Harrison, WILLIAM HENRY

Harrison, WILLIAM HENRY, ninth president of the United States, was born in Charles City county, Virginia, 9th February 1773. His father, Benjamin Harrison (1740-91), was one of the signers of the declaration of independence, which, as chairman of committee, he reported to congress on 4th July 1776. There is a popular legend, seemingly unfounded, that makes the family descended from Harrison the regicide. After his father's death, William joined the army which Wayne was leading against the North-western Indians, and showed great gallantry at the battle on the Miami (1794). He left the army in 1798. He represented the North-west Territory as a delegate in congress in 1799-1800, and succeeded in passing a valuable law relating to the sale of the federal land in small parcels; and when Indiana Territory was formed (1800), including the present states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, besides parts of Minnesota and Ohio, he was appointed its governor. He laboured courageously to avert war with the Indians, but was compelled to quell Tecumseh's outbreak, and beat off a fierce and treacherous attack, ending in an important battle at Tippecanoc (7th November 1811). In the war of 1812-14 he was appointed to the chief command in the north-west, repulsed the British force under Proctor, and by the victory of Perry on Lake Erie was enabled to pursue the invaders into Canada, where, on 5th October 1813, he totally routed them in the battle of the Thames. In 1814 he resigned his commission. In 1816 he was elected to congress, and in 1824 became a United States senator. In 1828 he went as ambassador to Colombia, but was recalled in 1829, and for twelve years was clerk of a county court in Ohio. He received 73 electoral votes for the presidency of the United States in 1836 against Van Buren's 170; but four years later, the Whig party having united, he defeated Van Buren, obtaining 234 electoral votes to the latter's 60. The contest is noteworthy as having witnessed the introduction of the enormous mass-meetings and processions, the emblems and banners, that have since been part of every presidential campaign. Harrison died a month after his inauguration, on 4th April 1841, and was succeeded in office by the vice-president, John Tyler.