Owner Comments:
William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin — Ninth President, 1841
• Born: 9 February 1773
• Birthplace: Charles City County, Virginia
• Died: 4 April 1841 (pneumonia)
• Best Known As: President of the United States, March-April, 1841
William Henry Harrison had the shortest term in office of any American president: 32 days. Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. William made a name for himself in the early Indian Wars and was rewarded with the governorship of the Indiana Territories, where he served from 1800-1812.
He is most famous for his victory over the Shawnee chief Tecumseh at the battle at Tippecanoe Creek (November 7, 1811). The incident earned Harrison the nickname "Old Tippecanoe."
After serving in the House and the Senate, Harrison retired and settled with his wife Anna at their farm in North Bend, Ohio. The Whigs drafted him for the presidency and he won the election of 1840. Harrison, 68 years old and not in the best health, gave a 100-minute inaugural speech in the snow without hat or overcoat, caught pneumonia, and died a month later. He was succeeded by his vice president, John Tyler.
Harrison's nickname led to a memorable campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!"... Harrison's grandson Benjamin Harrison became the 23rd president of the United States in 1889, 48 years after Harrison took office.
The fifth U.S. President to hail from Virginia, William Henry Harrison was born in 1773. When he was a small child, his father, Benjamin Harrison, signed the American Declaration of Independence. During a distinguished Army career, Harrison served as secretary of the Northwest Territory and governor of the Indiana Territory. He gained national fame and the nickname “Old Tippecanoe” from victories at the Battle of Tippecanoe and the Battle of the Thames against American Indians led by Shawnee chief Tecumseh.
Harrison served in the Ohio State Senate, as a U.S. Representative and Senator from Ohio, and as U.S. minister to Colombia. In 1840, the Whig party tapped Harrison to run against incumbent President Martin Van Buren, who had become unpopular because of a lingering economic depression. "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" (John Tyler was the vice presidential candidate) became the first and still one of the most memorable of presidential campaign slogans. Harrison defeated Van Buren in a landslide. At 68, Harrison was the oldest president to have served in the office up until that time.
In a bracing March rainstorm, Harrison gave the longest inaugural speech in U.S. history, lasting an hour and 45 minutes. Wearing neither hat nor coat, he caught a severe cold from the long exposure to the elements. Shortly thereafter, he developed pneumonia. He died exactly one month after his inauguration, becoming the first president to die in office.
Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, later became the 23rd President of the United States.