President Harrison Dies in Office
Harrison Presidency Ends After One Month
The longest inaugural speech in the shortest presidency may have begun Harrison's illness, but medical practices of the day may have finished him.
William Henry Harrison’s Presidency was an administration of “firsts”. Most famous of these, he was the first President to die in office. He died after just one month as President. Medical attention may have contributed to his death.
His was the first campaign to employ songs and slogans, notably, “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too!” a reference to his military victory against Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, which became his nickname. John Tyler was his running mate. Harrison was touted as a roughhewn pioneer, born in a log cabin, but actually came from an aristocratic Virginia planter family, had studied medicine before his military career. When Major General Harrison retired, he turned to politics. Among the offices he held were the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Missing his Inaugural, President-elect Harrison’s First Lady, Anna, who had been a schoolmate of Nellie Custis, granddaughter to the first First Lady, Martha Washington, chose to remain at their home in Indiana Territory until the spring made travel easier. Their daughter-in-law, Jane Harrison, served as temporary hostess for the new President in the meantime.
At 67 years old, Harrison, son of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the oldest President elected at the time, and had turned 68 by the time of his inauguration on March 4, 1841. He was sometimes derisively called “Granny” by his detractors.
Perhaps to defy this image, Harrison gave the longest inaugural speech, about an hour and 45 minutes long, and refused a hat or overcoat while delivering the speech, though it was snowing. He caught cold. After greeting the public at the White House, he attended several celebrations that evening.
But first, after his long speech, a tired President Harrison lay down for about half hour with a headache. Despite his cold, over the next two weeks he continued his work and did attend church twice, but when he developed a fever, Dr. Thomas Miller was called on March 27th. Dr. Miller had served the Van Buren family, and would continue to treat the Presidents through the Buchanan administration.
Dr. Miller would be accused of killing President Harrison with excessive bleeding, a common treatment of the day for fever, and by cupping, a practice thousands of years old, and still used as a form of acupressure. In Harrison’s case, this involved blistering the skin with heated cups to remove impurities from the body.
Harrison’s fever worsened, despite these and other treatments including the use of the mercury-containing calomel, and he contracted pneumonia. On Sunday, April 4th, he was the first President to die in office. Washington storefronts were hung with black cloth as an expression of mourning. The legend continued for many years that his old foe, Tecumseh, cursed Harrison, which evolved into the so-called “20-year” curse of Presidents who were to die in office who had been elected in years ending in zero.
The first White House funeral took place on Wednesday, April 7th, where Harrison’s body was on view in the East Room. The first presidential widow was not able to attend his funeral.
William Henry Harrison’s brief administration had many “firsts”, but also “lasts.” He was the last President to have been born a subject of the King of England, having been born in 1773. He was the last President to promote the Whig platform. Tyler was a more moderate Whig, unpopular with many in his own party, and was later expelled from the party.
Sources:
Biography of John Tyler, White House website: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jt10.html)
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website:
(http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000279)
Biography of William Henry Harrison, White House website:
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/wh9.html)
William Henry Harrison’s Inaugural Address:
(http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres26.html)
American Presidents website:
(http://www.americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=9)
Anthony, Carl Sferrazza. First Ladies - The Saga of the Presidents’ Wives and their Power 1789-1961. NY: William Morrow and Co., Inc. 1990
Anthony, Carl Sferrazza. America’s First Families. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000
“The Presidents” A&E television documentary, written and produced by Rhys Thomas, 2005.
American Presidents website: (http://www.american-presidents.com/william-henry-harrison)
