Willliam Henry
Harrison
William Harrison Biography
Overview
Picture File Source (2)
William Henry Harrison was an American soldier and politician who would become the 9th President of the United States but is more remembered more for being President for the shortest duration than any other President, only 31 days. He was also the first President to die in office and caused a constitutional dilemma because there were no rules or procedures defined for Presidential succession.[3]
William Harrison Death
Quick Facts:
| Full Name | William Harrison |
| Birth Date | February 9, 1773 |
| Birth Place | Berkeley plantation, Charles City County, Virginia |
| Death Date | April 4, 1841 |
| Career | Soldier |
| Spouse | November 25, 1795, to Anna Tuthill Symmes (1775–1864) |
| Children | Elizabeth Bassett (1796–1846) John Cleves Symmes (1798–1830) Lucy Singleton (1800–1826) William Henry (1802–1838) John Scott (1804–1878) Benjamin (1806-1840) Mary Symmes (1809–1842) Carter Bassett (1811–1839) Anna Tuthill (1813–1865) James Findlay (1814–1817) |
| President No. | 9 |
| Presidency Begin | March 4, 1841 |
| Presidency End | April 4, 1841 |
| Vice President(s) | John Tyler (1841) |
Harrison was the 7th and youngest child born to very prominent family on the February 9, 1773. The family lived at the Berkley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia. His father was Benjamin Harrison V and his mother was Elizabeth (Bassett) Harrison.
Harrison began his political career after he resigned from the military on June 1, 1798[60] and campaigned among his friends and family for a post in the Northwest Territorial government. One of his close friends, Timothy Pickering was serving as Secretary of State, and he helped him to get a recommendation to replace the outgoing territorial secretary. President John Adams appointed Harrison to the position in July 1798. [60]
In 1801 he became governor of the Indiana Territory, serving 12 years. Harrison’s primary task as governor was to secure more land for white settlers. He negotiated treaties for millions of acres in exchange for small amounts of money. When Native Americans refused to accept these agreements, or attacked encroaching settlements, Harrison responded with military force. [62]
Resources
Web Sites:
Books:
by Gail Collins
by Freeman Cleaves
REFERENCES
- **Presidential Flag Graphic source: Zscout370 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
- (3) Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). “Harrison, William Henry” . Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 25–26..
- (60) Gugin, Linda C.; St. Clair, James E., eds. (2006). The Governors of Indiana. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press and the Indiana Historical Bureau. ISBN 0-87195-196-7.
- (62) https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/william-henry-harrison