Thursday, December 25, 2008

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 9TH PRESIDENT - William Henry Harrison was sworn in as the 9th U.S. President on March 4, 1841. His campaign slogan - "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" - referred to his defeat of the Native Americans under the leadership of Tecumseh and his brother The Prophet at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and was the first presidential campaign to use a campaign slogan. He was the first President-elect to arrive in Washington, D.C. for his inauguration by train, while his was the longest of all inaugural speeches (10,000 words). His inaugural address was unusual in that he began it before taking the oath of office, then took the oath of office, and then resumed his speech. His presidency was the shortest of all U.S. Presidents, dying not long after his inauguration from pneumonia that he caught from giving such a long inauguration speech in the bitter cold.