William Henry Harrison was born on the banks of the James River, in Virginia, February 9, 1773. He died on April 4, 1841. Fortunately for him, his father was well-to-do and able to give him a good education, so he was sent to college and graduated with a great deal of honor to himself and his family. In the meantime his father had died, and the young college graduate went to Philadelphia to study medicine.

Benjamin Harrison, his father, had been one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, at Philadelphia, July 4, 1776, and was one of the great men of his time. He was the friend of George Washington, and was among the first of those who said that the English should not make the colonists pay taxes and accept laws which they thought were unjust.

George Washington was President when Harrison was studying medicine, and there was a great deal of trouble with the Indians in the Northwest Territory, where now are the States of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Washington had sent an army out there under General St. Clair to protect the settlers. Young Harrison joined the army, in which he was made ensign or corporal, which was considered a low position.

In the very first battle in which St. Clair's army was engaged it was almost totally destroyed, but young Harrison escaped.

He was exposed to great danger and showed himself so brave and capable that he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Mad Anthony Wayne, one of the heroes of the Revolutionary War, took command of the army after St. Clair was killed,nand while marching through the forests of Indiana he was attacked by a strong force of Indians. Lieutenant Harrison was especially commended by General Wayne for his courage and ability. Wayne said, " Wherever duty called he hastened, regardless of danger, and by his efforts and example contributed as much to securing the fortunes of the day as any other officer subordinate to the commander-in-chief." This won for him the higher rank of Captain, and he was put in command of one of the large forts.

Harrison received his captaincy in 1797, and was soon appointed the terrtorial secretary, resigning his army commission in June 1798. The territory was divided into Ohio and Indiana territories in 1800, and in 1801, on the expiry of his term as delegate, he was appointed Governor of Indiana Territory and removed to the small French village of Vincennes, the capital of Indiana. He built a Georgian brick house named Grouseland (or Grousland), which he often used for official functions, such as conferences with Indians. Vincennes had an academy, perhaps the only educational foundation in the region. There was a small fort, Fort Knox, and an Indian Agency there. There was forest in all directions, and few settlers as yet. Michigan was divided from Indiana in 1805, Illinois in 1809. Chillicothe, on the Scioto, was the first capital of Ohio, which became a state in 1803. The capital was later moved to Franklin, now Columbus, in 1816. In 1810, the population of the Northwest was about 273,000, 85% of which was in Ohio. The United States population was about 7,240,000, and the center of population was 40 miles northwest of Washington, DC.

In the period from 1800 to 1812, Harrison was the governor of the Indiana Territory where his prime function was to conclude treaties for the purchase of lands from Native Americans. Some tribes resisted, most notably Tecumseh and his brother, The Prophet. In 1811, Harrison routed the Shawnee at the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Except for his role in acquiring their land, Harrison did everything in his power for the welfare of the Indians. He saw that they were fairly dealt with, that the supply of alcohol was restricted, that outrages against them were punished, and that agreements with them were respected. In all these things he differed from the usual American custom. He was convinced, however, that the advance of settlement was natural and irresistible, though it should be carried out humanely. Treaties were concluded, sometimes several in one year, extinguishing Indian title to lands further and further northward, beyond the rich forest areas into the sterile (for the Indians) prairies west of the Wabash.

During the War of 1812, Harrison replaced the disgraced William Hull and recaptured Detroit in September 1813. In the following month Harrison’s forces were victorious at the Battle of the Thames north of Lake Erie, a victory that secured the northwest border. Harrison secured further land cessions from Native Americans in the Treaty of Greenville in 1814 and the Treaty of Spring Wells in 1815.

After the close of the War of 1812 he resigned his commission in the army, and was elected a Representative of Congress by the new Territory of Ohio, which had been made out of a great wilderness. Congress recognized his splendid services by passing a resolution of thanks and giving him a gold medal.

General Harrison, while in Congress, became known as one of the finest and best speakers among all the able men who were there with him.

Like General Washington, he was greatly beloved by the people for his good habits, kindness of heart and honesty. His journey from his home in Ohio to the White House was marked by enthusiastic festivities. The people met him in crowds and gave him a grand reception. A vast collection of people attended the inaugural ceremonies at Washington, and he made an address in which he set forth the high aims which he had for the performance of his duties.

He selected as his Secretary of State Daniel Webster, who was one of the greatest statesmen of his time. The other men in the Cabinet were also distinguished men, and every one looked forward to four prosperous and happy years which would come in the presidency of such a good and great man.

Harrison had been the Northern Whig candidate for President in 1836, but lost the election to Martin Van Buren. He was the candidate again in the 1840 election, winning a landslide victory largely because of his heroic military record and a weak U.S. economy.

In the longest inauguration oration ever given, Harrison promised, among other things, not to seek a second term; he never had the chance. He caught cold in a dismal inaugural rainstorm, developed pneumonia, and died on April 4, 1841 after only 31 days (March 4- April 4) on the job.

William Henry Harrison at 68 years of age was the oldest man to be elected president (until Ronald Reagan in 1980); he also was the first president to die in office and had the shortest term. Harrison was the only president to have a grandson, Benjamin Harrison, achieve the same office.

It was the first time in American history that a President had died in office and Vice-President, John Tyler, succeeded to the office, and became President of the United States to finish the uncompleted term.

Harrison's views on slavery were moderate, and he was not considered wholly reliable on this issue by the South. As was usual at the time, he regarded it as a state's rights issue, which, of course, meant that he was not going to make enemies over it. He brought a slave with him from Virginia to Ohio, and later to Vincennes, as a personal servant, but did not use slaves for farming or business. The use of black personal and domestic slaves had been common throughout the colonies and early Republic, but was declining everywhere but in the South. A black personal slave was still universal among Virginian gentlemen, including all the "fathers" of the country from this region. He freed his own servant, and successfully fought for the admission of Indiana as a free state (that is, one in which the slave trade was illegal). In Virginia, he had joined an emancipation society that supported emancipation by emigration. He often rescued slaves by buying them in Kentucky, bringing them to Ohio and Indiana, and indenturing them for a period of years, after which they would have earned their freedom. He looked forward to a time when there would be no more slavery, but thought it could only be brought about gradually, any more rapid movement being dangerous to the white south. Harrison was an Episcopalian in religion, and liked to read the Bible.

Harrison's early politics may have been Federalist, but he readily adopted the local Republican ways when he arrived in the west. He was generally of Henry Clay's faction, though relations between them cooled when they became rivals. Harrison believed strongly in state's rights, in federally-supported internal improvements, against patronage and similar uses of federal power. It is quite erroneous to believe that a two-party system existed in his time. Instead, politics solidified around leaders and principles.