The ninth President of the United States of America,
William Henry Harrison was an American military leader. He had a long and diverse political career in which he served as a Governor, a US Representative, a Senator and finally as the President of the United States of America. The first claim to fame for William Henry Harrison was the leadership that he provided to the US Army against the American Indians in the battle of Tippecanoe. This victory was followed by a win at the battle of Thames.
Belonging to an aristocratic family of Virginia,
William Henry Harrison was born in the year 1773 at Berkeley. He was a lover of classical studies and history, and was educated at the Hampden-Sydney College. Harrison, William Henry was recruited as ensign in the Regular Army's First Infantry. Posted in the Northwest Territory, Harrison spent much of his life there.
William Henry Harrison resigned from the Army in the year 1798 and became the Secretary of the Northwest Territory. As the Secretary of the Northwest Territory, he gave his best efforts to obtain the legislation that divided the Northwest and Indiana Territories. The year 1801 saw Harrison becoming the Governor of the Indiana Territory, a post he served for 12 long years.
After serving in the US House of Representatives from Ohio, the Ohio State Senate and as a member of the US Senate and Minister to Colombia, William Henry Harrison was nominated as a Presidential candidate of the party of Northern Whigs for the 1836 elections. He lost initially, but recorded a sweeping victory in the election of 1840. His huge popularity was reflected in his receiving an excess of 1 million popular votes. He was the first US President to secure so many popular votes.
However, Harrison had the shortest term as an American President: one of 30 days, 11 hours and 30 minutes. He caught cold and developed pneumonia, presumably during the two hour long inaugural speech that he delivered to the nation. This speech (8,445 words) is held to be the longest one by any US President till date. The disease ultimately took away his life on the 4th of April 1841. He became the first American President to pass away while in office. His only official act as the President of the United States of America was calling a special session of the Congress.
Some of the plans that Harrison had chalked out prior to being the US President included:
- Implementing the American System earlier proposed by Kentucky's Henry Clay
- To issue a revenue tariff
However, his plans could not be executed because of his sudden death.
A few of the notable quotations by William Henry Harrison include:
- The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed”
- I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free”
- To Englishmen, life is a topic, not an activity”
