author
William Henry Harrison
Remembered as the first U.S. president to die in office, he packed a soldier’s career, frontier politics, and a famous election into a life that shaped the early republic. His presidency lasted only a month, but his story reaches far beyond that brief stay in the White House.
1 Audiobook
Colored girls and boys' inspiring United States history and a heart to heart talk about white folks
by William Henry Harrison
About the author
Born in Virginia in 1773, he became a military officer and frontier leader during the early years of the United States. He served in the Northwest Territory, fought in conflicts with Native nations, and later built a national reputation after the Battle of Tippecanoe, a victory that helped turn him into a political hero.
Before becoming president, he held several important public roles, including governor of the Indiana Territory, member of Congress, senator from Ohio, and diplomat to Colombia. In 1840, the Whig Party presented him as a war hero and man of the people, and he won the presidency in one of the most memorable campaigns of the era.
His time in office was tragically short. Harrison was inaugurated on March 4, 1841, and died on April 4, 1841, becoming the first U.S. president to die in office. Even so, his life connects military history, westward expansion, and the rough-and-ready style of early American politics.