William Henry Harrison

Born: 2/9/1773

Birthplace: Charles City County, Va.

William Henry Harrison was born in Charles City County, Va., on Feb. 9, 1773.
Joining the army in 1791, he was active in Indian fighting in the Northwest,
became secretary of the Northwest Territory in 1798 and governor of Indiana in
1800. He married Anna Symmes in 1795. Growing discontent over white
encroachments on Indian lands led to the formation of an Indian alliance under
Tecumseh to resist further aggressions. In 1811, Harrison won a nominal victory
over the Indians at Tippecanoe and in 1813 a more decisive one at the Battle of
the Thames, where Tecumseh was killed.

After resigning from the army in 1814, Harrison had an obscure career in politics
and diplomacy, ending up 20 years later as a county recorder in Ohio. Nominated
for president in 1835 as a military hero whom the conservative politicians hoped
to be able to control, he ran surprisingly well against Van Buren in 1836. Four
years later, he defeated Van Buren but caught pneumonia and died in Washington
on April 4, 1841, a month after his inauguration. Harrison was the first president
to die in office.