Dr. Hartnell's Nutty the A.D.D. Squirrel
  • Home
  • All About Nutty
  • Nutty's Chapters
  • Ch. 1: How'd We Get Here?
    • Ch. 1: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 1: Summary
    • Why study history?
    • Is history a lie?
    • Geography 101
    • Ancient History: Dirt-476
    • Collapse & Rebirth: 476-1650
    • Colonialism: 1400-1763
    • Revolutions: 1763-1918
    • America: 1775-1900
  • Ch. 2: America 2.0
    • Ch. 2: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 2: Summary
    • Imperialism: 1850-1914
    • Immigration: 1492-Now
    • Reform: 1877-1920
  • Ch. 3: Ka-Boom to Bust
    • Ch. 3: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 3: Summary
    • America: 1914-1939
  • Ch. 4: King America
    • Ch. 4: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 4: Summary
    • America: 1939-1960
  • Ch. 5: The American Overhaul
    • Ch. 5: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 5: Summary
    • America: 1960-1975
  • Ch. 6: The U.S. of Awesome
    • Ch. 6: Table of Contents
    • Ch. 6: Summary
    • America: 1975-Now
  • Nutty's Nuts
  • References
Picture

Scramblin' thru... the U.S. Presidents

Picture

Picture

"Old Tippecanoe"
"Washington of the West"
"General Mum"
"Granny Harrison
"

Picture

Personal Information


Picture
February 9, 1773
Charles City County, Virginia
Picture
April 4, 1841
(age 68)
Washington, D.C.
Picture
Cause of Death:
Pneumonia

Picture
Height: 5'8"
Picture
Weight: 138 lbs.
Picture
Episcopalian

Picture
Level: Some college
(Started at Hampden-Sydney College but withdrew; started medical school at University of Pennsylvania but withdrew)
Picture
Married: Once
(Anna, 1795)
Picture
Biological Kids: 10

Picture
Wrote:
0 books
Picture
Career BEFORE Presidency:
soldier, diplomat,
U.S. Congressman,
U.S. Senator
Picture
Career AFTER Presidency:
Died in office

Picture

Presidential Information


Picture
Began: March 4, 1841
(age 68) 
Picture
Ended: April 4, 1841
(age 68)
Picture
# Months Served: 1
(0 full terms)

Picture
# Vice Presidents: 1
(John Tyler)
Picture
Political Affiliation:
Whig
Picture
Salary:
$25,000/year

Picture

Election Information


Election of 1836

Picture
[Click map for a larger version.]
Picture
[Click chart for a larger version.]

Election of 1840

Picture
[Click map for a larger version.]
Picture
[Click chart for a larger version.]

Picture

A Presidential Life in Review


Picture
Click on the banner above to go to the William H. Harrison homepage at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. Click on the buttons below for in-depth information about W. Harrison's Presidency.
A life in brief
Life before the presidency
Campaigns & elections
Domestic Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Key events in office
How Americans Lived
DEATH IN OFFICE
family life
Impact & legacy
Picture
William Henry Harrison, America's 9th U.S. President, served just one month in office before dying of pneumonia. His tenure (from March 4, 1841 to April 4, 1841) is the shortest of any President. Harrison, who was born into a prominent Virginia family, joined the U.S. Army as a young man and fought Native Americans on the U.S. frontier. He then became the first congressional delegate from the Northwest Territory, a region encompassing much of the present-day Midwest. In the early 1800s, Harrison served as Governor of the Indiana Territory and worked to open Native American lands to white settlers. He became a war hero after fighting Indian forces at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, after which he went on to serve as a Congressman and Senator from Ohio. He was elected to the White House in 1840 but passed away 31 days after his inauguration, the first U.S. President to die in office. Source: The History Channel
Picture

Picture

Historical Rankings


Picture
Picture

Click here to learn more about the C-SPAN Survey

Picture
Picture

Picture

William Henry Harrison Fun Facts


Picture
Picture
Harrison was the only President who studied to become a doctor... but withdrew.

Picture
Harrison's father (Benjamin Harrison V) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Picture
Harrison gained national fame when he lead U.S. forces against Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 (hence one of his nicknames).

Picture
Harrison served in the War of 1812 and was victorious at the Battle of the Thames in 1813. The battle resulted in the death of Native American leader Tecumseh and the disbandment of Tecumseh's coalition.

Picture
Harrison and his Vice President, John Tyler, were born in the same exact county (Charles City County) in Virginia... 17 years apart.

Picture
Harrison's wife received a $25,000 pension after his death in 1841. (FYI... $25,000 in 1841 is the same as $548,513.78 today...)

Picture
Harrison gave the longest inaugural address (one hour and 45 minutes)... and it had even been edited for length. Of course, he gave the speech outside on a cold and wet day, wore neither an overcoat nor hat, rode on horseback to the ceremony rather than in a closed carriage, rode through the streets in the inaugural parade, and attended three inaugural balls. On March 26th, he fell ill with a bad cold. At the time, it was believed that his illness was caused by the bad weather at his inauguration; however, Harrison's illness did not arise until more than three weeks after the event. Whatever the case, he died of pneumonia just one month after taking office, becoming the first President to die in office.
Picture

Picture
With the death of Harrison 31 days into office, it meant three different Presidents would all serve during the same calendar year. (Martin Van Buren served from January until March, Harrison served from March until April, and Tyler served from April through the end of the year). Oddly enough, this happened again 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 stepped into the Presidency.

Picture
Picture
The first photograph of a U.S. President in office was taken of Harrison on March 4, 1841. Harrison had just delivered his inaugural speech (yes, the one that killed him), and he posed for a portrait using the new technology of the day, the daguerreotype [pictured left]. That photograph, much like its subject, had an unexpectedly short tenure. Harrison's inaugural portrait has since been lost to history, meaning that the oldest surviving photograph we have of a U.S. President depicts the Commander-in-Chief after his Presidency. There are a couple  of candidates for "oldest", but they are, regardless, both depictions of J.Q. Adams. While it is debate which of the two photos [pictured below] was taken first, the date of April 13, 1843 is usually ascribed to one of them.
Picture
Sure the face is smudged... but no red eye! [Click picture for a larger version.]
Picture
Saaaaay cheeeeeese! Oh, forget it. [Click picture for a larger version.]

Picture
Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, would become the 23rd President. (Benjamin was seven when his grandfather was elected President, but he did not attend the inauguration.)

Picture
Harrison proudly brought his own goat and a cow to provide milk for the White House. After his death, the goat and cow were butchered for meat and eaten by President Tyler and his family. (Tyler was kind of a jerk...)

Picture
At age 67, Harrison was the oldest person to be elected President... until Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 at age 69.

Picture
Harrison died in the White House before his wife, Anna, had even moved to Washington, D.C. to become First Lady.

Picture

Presidential Portraits


Picture
A rare painting of William Henry Harrison and his grandson Benjamin Harrison... out doing what grandparents and grandsons do: become President! [Click picture for a larger version.]
Picture
What? Too soon? [Click picture for a larger version.]
Picture
I don't know who either of these people are... [Click picture for a larger version.]

Picture

Presidential Signature


Picture

Picture

Previous President

Picture
[Click picture to visit the previous President.]

Next President

Picture
[Click picture to visit the next President.]

Click here to return to the U.S. Presidential Index