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William Henry Harrison, 1773-1841
As a two-term congressman and former territorial governor, William Henry Harrison could lay no claim to proven abilities in political leadership. But his reputation as a frontier Indian fighter and hero of the War of 1812 amply made up for this, and in 1840 the Whigs eagerly made him their presidential standard-bearer. In the so-called "hard cider" campaign that followed, Harrison's supporters celebrated his military prowess, and combined it with home-spun frontier imagery that was unprecedented for its carnival-like brouhaha. While discussion of real issues was avoided, that brouhaha proved sufficient in itself to win Harrison the presidency.
Jubilance over his victory, however, proved short-lived. Soon after delivering the longest inaugural address ever made, Harrison contracted pneumonia and, on April 4, 1841, became the first president to die in office.
Albert Gallatin Hoit, 1840 |