The Rise of Benjamin Harrison
Civil War General, Indiana Senator, President of the United States
Benjamin Harrison, grandson of President William Henry Harrison, climbed quickly up the political ladder, from local politics to national recognition.
Future President Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was practically born into the political life - his father had been an Ohio Congressman, his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, had been President (though for only a month), and his great-grandfather, John Scott Harrison, had signed the Declaration of Independence.
Because of this, Harrison, it is thought, believed himself in a sense "destined" for political greatness. Nevertheless, he worked hard at school as a youth, graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio near the top of his class, marrying his college girlfriend, Carolyn, in 1853, passing the bar exam in 1854, and moving to the city of Indianapolis, Indiana that same year.
By the time he was twenty-two years old, young Benjamin Harrison had already begun to find success in his life. Surely, as a result of this heritage, the young man had been interested in politics throughout his life. His father and grandfather had been members of the now-defunct Whig party, many members of which had gone on to join the new Republican Party - which is the direction Harrison went, as well.
Political Life and War
Benjamin Harrison served in several political capacities before the Civil War - campaigning for the Republican Presidential Candidates in 1856, John C. Fremont and 1860, Abraham Lincoln - and serving in several local positions, such as City Attorney of Indianapolis and Secretary of the Indiana state Republican Campaign Committee.
During the war, Harrison, like several others who would be President before him (Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes and James Garfield), joined an infantry unit and rose quickly through the military ranks until finally achieving the title of Brigadier General. In the end, though, Harrison did not remember his military life with much fondness.
After the war, Harrison, 31 years old, went back to law practice and politics in Indiana, unsuccessfully running for Governor in 1872 and becoming even more involved in the state Republican Party.
In the Presidential election of 1880, Harrison served as a delegate to the Republican Nominating Convention, where he supported the "dark horse" candidate, James Garfield for President (who went on to win the general election). Also that year, Harrison was elected to the U.S. Senate from Indiana - his first bit of national exposure.
As Senator, Harrison followed, for the most part, the Republican party platform; high tariffs, limited civil service reform and modernizing the navy.
The Election of 1888
Though Benjamin Harrison failed to be reelected to the Senate in 1886 (which at that time was a result of the state legislature, rather than a vote of the people), he was a strong candidate for the Republican nomination two years later. Though he was not the first choice of many, he served as a good comprimise candidate for the Republicans who couldn't agree on any of the front runners.
On the eighth ballot, Harrison was nominated, with Levi P. Morton of New York as his running mate, to run against the popular incumbent President Grover Cleveland.
The election was one of the closest in American history. In the end, Harrison lost the popular vote to Cleveland by nearly 100,000 votes, but won the popular vote among the states by a considerable majority (233 to 168). The election of 1888 was one of only four times in American history that this has occurred (the other being the election of 1824 between Adams and Jackson, 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden, and 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore).
Despite lacking a popular mandate, Benjamin Harrison was elected President of the United States and took office in 1889, the only grandson of a former President to ever obtain the office.
For more information:
The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison
References:
"Benjamin Harrison." American Presidents: An Online Reference Resource.
"Biography of Benjamin Harrison." The White House.
