The First President to Die in Office
William Henry Harrison and His Untimely Death
William Henry Harrison was born in 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia to Founding Father Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Bassett. Harrison distinguished himself early in his life through his military career during various battles in the Northwest Territory. Most famously, Harrison led a force against Tecumseh’s Confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe which gave Harrison the nickname that would stay with him for the duration of his life, Old Tippecanoe. Harrison, at the time of these battles, was serving first as Secretary of the Northwest Territory in 1798 and 1799, next as United States Representative from the Northwest Territory in 1799 and 1800, and finally as governor of the new Indiana Territory in 1801, a post he held until late 1812.
During the War of 1812, Harrison was a major general in the United States Army and commanded troops in Upper Canada, most notably at the Battle of the Thames which was one of the most influential victories of the war.
Harrison’s popularity as a military man would serve him well in politics. Like with many others of the time, a distinguished military resume would cast a great influence when it came to working your way into political office, both state and federal.
Political Beginnings
As stated previously, Harrison began his political work in the Northwest Territories (present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota), serving first as secretary and then as a Representative. Harrison’s first long-term political endeavor came in 1801 when he was appointed the first governor of the Indiana Territory by the John Adams administration. Harrison took a brief hiatus from politics during the War of 1812 but found himself back in the fray by 1816, serving as a United States Representative once again, but this time from neighboring Ohio. Harrison would continue serving Ohio politically at different times until 1828, spending time in both the Senate and the House. Harrison got his first glimpse at the Executive Branch when he was appointed 3rd Minister to Gran Colombia (present day Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and parts of Peru and Brazil) in 1828 after much pestering of then-president John Quincy Adams. After this post, Harrison would run for president as a Whig in 1836, but he fell short to Democrat Martin Van Buren by an electoral margin of 170 to 73.
Election of 1840
In 1840, Harrison gave another go at the presidency. His running mate was fellow-Whig John Tyler, though Tyler would later be ousted from his own party following his time in office. Old Tippecanoe and Tyler Too would go on to secure the presidency from struggling incumbent Van Buren in a landslide electoral victory, 234–60. Harrison’s military career combined with Van Buren’s struggles no doubt helped Harrison rise to the highest political position in the land.
On Thursday, March 4, 1841, Harrison gave the longest inaugural address in history, a whopping 8,445 words, which was a staggering two-hour read. On top of that, the day was both cold and wet. Harrison, though 68 at the time of his inauguration, was determined to display that Old Tippecanoe could still be tough. However, Harrison also really wanted to show the American people that he was not just a backwoods man with his oratory exclamation. Harrison’s display of ego would not bode well for him.
About two weeks later on March 26, 1841, President Harrison developed cold-like symptoms. Harrison’s personal doctor, Thomas Miller, expressed the need for the President to rest, but given the proximity to his inauguration, Harrison did not comply. During the day, crowds would gather in the White House and at night there were parties to be had. Harrison’s lack of attentiveness to his health became worse when he developed a high fever on March 28. Harrison was treated by a team of doctors and forced to bed. The team diagnosed him with pneumonia and attempted treatments such as bloodletting, heated suction, various oils, and culminated his concoction with crude oil and Virginia Snakeroot. The President’s condition worsened and the City of Washington took note, holding vigils outside of the White House.
Harrison would ultimately die on April 4, 1841, just a little over a week after becoming ill. He only served 31 days in office, the shortest term by a president in US history.
Closing Thoughts
Historians and modern physicians debate what really ended the President’s term so quickly. The long belief was that Harrison’s speech led to the President’s death by pneumonia but many others have pointed to his lack of bedrest during his early development of symptoms, while some have also suggested that Old Tippecanoe’s frequent cold, wet walks to the store may have caused his quick demise. More modern approaches have hypothesized that Typhoid or bacterial infection from the sewage contaminating White House water may be the culprit. Ultimately, we may never truly know what caused William Henry Harrison’s death, but for now, he holds a record that hopefully will never be broken for the shortest stint in the White House.
Grant Fuerstenau is a Medical Student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and the editor of The Biographical Historian.
