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William Henry Harrison (2012)

by Gail Collins

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1707161,930 (3.48)22
The president who served the shortest term--just a single month--but whose victorious election campaign rewrote the rules for candidates seeking America's highest office William Henry Harrison died just thirty-one days after taking the oath of office in 1841. Today he is a curiosity in American history, but as Gail Collins shows in this entertaining and revelatory biography, he and his career are worth a closer look. The son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Harrison was a celebrated general whose exploits at the Battle of Tippecanoe and in the War of 1812 propelled him into politics, and in time he became a leader of the new Whig Party, alongside Daniel Webster and Henry Clay. But it was his presidential campaign of 1840 that made an indelible mark on American political history. Collins takes us back to that pivotal year, when Harrison's "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign transformed the way candidates pursued the presidency. It was the first campaign that featured mass rallies, personal appearances by the candidate, and catchy campaign slogans like "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too." Harrison's victory marked the coming-of-age of a new political system, and its impact is still felt in American politics today. It may have been only a one-month administration, but we're still feeling the effects.… (more)
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» See also 22 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
A succinct work for a short presidency, this book is nicely written and actually a good piece of history. Given the unenviable task of writing a presidential biography of the shortest presidential tenure (a month), the author succeeds in painting a knowledgeable picture of the man for the reader, and in casting this president's biography as relevant and worth reading. ( )
  alrajul | Jun 1, 2023 |
Like reading Cliff Notes - exactly what I wanted. Not too in-depth, and what really can you do with a guy who only served 30 days in office. ( )
  minkscat | Jan 29, 2022 |
read this icw my pursuit of biographies of all U.S. presidents in order. while not a scholarly tome, it gave enough background into the life and character and meager accomplishments of Wm Henry Harrison that I was able to continue my march thru history ( )
  tututhefirst | Apr 15, 2021 |
It actually took me a long to get a copy of this and I finally bought a used library edition online (Danbury Public Library).

For a 31-day president, I didn't expect that much, but it did exceed my expectations. I felt like I got a sense of the man. I also don't think he would've been very successful. What resonated the most was how he was constantly begging people for jobs and how he wasn't very good at managing his money. He also seemed very generous and a gracious host, even though he was always short on money. Also interesting that he said he was going to follow the lead of congress (and essentially be a weak president), but some of his actions and statements towards the end seemed to belie that. And we'll never know. ( )
  LisaMorr | May 24, 2019 |
Excellent, concise biography. Interesting read, well written, objective. What else do I need from biographical work? ( )
1 vote everfresh1 | Jun 14, 2014 |
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
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In memory of my father, Roy Gleason
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People sometimes ask me why I volunteered to write a biography of William Henry Harrison. (Prologue)
The president is the central player in the American political order. (Editor's Note)
William Henry Harrison was born on February 9, 1773, seventh in a family of three boys and three girls, and in a way his destiny was determined by his birth order.
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The president who served the shortest term--just a single month--but whose victorious election campaign rewrote the rules for candidates seeking America's highest office William Henry Harrison died just thirty-one days after taking the oath of office in 1841. Today he is a curiosity in American history, but as Gail Collins shows in this entertaining and revelatory biography, he and his career are worth a closer look. The son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Harrison was a celebrated general whose exploits at the Battle of Tippecanoe and in the War of 1812 propelled him into politics, and in time he became a leader of the new Whig Party, alongside Daniel Webster and Henry Clay. But it was his presidential campaign of 1840 that made an indelible mark on American political history. Collins takes us back to that pivotal year, when Harrison's "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign transformed the way candidates pursued the presidency. It was the first campaign that featured mass rallies, personal appearances by the candidate, and catchy campaign slogans like "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too." Harrison's victory marked the coming-of-age of a new political system, and its impact is still felt in American politics today. It may have been only a one-month administration, but we're still feeling the effects.

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