William Henry Harrison: The Shortest Presidential Term in US History
This article is in no way a biography of William’s life but a short snippet of his most memorable and final moments.
William Henry Harrison (W-Indiana) was the 9th president of the United States, a term that lasted barely a month. In his time as president, he delivered the longest inaugural speech in US history, followed by a swift and permanent exit from life and political office.
Brief Summary of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison came from a very influential family in Virginia. His father had his signature on the Declaration of Independence, his brother was a high-ranking politician in his own right, and the family owned a large plantation.
Originally looking to become a physician, William quickly changed career paths in college, choosing to enlist in the Army. His military career was successful, ending with William reaching the rank of Captain. After leaving the army in 1798, Harrison moved on to political aspirations.
William held a number of different positions in political office, including the governor of Indiana, which was far larger in this period. He returned to military service once again at the Battle of Tippecanoe defeating an alliance of Native Americans sponsored by the British. The battle was hard-fought, and the “win” propelled William Henry Harrison into something of a war hero.
This battle would give rise to his future nickname, “Old Tippecanoe,” and his running slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too!”
He continued to serve various political offices, retired for a while, and even became a county clerk. There are better articles on his pre-presidential years; let’s get to the pulp.
In 1836, Harrison made his first attempt at the presidency, but lost to Martin Van Buren (D-New York). Van Buren won fairly soundly, with 170 Electoral College votes to Harrison’s 73. William did well enough, however, that his peers thought he could make a solid run in the next election.
This time, Harrison was painted as a humble southern man with a stern backbone and an admirable military career. Moreover, the economy collapsed during Van Buren’s first term and voters blamed the president.
The guys at the Electoral College really ate this shit up, and he dominated Van Buren. William ended up getting 234 votes to 60. Van Buren and his crazy ass sideburns never held office again.
William Henry Harrison’s Inauguration
William was the oldest president ever to be elected at this point in time, and rumors circulated that he may be too feeble for the job. They also labeled him a bit of an intellectual bantamweight, which Harrison clearly took to heart.
William was not gonna let that shit fly.
The weather was blisteringly cold on the day of his inauguration, and William decided against wearing a coat or even gloves in a show of fortitude. Folks thought he would give a brief speech so he could retreat indoors to warm himself, but William had other plans.
William Henry Harrison gave a two-hour-long speech with several important points given and multisyllabic words used. He even said things like “magnanimous” and “hitherto.”
Who’s the idiot now, you fuckin’ jerks.
Well, possibly Harrison. There are some alternative opinions about how he got sick, though the most widely believed theory is that he contracted a cold on the night of the speech. This mild cold turned into pneumonia, and William became very sick within hours of his term.
The next month was spent coughing, bitching at Henry Clay (W-Kentucky), and even heading around to stores in the area to get goods for the White House. I can barely make a cup of coffee when I have a cold, so perhaps he was not as feeble as the critics said.
Regardless, a month later, William Henry Harrison was pronounced dead and replaced by Vice President John Tyler (?-Virginia).
To his credit, he would not be the last Harrison in the White House. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison (R-Indiana), would become the 23rd president of the United States in 1889. He would serve a full term, though he is widely remembered as a bad president.
I’m more of a William guy, myself.
William was buried in Washington, and his remains were returned to his Ohio home. His wife lived for another 23 years, and although she never got to visit her husband while he was in office — she got free stamps for life and $25,000.
So that's nice.
Thanks for reading,
Jack
