William Henry Harrison

Whig9th President of the United

StatesMarch 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

Occupational & Educational Background

• Originally gained national fame for leading U.S. forces against American Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where he earned the nickname "Tippecanoe" (or "Old Tippecanoe")

• General in the War of 1812, victory at the Battle of the Thames in 1813; brought an end to hostilities in his region.

• Second Secretary of Northwest Territory- June 28, 1798-October 1, 1799

• First Governor of Indiana Territory- January 10, 1801-September 17, 1812

• Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 1st District- October 8, 1816- March 3, 1819

• Ohio State Senator- 1819-1821, 1825-1828• Minister Plenipotentiary to Colombia- Appointed in May

1828• States admitted to the Union- N/A

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

Presidential Election of 1836

• Martin Van Buren (Democrat) v. Whigs (William Henry Harrison, Hugh L. White, Daniel Webster, W.P. Magnum)

• Reason for Van Buren’s victory: support from Andrew Jackson, gained support of South at Democratic National Convention of 1835 (already had North- from New York)

• Reason for Harrison’s loss: the only time in American history when a major political party intentionally ran more than one presidential candidate.

– The Whig plan was to elect popular Whigs regionally, deny Van Buren the 148 electoral votes needed for election, and force the House of Representatives to decide the election.

– Hoped the Whigs would control the House after the general elections.– Failed, the Democrats remained the majority party in the House

• Popular Votes:• Martin Van Buren: 765,483• Whigs (collectively): 739,795

• Electoral Votes• Martin Van Buren: 170• Whigs (collectively): 73

• This election is the first (and to date only) time in which a Vice Presidential election was thrown into the Senate.

The American Pageant 11th Edition p. A 58

Presidential Election of 1840

• William Henry Harrison (Whig) v. Martin Van Buren (Democrat)

• Reason for Harrison’s Victory: Van Buren had to deal with an economic depression while in office; the Whig party was unified in support for Harrison

• Popular Votes: » Harrison-1,274,624» Van Buren- 1,217,781

• Electoral Votes: » Harrison- 234» Van Buren- 60

The American Pageant 11th Edition p. A58

Poster- www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/BE035684.html Poster from the 1839 Harrison campaign

Accomplishments Before Becoming President

• Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)- General “Mad Anthony” Wayne led the U.S. to victory which brought the Northwest Indian War to a successful close for the United States, led to Treaty of Greenville

• Treaty of Greenville (1795)- one of the signatories, Treaty opened up much of present-day Ohio to settlement by European Americans

• Harrison Land Act (1804)- made it easier for the average settler to buy land in the Northwest Territory by allowing land to be sold in small tracts.

-The availability of inexpensive land was an important factor in the rapid population growth of the Northwest Territory

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

Picture- http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/general/anthony-wayne.jpg

Portrait of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne

Accomplishments Before Becoming President

• Treaty of St. Louis (1804)- with Quashquame; led to the surrender by the Sauk and Meskwaki of much of western Illinois and parts of Missouri. – Treaty and loss of lands

greatly resented by many of the Sauk, especially Black Hawk.

– Primary reason the Sauk sided with Great Britain during the War of 1812.

• Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809)-obtained 3,000,000 acres of American Indian land for the white settlers of Illinois and Indiana.– The treaty led to a war with

the United States began by Shawnee leader Tecumseh and other dissenting tribesmen in what came to be called "Tecumseh's War".

Map of the areas gained in the Treaty of Fort Wayne

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

Accomplishments Before Becoming President

• Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)- led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory; forces of Tecumseh's growing American Indian confederation led by his younger brother Tenskwatawa. – U.S. launched a preemptive

strike on the headquarters of the confederacy in response to rising tensions with the tribes and threats of war

• Battle of the Thames (1813)- Battle in the War of 1812; resulted in the death of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and the destruction of the Native American coalition which he led.

Map of the plan of Tippecanoe Camp and Battle

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

Picture- www.mywarof1812.com/battles/111107.htm

Harrison’s Presidential Administration

• Harrison's only official act of consequence was to call Congress into a special session

• Disagreements about members of the Cabinet between him and Henry Clay led to Harrison wanting to cancel a Congressional session to discuss the Cabinet and how it was divided politically

• Treasury Secretary Thomas Ewing reported to Harrison that federal funds were in trouble that the government could not continue to operate until Congress had their regular session in December

• Harrison proclaimed the special session in the interests of "the condition of the revenue and finance of the country."

Henry Clay

www.oberlin.edu

Harrison’s Death• On March 26, Harrison became ill with a cold. Harrison

had became ill more than three weeks after the inauguration.

• The cold worsened, rapidly turning to pneumonia and pleurisy. His extremely busy social schedule made any rest time scarce.

• Harrison's doctors tried cures, applying opium, castor oil, leeches, and Virginia snakeweed. But the treatments only made Harrison worse, and he became delirious. He died nine days after becoming ill at 12:30 a.m. on April 4, 1841, of right lower lobe pneumonia, jaundice, and overwhelming septicemia.

• His last words were directed to John Tyler, "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more."

• Harrison served the shortest term of any American president: March 4 – April 4, 1841, 31 days, twelve hours, and 30 minutes.www.associatedcontent.com/.../the_death_of_president_william_henry.html

Problems with Constitutional Clauses

• Harrison's death revealed the flaws in the constitution's clauses on presidential succession– Article II of the Constitution states that "In case of the removal of the

President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, ... and [the Vice President] shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected"

• Scholars at the time disagreed whether the vice president would become President or merely Acting President

• Constitution did not stipulate whether the vice president could serve the remainder of the president's term, until the next election, or if emergency elections should be held

• Due to the death of Harrison, three presidents served within a single calendar year (Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler). – This has happened on only one other occasion in 1881, when

Rutherford B. Hayes was succeeded by James A. Garfield, who was assassinated later in that year. With the death of Garfield, Chester A. Arthur became president

www.associatedcontent.com/.../the_death_of_president_william_henry.html

Impact of Death• Harrison's cabinet insisted that Tyler was "Vice President

acting as President.“, then consulted with Chief Justice Roger Taney and decided that if Tyler took the presidential Oath of Office he would assume the office of President– Tyler obliged and was sworn in on April 6, 1841

• After a short period of debate in both houses, a resolution was passed confirming Tyler in the presidency for the remainder of Harrison's term

• Precedent of presidential succession remained in effect until the Twenty-fifth Amendment was ratified in 1967. – Assassination of John F. Kennedy and the succession of

Lyndon B. Johnson to the presidency in 1963, the Twenty-fifth Amendment dealt with the details of succession.

– It defined in what situations the vice president was acting president, and in what situation the vice president could become president

www.associatedcontent.com/.../the_death_of_president_william_henry.html

Quotes to Describe WHH

• “The people are the best guardians of their own rights and it is the duty of their executive to abstain from interfering in or thwarting the sacred exercise of the lawmaking functions of their government.”– William Henry Harrison

• This quote attests to his character and beliefs in the necessity of consent of the governed, showing he is a good president (praise)

• "Give him a barrel of hard cider and settle a pension of two thousand a year on him, and my word for it, he will sit ... by the side of a 'sea coal' fire, and study moral philosophy. " – Democratic newspaper criticizing Harrison’s contrast to

aristocratic Van Buren (criticism)http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamhenryharrison

thinkexist.com

Quotes to Describe WHH

• “There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power." – William Henry Harrison

• This quote reflects how Harrison supported the separation of powers in the branches of government as well as the importance for the consent of the governed (praise)

• "Our citizens must be content with the exercise of the powers with which the Constitution clothes them.“– William Henry Harrison

• This quote shows that Harrison believed in the power of the Constitution, and that the people had no right to change it (criticism)

americanhistory.about.com/cs/williamhenryharrison/a/quoteharrison.htm

For the Future of the United States

• Positive- Set precedent for Vice President becoming President if President in office dies during his term

• Agnostic- Harrison held office for the shortest term than any other president (32 days), which is not much time to make any significant difference as president

POWERPOINT BY:

Sarah LebovitzNovember 1, 2010

HoeflerPeriod 1