William Henry Harrison – 9
William Henry Harrison was the 9th President of the United States of America.
He is famous for being the President who served for the shortest period. In all, he remained the President for only about a month before he died. He was also the first President who died during his Presidency.
When and where was he born?
William Henry Harrison was born in Charles City County, Virginia in February 9, 1773.
Early Life
William was born to a rich family and gained formal education at an early age. His father had served as the Governor of Virginia and owned a large plantation in the state.
After gaining an early education, William started studying for the profession of doctor. But before he could complete his studies, his father died and he had to join the army due to financial needs. During his time in the army, he mostly fought against the Indian tribes in the Northwest USA.
Life in Politics
After spending some time in the army, Harrison came to be known as an influential person in the Northwestern territories. He was eventually appointed as the Secretary of the Northwest Territory and was elected as a representative to the U.S. Congress.
During his term as a member of the House of Representatives, Harrison played a key role in encouraging landowners and other people to come and settle in the Northwestern territories. President John Adams later appointed him as the Governor of the Northwest Territory in 1801.
Fighting against the Native American Tribes
Harrison spent most of his political career in the Northwest Territory. During this period, he had to face stiff opposition from the many Native American tribes who resisted the settlement of white Americans in their lands.
He specifically waged war against the Native American leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and many other Native American warriors had resisted government attempts to relocate them and decided to fight back.
After a long war, Harrison was successful in defeating the Native Americans and gaining complete control of the Northwest Territory. The war earned Harrison the status of a war hero and eventually resulted in his election to the seat of the President.
Life as the President
In 1836, William Henry Harrison ran for the seat of President but lost to Martin Van Buren. In 1840, the next Presidential election took place and Harrison again ran for Presidency.
By this time, Martin Van Buren had grown very unpopular with the people as his Presidency was marked by the financial panic of the time. So Harrison easily won the election and became the 9th President of USA. However, he remained the President for only 32 days.
Death
After being elected the President, William Henry Harrison gave a long inauguration speech. The weather was cold and it was raining but Harrison didn’t wear a hat or a coat.
He continued to speak for more than an hour. As a result, he developed a severe case of cold. This eventually developed into pneumonia and Harrison died on April 4, 1841.
Read More about the shortest serving American President Henry Harrison
- American Presidents List
- Abraham Lincoln -16
- Andrew Jackson – 7
- Barack Obama – 44
- Benjamin Harrison – 23
- Bill Clinton – 42nd
- Calvin Coolidge – 30
- Chester A. Arthur – 21
- Donald Trump – 45
- Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – 32
- Franklin Pierce – 14
- George H. W. Bush – 41
- George W. Bush – 43
- George Washington – 1
- Gerald R. Ford Jr – 38
- Grover Cleveland – 22 & 24
- Harry S. Truman – 33
- Herbert Hoover – 31
- James A Garfield – 20
- James Buchanan – 15
- James K Polk – 11
- James Monroe – 5
- Jimmy E. Carter – 39
- Joe Biden – 46th (Current)
- John Adams – 2
- John F. Kennedy – 35
- John Quincy Adams – 6
- John Tyler – 10
- Lyndon B. Johnson – 36
- Martin Van Buren – 8
- Millard Fillmore – 13
- Richard M. Nixon – 37
- Ronald W. Reagan – 40
- Rutherford B. Hayes – 19
- Theodore Roosevelt – 26
- Thomas Jefferson – 3
- Warren G. Harding – 29
- William Henry Harrison – 9
- William McKinley – 25
- William Taft – 27
- Woodrow Wilson – 28
- Zachary Taylor – 12
- James Madison – 4
- Andrew Johnson – 17
