The Presidency of William Henry Harrison (elected in 1840 to oust Martin Van Buren and the Jacksonian "dynasty"), in all honesty, did not very much effect the history of the United States.
The truth of the matter is that this man, no matter how skillful of a politician, or how honest and persuasive he may have been, simply did not have time to affect any real change in his meager 31 days in office.
Most accounts point to the beginning of the end for the new President at the event of his inauguration itself, when this thick-skinned former war-hero stood outside in cold, wet weather without an overcoat to deliver the longest inaugural address in American history - 8,444 words and about two hours long. The ensuing pneumonia surely contributed to his rapid decline.
The Northwest Territory
The politics of this man, therefore, cannot necessarily be discovered by looking at his presidency - the only act he actually accomplished was to call a special session of congress in order to deal with the continuing economic crisis (which had begun, in essence, with the economic policies of Andrew Jackson, resulting in the Panic of 1837 under Martin Van Buren).
The only window into his political ideology, therefore, comes from the remarkable life he lived prior to the election.
His military life began upon joining the army in 1792 at the age of 18, where he fought in the Northwest Indian War and earned several promotions before resigning in 1797 in order to become secretary of the northwest territory (present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconson and part of Minnesota) under Governor Arthur St. Claire.
Harrison's political life began at age 26, when he was elected as the first delegate from the Northwest Territory to the United States Congress, which he then resigned in 1800 when President John Adams, in the last year of his time in office, appointed him Governor of the Indiana territory (a portion of the Northwest Territory which had been apportioned for eventual statehood).
While Governor (a position in which he would remain until 1812), William Henry Harrison took it upon himself to expand the territory as much as possible, and to promote settlement. In doing so, however, he did not please the current native inhabitants of the area.
By 1805, this "land grab" had reached upwards of 51 million acres, and the native Americans, led by the region's most important Chief, Tecumseh, sought to stop this action.
General Harrison
Harrison, knowing that he had to quell the potential uprising if Indiana was ever going to achieve statehood (and if he was ever going to continue his upward political climb), assembled an army of 950 and on November 6, 1811, attacked Tecumseh beside the Tippacanoe River.
Harrison's victory in the ensuing battle earned him fame throughout the nation (and the nickname "Hero of Tippacanoe"), along the lines of the fame earned by Andrew Jackson after the Battle of New Orleans (even though in the end it did very little to quell the Native discontent - when America declared war on the British in 1812, the natives naturally sided with them).
Harrison fought as a Major General throughout the war, defending the Northwestern territory against both the British and the Native Americans, in the end Harrison earned even greater fame by winning a decisive battle near the Thames River in modern day Ontario, a battle in which Tecumseh himself was killed (though not before issuing his famous curse upon the United States Presidency).
Harrison turned his attention after this battle to enjoying his new fame by traveling the nation. Even though the war continued, Harrison became more of a celebrity than a general, in the end resigning from the army (amidst controversy) in 1814. He was forty-one.
Professional Candidate
Harrison spent the next quarter century of his life running for things. He ran for congress twice (winning once, in 1816 and losing in 1822), and the U.S. Senate three times (winning only once, in 1824). He also lost the election for Governor of Ohio in 1820.
The apex of his pre-Presidential career came upon being appointed minister to Colombia in 1828 under John Quincy Adams - an important assignment, but one that would not be entirely successful, ending with a recall in 1829 by new President Andrew Jackson.
For the next six years, Harrison retired to his Ohio farm and lived a relatively peaceful life before deciding to run for President as a Whig (anti-Jacksonian) in 1836. The Whig strategy in this election was to run several candidates, hoping at the very least to deny an electoral majority to Jackson's heir, Martin Van Buren.
This attempt, of course, failed.
Election of 1840
By the time Van Buren arrived in office, the nation was on the brink of economic disaster - and it only got worse from there. As such, chances of a Whig victory in 1840 seemed good. Harrison was chosen to run once again as a sort of compromise candidate - one who was a national hero and could gain both northern and southern support (he was born in the southern state of Virginia).
The election of 1840 was far more about personality than about policy. It was a campaign of slogans - "Martin Van Ruin" was how the Whigs referred to the incumbent, while themselves proclaiming the slogan "Tippacanoe and Tyler, Too," after their candidates heroic battle and their Vice Presidential nominee, John Tyler.
Harrison won the election in a landslide victory (234 electoral votes to 60 for Van Buren), though, as previously mentioned, did not live long enough to take advantage of his vast mandate.
While it can be assumed that he most likely would have followed closely along with the ideology of his party's leaders, Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, in supporting a protectionist foreign policy and internal improvements leading to modernism (such as John Quincy Adams and James Monroe before him), he never got the opportunity.
Instead, the office fell to John Tyler, whose policies very well may have led the Whig leaders of his day to refer to him as a "WHINO" - Whig in Name Only.
The life of William Henry Harrison is certainly interesting, though he appears to have been more interested in upward political mobility than in firm political beliefs.
Still, he left at least a few legacies: Shortest term in office (31 days); oldest President (at 68 years old, a record which would stand for more than 150 years, until Ronald Reagan); and the first President to die in office.
See Also:
References:
"William Henry Harrison." American President: An Online Reference Resource.
"Biography of William Henry Harrison." The White House.
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