William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison
1835 portrait
9th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
Vice President	John Tyler
Preceded by	Martin Van Buren
Succeeded by	John Tyler
United States Minister to Gran Colombia
In office February 5, 1829 – September 26, 1829
President	John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson
Preceded by	Beaufort Taylor Watts
Succeeded by	Thomas Patrick Moore
United States Senator from Ohio
In office March 4, 1825 – May 20, 1828
Preceded by	Ethan Allen Brown
Succeeded by	Jacob Burnet
Member of the Ohio Senate from the Hamilton County district
In office December 5, 1819 – December 2, 1821
Preceded by	Ephraim Brown
Succeeded by	Ephraim Brown
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 1st district
In office October 8, 1816 – March 3, 1819
Preceded by	John McLean
Succeeded by	Thomas R. Ross
1st Governor of the Indiana Territory
In office January 10, 1801 – December 28, 1812
Appointed by	John Adams
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Thomas Posey
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Northwest Territory's at-large district
In office March 4, 1799 – May 14, 1800
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	William McMillan
2nd Secretary of the Northwest Territory
In office June 28, 1798 – October 1, 1799
Governor	Arthur St. Clair
Preceded by	Winthrop Sargent
Succeeded by	Charles Willing Byrd
Personal details
Born	(1773-02-09)February 9, 1773 Charles City County, Virginia, British America
Died	April 4, 1841(1841-04-04) (aged 68) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Cause of death	Enteric fever
Resting place	Harrison Tomb State Memorial
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1828) Whig (from 1836)
Spouse	Anna Symmes ​ (m. 1795)​
Children	10, including John, 2 with Dilsia, including Marie Harrison
Parent	Benjamin Harrison V (father)
Relatives	Harrison family of Virginia
Education	Hampden–Sydney College University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Soldier politician
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Indiana Territory militia
Years of service	1791–1798 1811 1812–1814
Rank	Major general
Unit	Legion of the United States
Commands	Army of the Northwest
Battles/wars	Northwest Indian War Siege of Fort Recovery Battle of Fallen Timbers Tecumseh's War Battle of Tippecanoe War of 1812 Siege of Fort Wayne Battle of the Thames

William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) served as the ninth president of the United States from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causing a brief constitutional crisis since presidential succession was not then fully defined in the U.S. Constitution. Harrison was the last president born as a British subject in the Thirteen Colonies and was the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd U.S. president.

Harrison was born into the Harrison family of Virginia in 1773 as a son of Benjamin Harrison V, a U.S. Founding Father. In 1794, Harrison participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, an American military victory that ended the Northwest Indian War. In 1811, he led a military force against Tecumseh's confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe, where he earned the nickname "Old Tippecanoe". He was promoted to major general in the Army during the War of 1812, and led American infantry and cavalry to victory at the Battle of the Thames in Upper Canada.

Harrison's political career began in 1798, with an appointment as secretary of the Northwest Territory. In 1799, he was elected as the territory's non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. He became governor of the newly established Indiana Territory in 1801 and negotiated multiple treaties with American Indian tribes, with the nation acquiring millions of acres. After the War of 1812, he moved to Ohio where, in 1816, he was elected to represent the state's 1st district in the House. In 1824, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, though his Senate term was cut short by his appointment as minister plenipotentiary to Gran Colombia in 1828.

Harrison returned to private life in Ohio until he was nominated as one of several Whig Party nominees in the 1836 U.S. presidential election, in which he lost to Democratic vice president Martin Van Buren. In the 1840 presidential election, the party nominated him again, with John Tyler as his running mate, under the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too", and Harrison defeated Van Buren. Just three weeks after his inauguration, Harrison fell ill and died days later. After resolution of an ambiguity in the constitution regarding succession to the powers and duties of the office, Tyler became president. Harrison is remembered for his Indian treaties, and also his inventive election campaign tactics. He is often omitted in historical presidential rankings because of his brief tenure.