Transcript for "America's Shortest President: The Story of William Henry Harrison"
America's Shortest Presidency. The Story of William Henry Harrison
Imagine working for many years to become president.
At last, you win the election. You move into the White House and become the most powerful person in the country.
Then, only one month later, you are dead.
This is the story of William Henry Harrison, and the shortest presidency in American history.
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Now, let’s get into the story.
William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia in 1773. His family was wealthy and powerful. His father had signed the Declaration of Independence, the document that announced America’s separation from Great Britain.
Harrison first studied medicine, but he did not finish his studies. After his father died, Harrison joined the United States Army.
He spent much of his early career on America’s western border. He later became known as a war hero after leading American soldiers in several battles.
His most famous victory came at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. That battle gave Harrison the nickname “Old Tippecanoe.” It would later become an important part of his campaign for president.
After his military career, Harrison entered politics. He served in the House of Representatives and the Senate. He also represented the United States in Colombia.
But Harrison wanted the most powerful job in the country: the presidency.
He ran for president in 1836 but lost to Martin Van Buren.
Four years later, he tried again.
The election of 1840 took place during a serious economic crisis. Many Americans had lost their jobs, and President Van Buren had become unpopular.
Harrison’s political party, the Whig Party, saw an opportunity.
One of Harrison’s opponents had made a joke about him. He suggested that Harrison was an old man who would be happy to live in a log cabin and drink hard cider.
Hard cider is an alcoholic drink made from apples.
The joke was supposed to make Harrison look weak and ready to retire. Instead, his campaign turned it into a powerful political image.
They presented Harrison as a simple farmer who understood the lives of ordinary Americans. His supporters carried pictures of log cabins, drank hard cider, and sang campaign songs.
They also repeated a famous slogan:
“Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.”
“Tippecanoe” referred to Harrison’s famous battle. “Tyler” was John Tyler, his candidate for vice president.
There was only one problem with Harrison’s new image.
It was not true.
Harrison had been born into a rich and politically powerful family. He was not the poor farmer shown in his campaign advertisements.
But the strategy worked.
Harrison won 234 electoral votes. Van Buren received only 60.
At the age of 67, Harrison had finally been elected president.
He was 68 when he entered office. That made him the oldest person ever inaugurated as president at that time. His record would stand for 140 years, until Ronald Reagan became president in 1981 at 69 years old.
Harrison’s inauguration took place on March 4, 1841.
An inauguration is the official ceremony at the beginning of a president’s term. During this ceremony, the president takes an oath. He promises to protect the Constitution and perform the duties of the presidency.
The weather that day was cold, wet, and windy. Harrison arrived without a hat or a winter coat.
Then he began his speech.
And he continued speaking.
And speaking.
Harrison’s speech contained 8,445 words. It lasted for almost two hours and remains the longest inaugural address in American history.
After the ceremony, Harrison began his new job. But he quickly discovered that becoming president did not mean he could simply begin leading the country.
Hundreds of people came to Washington to ask him for government jobs.
At that time, a new president often replaced government workers with members of his own political party. Job seekers waited outside the White House and followed Harrison around the city. They gave him letters and asked him for personal favors.
Harrison reportedly began his work early in the morning and often continued until after midnight. He had to choose people for government positions, meet with political leaders, and organize his new administration.
He also faced pressure from Henry Clay, one of the most powerful leaders of his political Party.
Clay believed he should have a large amount of control over the new government. Harrison disagreed. He wanted to show Clay, and his own Cabinet, that he was the president and would make the final decisions.
Harrison made one major political decision. The government was having serious financial problems, so he called Congress back to Washington for a special meeting.
That meeting was supposed to begin on May 31.
Harrison would not live to see it.
On March 26, only three weeks after becoming president, Harrison began to feel sick.
At first, he was tired and had symptoms similar to a cold. Soon, he developed a high fever, a serious cough, stomach pain, and difficulty breathing.
His doctor, Thomas Miller, diagnosed him with pneumonia in his right lung, a very serious illness…even today.
Medicine was very different in 1841. Doctors knew much less about bacteria and infection. As a result, they sometimes used treatments that did more harm than good.
Harrison’s doctors placed a mustard plaster on his stomach. This was a warm paste made with mustard. Doctors believed it could increase blood flow and remove pain from inside the body.
When that did not work, they removed some of his blood. This treatment was called bloodletting. Doctors believed that removing blood could bring the body back into balance.
But Harrison’s pulse became weaker, so, naturally, they stopped.
They also placed heated cups against his skin. The cups created pressure and pulled the skin upward. Again, doctors hoped this would improve the movement of blood through his body.
Harrison was given castor oil and other medicines to make him empty his stomach and intestines. His doctors also gave him opium to reduce his pain and help him rest.
Other treatments included wine, brandy, enemas, and a medicine called calomel, which contained mercury - a poisonous metal.
None of these treatments stopped the illness. Some may have even made Harrison weaker.
For many years, Americans believed that Harrison became sick because he stood outside in the cold during his long speech.
It is a great story, but it's probably not true.
Harrison did not become sick until more than three weeks after the inauguration. Modern researchers believe he may have developed enteric fever, a serious disease caused by bacteria in food or water.
At the time, Washington had a terrible sewage system. Human waste may have polluted the water supply near the White House.
We will probably never know the exact cause of Harrison’s death. But dirty water is a more likely cause than one cold afternoon.
Late on April 3, Harrison spoke his final recorded words. He said:
“Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more.”
He was speaking to his doctor, but he may have believed that he was speaking to Vice President John Tyler.
At 12:30 in the morning on April 4, 1841, William Henry Harrison died.
He had been president for only one month, from March 4th, to April 4th.
Harrison was also the first American president to die while in office. His death created an important question:
Who was president now?
The Constitution said that the president’s powers and duties would pass to the vice president. But it did not clearly say whether John Tyler would actually become president or only perform the president’s duties for a short time, while a proper replacement was found.
Tyler made the decision himself.
He took the presidential oath and declared that he was now the tenth president of the United States.
Some of his opponents called him “His Accidency.” But Tyler refused to give up the office.
His decision created a precedent, a model for future presidents and vice presidents to follow. This rule was finally added clearly to the Constitution through the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in 1967.
William Henry Harrison spent many years trying to reach the White House.
When he finally arrived, his days were filled with job seekers, political arguments, long meetings, and strange medical treatments.
He never had the opportunity to show the country what kind of president he would be.
Today, Harrison is mainly remembered for giving the longest inaugural address and serving the shortest presidency in American history.
Surely, he wanted to be remembered for something more. But I wonder…would it have been better to be completely forgotten?
Vocabulary
1. term (noun) - The period of time that someone holds an official position.
Harrison had the shortest presidential term in American history.
2. inauguration (noun) - The official ceremony at which a new president or leader begins their job.
Harrison’s inauguration took place on March 4, 1841.
3. oath (noun) - A serious or official promise.
The president takes an oath to protect the Constitution.
4. campaign (noun) - A group of organized activities designed to help someone win an election.
Harrison’s campaign presented him as a simple farmer.
5. opponent (noun) - A person who competes against someone else.
Martin Van Buren was Harrison’s opponent in the election.
6. economic crisis (noun phrase) - A period when a country has serious financial problems and many people may lose their jobs.
The election took place during an economic crisis.
7. electoral vote (noun) - A vote used to officially choose the president of the United States.
Harrison won 234 electoral votes.
8. administration (noun) - The president and the group of people who help run the government.
Harrison had very little time to organize his new administration.
9. government position (noun phrase) - An official job working for the government.
Many people came to Washington to ask Harrison for government positions.
10. diagnose (verb) - To identify an illness after studying its symptoms.
Harrison’s doctor diagnosed him with pneumonia.
11. pneumonia (noun) - A serious illness that affects the lungs and can make breathing difficult.
Doctors originally believed Harrison was suffering from pneumonia.
12. treatment (noun) - Medicine or another action used to help someone recover from an illness.
Doctors tried many different treatments, but Harrison continued to get worse.
13. bloodletting (noun) - An old medical treatment in which doctors removed blood from a patient’s body. Basically letting their blood leave their bodies.
Harrison became weaker after his doctors tried bloodletting.
14. contaminated (adjective) - Made unsafe or dirty by a harmful substance or bacteria.
The water near the White House may have been contaminated by human waste.
15. precedent (noun) - An action or decision that becomes an example for similar situations in the future.
John Tyler created a precedent when he declared himself president.
16. amendment (noun) - An official change or addition to a law or constitution.
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment made the rules of presidential succession clearer.
Comprehension Questions
How did William Henry Harrison become famous before entering national politics?
How did Harrison’s campaign present him as a man of the people?
What made Harrison’s inauguration unusual?
What problems did Harrison face during his first weeks as president?
What treatments did Harrison’s doctors use after he became sick?
Why do modern researchers question the story that cold weather caused Harrison’s death?
Why did Harrison’s death create confusion about who should become president?
What important precedent did John Tyler create?
Think About It
Why do you think Harrison’s “log cabin” image was successful even though it was not accurate?
Which part of Harrison’s story did you find most surprising? Why?
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