83 William H Harrison Facts: Learn More About The Ninth US President
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William Henry Harrison was one of the American presidents who had a rather short tenure.
Harrison only held the office for 31 days after he defeated Van Buren in the race for the presidency. This was rather unfortunate since it is believed that his very inaugural speech killed him.
Son to Benjamin Harrison V and grandfather to the 23rd President of the United States of America, Benjamin Harrison, William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia. Both his father and mother were very influential figures.
His father was the governor of Virginia, and his mother came from one of the most well-renowned families of the state. He was the youngest of the seven children that Benjamin and Elizabeth bore and had dreams of studying medicine.
However, such dreams were cut short after his father's death. Keep reading to know how a medical school dropout came to become the President of the United States of America!
If you enjoy reading this article, why not also check out William H Taft facts and 26th President of USA facts here at Kidadl!
Fun Facts About William H Harrison
William H Harrison was the ninth US president, and the first president to die while holding office.
He was born in the Charles City County of Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison V was a very notable name and was the governor of Virginia.
He also signed the Declaration of Independence and was a part of the group of people that opposed the Stamp Act. Born on a plantation and coming from a family that was considerably well-off, William H Harrison received a rather traditional schooling.
His intention was to study medicine but he was forced to drop out of medical school after the sad demise of his father.
Following this disruption in his studies, Harrison decided to join the military at the age of 18. There were many events that followed his joining the military that ultimately put him in the national limelight.
His fame across the nation was also one of the reasons why he won the election with 80% of the votes in the year 1840. However, it is a shame that he only held the office for a period of 31 days.
William H Harrison was appointed as the ninth President of the United States of America at the age of 67 years.
His inaugural speech continues to be one that is remembered all over the world until the present day, although not because of the impact that it made.
Harrison's inaugural speech was the longest in American history, with no less than 8445 words!
In addition to this, William Henry Harrison's oath-taking ceremony was held on a particularly gloomy and chilly day in March and by the time he had delivered the entire length of his speech, the president developed a cold that later proved to be the reason for his death.
The inaugural speech was delivered on March 4, 1840, and the president died on April 4, 1840, of pneumonia.
Facts About William H Harrison's Accomplishments
William Henry Harrison had a very pronounced military career, which started with a win at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. He was the last US president to be born under British Rule and his father signed the Declaration of Independence. As a child, he also survived an attack during the Revolutionary War.
William Henry Harrison became the secretary of the Northwestern territories after he quit the military in the year 1798, and then went on to become the governor of the Indiana territories. In the year 1812, he resigned to join the military again.
Facts About William H Harrison's Childhood
William Henry Harrison was born in a patriotic family.
His father, Benjamin Harrison, served as a governor of Virginia and was also one of the very frontrunners during the opposition of the Stamp Act. He received formal education at Hampden-Sydney College.
Before this, he was home-schooled for his entire life. He also briefly attended the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, until he was forced to drop out after his father's death.
This former President of the United States of America is also known to have eloped with Anna Tuthill Symmes. Anna Harrison was the first first lady of the United States of America to receive a pension from Congress.
Facts About William H Harrison's Military Career
William Henry Harrison's military career started when he joined the army at the age of 18. He originally planned on studying medicine but his father's death left him with insufficient funds and hence, he was forced to drop out and choose the military.
The Battle of Fallen Timbers was one of the most important in this career. He won this battle in the year 1794, which gave him the momentum and made him secretary of the Northwestern territories in the year 1798.
The Battle of Fallen Timbers also made him the captain of Fort Washington immediately. In order to become the secretary, Harrison resigned from the military service.
He was later given the office of the governor of the Indiana territory.
In his tenure as the secretary of the Northern and Indiana territories, William Henry Harrison was given the responsibility of retrieving the Native lands.
Harrison won most of these negotiations and was successful in either defeating the Native forces or making the Native American tribes give up large chunks of their land in exchange for hunting rights and some sums of money.
Harrison served as the governor of the Indiana territory till 1812, when he resigned in order to join the military again. The Battle of Tippecanoe was a pivotal part of Harrison's career.
As he campaigned for the office of the American president, his slogan mentioned Tippecanoe and his win. Although, during the battle, this war hero burnt the entire Native village of Prophetstown.
The Native American fighter Tecumseh is known to have been a large part of the battle and hence, it is assumed that it was Tecumseh's curse that caused the president to die having served such a short time in the White House. At that time, he was the Brigadier General of the Northwest Army.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly factsfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 83 William H Harrison facts: learn more about the ninth US President then why not take a look at Barack Obama facts or William Harvey facts?
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With a degree in English from Amity University, Noida, Shirin has won awards for oratory, acting, and creative writing. She has a wealth of experience as an English teacher, editor, and writer, having previously worked at Quizzy and Big Books Publishing. Her expertise lies in editing study guides for children and creating engaging content.
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