The Whig Party laid the groundwork for the Republican Party of today. Between the 1830s and late 1850s, distinguished statesmen in the party, including Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, advocated for entrepreneurship, social reform, and less government for the new nation.
William Henry Harrison ran on the Whig platform and was elected president in 1840, but he held the office only 32 days, the shortest in U.S. history.
Members of his family were deeply patriotic Americans. His father, Benjamin Harrison V, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and one of William Henry’s grandsons, Benjamin Harrison, was elected the nation’s 23rd president.
Although his father wished him to take up medicine, Pres. Harrison’s heart was with the military. When his father passed away in 1791, the estate went to Harrison’s older brothers. No longer able to afford his schooling, Harrison used his family’s influence to follow his dream of joining the military.
Indian Wars
Harrison served as Gen. “Mad Anthony” Wayne’s right hand man in the Northwest Indian War. Once Gen. Wayne took command of the army in the Northwestern Territory in 1792, Harrison was promoted to lieutenant. In 1794, he played a vital role in the decisive victory in the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
In 1798, Harrison resigned from the military to work towards a career in government in the Northwest Territory. He served as the territorial secretary and a congressional delegate for the territory before becoming the governor of the Indiana Territory in 1801.
While governor, Harrison pushed towards acquiring lands from the Native Americans west of the territory to expand settlement. In 1805, Harrison successfully bought over 50 million acres of land from leaders of various tribes, paying less than a dollar for 20,000 acres.
But after the large land acquisition, tempers rose among leaders of certain Native American tribes. In 1810, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh brought 75 of his warriors to Harrison’s home, known as Grouseland, in Vincennes, the capital of Indiana Territory.
Tecumseh warned Harrison that if he encroached any further into Native American land, it would mean war. Tensions heated up at the meeting to the point where swords, war clubs, and pistols were drawn. For a moment, the two sides stared each other down. The incident caused further negotiations to cease.
In 1811, President James Madison sanctioned a raid against the Native Americans. Harrison then convinced the president to allow him to lead the troops.
Although surprised during the Battle of Tippecanoe, Harrison’s efforts resulted in the Native American forces getting greatly reduced. Then in 1813, Harrison overcame a combined British and Native American force in the Battle of the Thames. During the battle, Tecumseh was killed, which forced his warriors to scatter.
Harrison would then spend the next several years vying for various political seats. In 1836, he became one of the candidates of the Whig party to run against Democrat Martin Van Buren. Harrison fell into second place, and Van Buren was elected the country’s eighth president.
In 1840, Harrison campaigned as the sole Whig candidate and won under the motto “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” During his inaugural address, Pres. Harrison delivered a two-hour speech in cold weather without wearing a coat or a hat. After his speech, he caught a cold, which would soon turn into pneumonia.
In the White House just over a month, Pres. Harrison succumbed to pneumonia and died on April 4, 1841.
