The Presidential Life of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States taking office in 1941. Harrison’s significance in presidential history does not lie in his brief term of office but rather in the different campaign techniques designed by his party to give him the office.
Smart advisers eyed the voters and a wholly changed their candidates resume and image to fit what the public wanted. He had deliberately avoided hard stands on issues during the campaign earning the nickname “General Mum” from the opposition. On a freezing snowy March day in 1841, he outlined his vision for leadership at last. Harrison presented a detailed criticism of the constitution and how his presidency would thread lightly on what he saw as its flaws.
He criticized what he saw to be a trend towards too much power by the executive branch and pledged “under no circumstances will I consent to serve a second term”. Harrison pledged no presidential interference in the development of financial policy by congress. The veto power should only be used if a president leaved a law passed by congress was unconstitutional.
Harrison pledged himself to a weak presidency operating under the direction of the first branch, the congress. Slavery had already become the nation’s most hotly debated issue. A slave owner himself, Harrison supported the right of states to make their own decisions in the matter.
The president said in regard to slavery, “The lines too separating the powers to be exercised by the citizens of one states from those of another seemed to be so distinctly drawn as to leave no room for misunderstanding”. He criticized those against slavery as endangering state’s rights. The address lasted nearly two hours but in the days before electronic media, public speaking for so long a time was common.
During the address, the new president wore no coat or hat. When he followed the address with a round of receptions and his wet clothing, it resulted in pneumonia. Doctors were called in but their medical practices were crude and only weakened Harrison. Exactly one month after taking the oath of office, Harrison was dead. William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office. No other president has served for such a short time.
Anna Symmes Harrison had been delaying joining her husband in Washington DC due to the sudden death of one of their sons. She was still packing for the journey when she learned of her husband’s death. Mrs. Harrison was the wife of one president and the grandmother of another, the future president Benjamin Harrison.
Whenever a president dies in office, there is considerable debate as to what he would and would not have done given a full term. Because his time in office was so short and he believed that congress should be the dominant policy maker is impossible to predict the possible course of a Harrison presidency. The death of Harrison prevented the congressional wigs from consolidating power.
Within a decade and a half, the party was in pieces, splintered into the existing democrats and a new party, the republicans. William Harrison was the oldest man to become president so far. He was buried near his home in North Bend, Ohio.
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