 |
William Henry Harrison
b. 9 Feb 1773, "Berkeley Plantation", Charles City County, Virginia
d. 4 Apr 1841, Washington, D.C. |
| Title: |
President of the United States |
| Term: |
4 Mar 1841 - 4 Apr 1841 |
| Chronology: |
10 Feb 1841,
the election to the office of the President of the United States is declared upon the ascertainment and counting of the electoral vote (cast 1 Dec 1840),
joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives, House Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [1] |
|
4 Mar 1841,
commencement of term |
|
4 Mar 1841,
took the oath of office as the President of the United States, inaugural ceremony as part of the special session of the Senate, East Portico, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. [2] |
|
4 Apr 1841, died [3] |
| Biography: |
| Pursued classical studies; attended Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia; studied medicine; entered the Army in 1798 as an ensign in the First Infantry, served in the Indian wars, and rose to the rank of lieutenant; resigned from the Army in 1798; appointed secretary of the Northwest Territory 1798-1799; elected as a Delegate from the Northwest Territory to the 6th Congress (4 Mar 1799 - 14 May 1800); resigned to become Territorial Governor of Indiana (13 May 1800 - 28 Dec 1812) and also Indian commissioner; defeated the Indians at Tippecanoe (7 Nov 1811); major general in the US Army in the War of 1812; resigned from the Army in 1814; head commissioner to treat with the Indians; elected to the 14th Congress to fill a vacancy; reelected to the 15th Congress (8 Oct 1816 - 4 Mar 1819); unsuccessful candidate for governor, Ohio in 1820; member, State senate (1819-1821); presidential elector in Ohio in 1822; unsuccessful candidate for House of Representatives in 1822; elected to the Senate (4 Mar 1825 - 20 May 1828); Minister to Colombia (1828-1829); chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (19th and 20th Congresses); unsuccessful Whig candidate for president in 1836 (lost the election to Democrat Martin Van Buren); elected President of the United States (1840); died of pneumonia one month after his inauguration. |
| Biographical sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (2005). |
| Elections: |
| Candidate |
Electoral vote (1 Dec 1840) |
| William Henry Harrison |
234 |
| Martin Van Buren |
60 |
| total number of electors appointed |
294 |
| number of votes for a majority |
148 |
|
| Source of electoral results: Congressional Globe, 26th Congress, 2nd Session, 160.
|
| |
| [1] |
Congressional Globe, 26th Congress, 2nd Session, 159-160. |
| [2] |
Congressional Globe, 26th Congress, 2nd Session, 232-236. |
| [3] |
Daily National Intelligencer, Washington: Monday, April 5, 1841. |
|
Image: Portrait of William Henry Harrison by Albert Gallatin Hoit. |
