Global InformationWilliam Henry Harrison information
William Henry Harrison | |
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 Harrison by James Lambdin | |
| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Spouse |
Anna Symmes (m. 1795) |
| Children | 10, including John, 2 with Dilsia, including Marie Harrison |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Harrison family of Virginia |
| Education |
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| Military 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 |
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Military service
9th President of the United States
Appointments
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William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration as president in 1841, making his presidency the shortest in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causing a brief constitutional crisis since presidential succession was not then fully defined in the United States Constitution. Harrison was the last president born as a British subject in the Thirteen Colonies and was the paternal grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States.
Harrison was born into the Harrison family of Virginia at their homestead, Berkeley Plantation. He was a son of Benjamin Harrison V, a Founding Father of the United States. During his early military career, Harrison participated in the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers, an American military victory that ended the Northwest Indian War. Later, he led a military force against Tecumseh's confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where he earned the nickname "Old Tippecanoe". He was promoted to major general in the Army during the War of 1812, and led American infantry and cavalry to victory at the Battle of the Thames in Upper Canada.
Harrison's political career began in 1798, with an appointment as secretary of the Northwest Territory. In 1799, he was elected as the territory's non-voting delegate in the United States House of Representatives. He became governor of the newly established Indiana Territory in 1801 and negotiated multiple treaties with American Indian tribes, with the nation acquiring millions of acres. After the War of 1812, he moved to Ohio where, in 1816, he was elected to represent the state's 1st district in the House of Representatives. In 1824, he was elected to the United States Senate, though his Senate term was cut short by his appointment as Minister Plenipotentiary to Gran Colombia in 1828.
Harrison returned to private life in North Bend, Ohio, until he was nominated as one of several Whig Party nominees for president in the 1836 United States presidential election; he was defeated by Democratic vice president Martin Van Buren. Four years later, the party nominated him again, with John Tyler as his running mate, under the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too". Harrison defeated Van Buren in the 1840 presidential election. Just three weeks after his inauguration, Harrison fell ill and died days later. After resolution of an ambiguity in the constitution regarding succession to the powers and duties of the office, Tyler became president. Harrison is often omitted in historical presidential rankings due to his brief tenure and placed significantly below average when he is included. However, he is remembered for his Indian entreaties, and also his inventive election campaign tactics.