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• William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: February 9, 1773
  2. Political party: Whig
  3. Administration: 1841 to 1841
  4. Vice president: John Tyler
  5. Preceded by: Martin van Buren
  6. Succeeded by: John Tyler
  7. Secretary of state: Daniel Webster
  8. First lady: Anna Symmes Harrison
  9. Occupation: Soldier
  10. Grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison
  11. Died: April 4, 1841

• Early Life and Career

  Born in Virginia, Harrison initially studied medicine but after money for his schooling dried up, he joined the young U.S. Army in the 1790s. In 1799, he was elected to his first political office, as a delegate representing the Northwest Territory in Congress, and in 1800, at the age of 27, became the Governor of the vast Territory. In the War of 1812, Harrison became a General, and became a venerated war hero for his defeat of the Shawnee warrior Tecumseh. After the war, Harrison served as U.S. Senator for Ohio.

• Presidency

  In 1836, Harrison ran as the Whig candidate for President, but lost to Andrew Jackson's Vice-President, Martin van Buren. After an economic downturn plunged the United States into a deep depression, Harrison ran again in 1840 and won the election in a landslide. On March 4, 1841, Harrison delivered the longest inaugural speech in Presidential history, on a cold and wet late winter day. A month later, on April 4th, Harrison died of pneumonia, completing the shortest Presidency in United States history.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Benjamin Harrison | United States Presidents | Thomas Jefferson | John Tyler | Martin Van Buren | Andrew Jackson | John Quincy Adams | James K. Polk | Zachary Taylor | War of 1812 | The White House | Whig Party

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