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William Henry Harrison (1841)

Submitted by ke4ktza on Fri, 03/20/2009 - 21:13

 Portrait, William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison

9th President of the United States
(March 4, 1841 to April 4, 1841)

Nicknames: "Old Tippecanoe"; "Old Tip"

Born: February 9, 1773, in Berkeley, Virginia
Died: April 4, 1841, in Washington, D.C.

 

Father: Benjamin Harrison
Mother: Elizabeth Bassett Harrison
Married: Anna Tuthill Symmes (1775-1864), on November 25, 1795
Children: Elizabeth Bassett Harrison (1796-1846); John Cleves Symmes Harrison (1798-1830); Lucy Singleton Harrison (1800-26); William Henry Harrison (1802-38); John Scott Harrison (1804-78); Benjamin Harrison (1806-40); Mary Symmes Harrison (1809-42); Carter Bassett Harrison (1811-39); Anna Tuthill Harrison (1813-65); James Findlay Harrison (1814-17)

Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Attended Hampden-Sydney College
Occupation: Soldier
Political Party: Whig
Other Government Positions:

  • Secretary of Northwest Territory, 1798
  • Territorial Delegate to Congress, 1799-1801
  • Territorial Governor of Indiana, 1801-13
  • U.S. Congressman from Ohio, 1816-19
  • United States Senator, 1825-28
  • Minister to Colombia, 1828-29

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Vice President: John Tyler (1841)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State
Daniel Webster (1841)
Secretary of the Treasury
Thomas Ewing (1841)
Secretary of War
John Bell (1841)
Attorney General
John J. Crittenden (1841)
Postmaster General
Francis Granger (1841)
Secretary of the Navy
George E. Badger (1841)

Notable Events:

  • 1841
    • Delivered the longest inaugural address on March 4. It was an extremely cold day and Harrison did not wear a hat while delivering the 105 minute speech. He contracted pneumonia and died in the White House one month later.

Points of Interest:

  • Harrison was the only president who studied to become a doctor.
  • Harrison's father was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
  • Harrison and his vice president Tyler are the only president and vice president born in the same county.
  • Harrison was clerk of Hamilton County (Ohio) court immediately before becoming president.
  • His widow received a $25,000 pension after her husband's death.

Biographies: