April 4: President William Henry Harrison

On this date in History ..... 1841:



 

Pres. William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia 32 days after becoming President. His list of “memorables” include:




·         His term of President is the shortest term served by any president.

·     He was the 1^st president to die in office.

·         His inaugural speech of 2 hrs (and that’s the edited version!) holds the record for the longest inaugural speech in U.S. history. (Hmmm … the record for the longest speech and the record for the shortest time in office.  Ain’t that a kick!)

·         He was the oldest president to take office at 68 years old (a record that would hold until Ronald Reagan).

·         He was the last president to be born before the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

·         He became the first congressional delegate from the Northwest Territory.

·         He served as governor of the Indiana Territory and worked to open American Indian lands to white settlers.

·         His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, from Indiana, would become president, making them the only grandfather/grandson presidents in history.

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