It’s really no surprise that Benjamin Harrison went into politics. He belonged to a prominent Virginia family that settled in America in 1630. His great-grandfather, also named Benjamin Harrison, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; his grandfather, William Henry Harrison was President of the United States; and his father was a congressman from Ohio.
Harrison graduated from the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio in 1852. Caroline Scott, his future wife, attended the Oxford Female Institute across town. They were married by her father, a Presbyterian minister, in 1853. They would eventually have two children. In 1854, Harrison used some money that he inherited from an aunt to move to Indianapolis and began practicing law.
The newly formed Indiana Republican Party gave Harrison the political experience that he was looking for. He was elected to the post of recorder for the Indiana Supreme Court in 1860. When the civil war broke out, Harrison had a successful law firm going with William Fishback so he was hesitant to leave. Ultimately, in 1862, he volunteered to raise a regiment at the urging of Governor Morton, who felt that Indiana was not doing its part to support the war effort. Harrison’s unit, the 70th Indiana Infantry Regiment spent most of the time from 1862-1864 doing reconnaissance missions and guarding railroads. In 1864, his unit was transferred to General Sherman and took part in key battles during Sherman’s March to the Sea campaign. Before the end of the war in 1865, Harrison received his final promotion to brigadier general. After the war Harrison returned to Indianapolis to continue his law practice.
His law practice continued to thrive and Harrison grew in stature in the Republican Party. This increased stature did not equate to electoral success. Harrison lost the election for Indiana Governor twice (1872 & 1876). In 1881 the Indiana legislature elected Harrison to serve in the United States Senate. Serving in the Senate from 1881-1887, he championed many of the causes that he would fight for during his presidency. He lost his bid for re-election in 1886 when the newly Democratic legislature selected a Democrat to fill the seat. The Democratic Party completed a redistricting of the state in 1885 which resulted in increased seats for democrats even though the overall state was heavily republican.
Harrison received the Republican nomination for President in 1888. He was not the leading candidate; in fact he was fourth on the first ballot. As so often has happened the support for the top candidates decreased and Harrison was able to secure the nomination on the eighth ballot. Harrison defeated the incumbent president (Grover Cleveland) while losing the popular vote.
As president Harrison faced several international issues. Fishing rights in the Bering Sea caused a conflict with Great Britain that had to be resolved through arbitration using a third party. American soldiers were attacked in Chile leading Harrison to threaten to break diplomatic ties. This was eventually resolved with an apology and reparations from the government of Chile. The final international issue arose due in part to a rise in the Italian mafia in New Orleans. A police officer was killed and this was followed by the killing of 11 Italians by an angry mob. Harrison apologized to the Italian government. The Italian government wanted the perpetrators charged in federal court, but Harrison explained that it would be unconstitutional for the federal government to step in.
Late in his presidency some Americans started a revolt in Hawaii against Queen Liliuokalani who had started to take actions that were not favorable to American businesses in Hawaii. The insurrection was successful and the Americans asked that the United States annex Hawaii, Harrison was in favor of this since it would give the navy an increased presence in the Pacific Ocean. Harrison started the process, but it was not completed before he left office and Cleveland withdrew the request from Congress.
On the domestic front Harrison, favored and signed the McKinley Tariff Act increasing tariffs on many imported goods. This caused a problem with the federal budget because it was already running a surplus and this act just increased it. The 51st Congress, often referred to as the Billion-dollar Congress, decided to dramatically increase spending. Some of the spending went to increasing benefits to Civil War veterans, including people who didn’t even fight in the war, children of veterans and for injuries suffered after the war.
The other major piece of legislations was the Sherman Antitrust Act which forbade big companies from driving smaller companies out of business.
Harrison was generally viewed as a nice, honest person, but was not able to rally great enthusiasm for his causes. By the end of his first term his popularity was declining, in part because the public did not approve of the McKinley Tariff Act and the increased government spending. During the campaign of 1892 Harrison’s wife, Caroline, became very ill. He refused to leave her bedside and did not campaign. Out of respect Grover Cleveland did not campaign either. In the end Cleveland beat Harrison both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Caroline died shortly before the election.
Moving back to Indianapolis, Harrison stayed active in local and national politics. It was an active retirement. He lectured on constitutional law at Stanford University, wrote a book called This Country of Ours and remarried. The second marriage was to Caroline’s niece, Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, who was a widow. Mary was 25 years younger than Harrison and they had one child, Elizabeth.
In 1900, the nation of Venezuela hired Harrison to represent their interests at the International Court of Arbitration. Venezuela was involved in a border dispute with Great Britain. Harrison traveled to Paris to represent his client, but lost the case. In early 1901 Harrison fell ill and died from pneumonia at his home in Indianapolis.
Harrison’s primary legacy is probably around his international affairs. It was really during his administration that the United States started to emerge as a player on the international scene.
Party Conversation Starters:
- On of Benjamin Harrison’s nicknames was Centennial President because he took office 100 years after Washington (1889). George H. W. Bush would be the Bicentennial President.
- In 1878, John Scott Harrison’s (Benjamin’s father) body was stolen and sold to the Ohio Medical College in Cincinnati. It was eventually recovered and reburied.
- He had electricity installed in the White House for the first time; however, neither he nor Caroline would touch the light switches for fear of electrocution!
- The oldest known recording of a President’s voice is of Benjamin Harrison. Hayes was the first to have his voice recorded, but no copy is believed to still exist.
- Queen Victoria had the Resolute Desk built and sent to Benjamin Harrison as a gift. It was made from the timbers of the HMS Resolute, an English ship that was recovered and returned to the Queen. An exact copy was placed in Windsor Castle. Several Presidents have used this desk and it is currently in use by Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
- Neither of his children with Caroline attended his second wedding in 1896 to Caroline’s niece.
- It was raining during Harrison’s inauguration ceremony so Grover Cleveland held an umbrella over Harrison’s head.
- More states were added to the union during Harrison’s term (6) than any since Washington: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.
- During his retirement, he served on the Board of Trustees of Purdue University. The dorm Harrison Hall is named after him.
Vital Stats:
- Wife: Caroline Lavinia Scott (1832-1892, m. 1853); Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (1858-1948, m. 1896)
- Children: Russell Benjamin (1854-1936), Mary Scott (1858-1930), unnamed girl (died at birth in 1861), Elizabeth(1897-1955)
- Party affiliation: Republican Party
- Presidency: 1889-1893
- Born: August 20, 1833 (North Bend, Ohio)
- Died: March13, 1901 (Indianapolis, Indiana)
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