadelphia (todays University of Pennsylvania). His grandson Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States (188993).
