Lewis Prager Reveals Why Benjamin Harrison Was Among America's Most Consequential Single-Term Presidents
Enjoying this? Share it with someone who needs to see it.
Up Next
Jason Edwards Reveals How Rutherford B Hayes Became America's Most Disputed President in History
5:49
Michael Knowles Reveals How Chester Arthur Transformed From Political Boss to Reform President
5:41
Joseph Loconte Reveals Why James Buchanan Failed America Before the Civil War Began
5:36
Lewis Prager Reveals Why Benjamin Harrison Was Among America's Most Consequential Single-Term Presidents
Benjamin Harrison is often remembered merely as the president sandwiched between Grover Cleveland's two terms, but Lewis Prager argues the 23rd President deserves far greater recognition. Harrison's single term produced extraordinary accomplishments: he established national parks like Sequoia and Yosemite, broke up monopolies with the Sherman Antitrust Act, added six western states to the union, built America's modern navy, and fought tirelessly for civil rights. Frederick Douglass called him one of America's greatest presidents. Harrison's moral convictions, military service, and refusal to trade on his famous family name, his great-grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence, his grandfather was president, shaped a legacy that historians have largely overlooked.
If anybody thinks of Benjamin Harrison, and very few people do, they think of him as the guy whose presidency is sandwiched between the two terms of Grover Cleveland. But the 23rd President of the United States is much more than the answer to a trivia question. One could make the case that Harrison was among the most consequential single-term presidents in American history.
A Remarkable Presidential Record
Here's just a partial list of what Harrison accomplished in four years:
Pushed through the first serious legislation to protect consumers: the Meat Inspection Act
Promoted merit over patronage as the basis of government employment, appointing a young, brash reformer named Theodore Roosevelt to the Civil Service Commission
Added six western states to the union—a presidential record: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming
Designated 22 million acres as forest reserves, establishing Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks
Signed the Sherman Antitrust Act, enabling the federal government to break up monopolies
Made America a legitimate naval power by adding over two dozen steel ships to the fleet
Established Ellis Island, bringing order to the nation's immigration process
A Champion for Civil Rights
There's a reason why Frederick Douglass, the great civil rights leader, said of Harrison: "We never had a greater president." As much as any president in the second half of the 19th century, Harrison was repelled by the injustices inflicted on Black Americans. He was committed to doing something about it.
"When, under what conditions, is the Black man to have a free ballot? When is he, in fact, to have those full civil rights which have so long been his in law?" he asked. Harrison answered the first question by endorsing legislation to protect Blacks' right to vote. That right had been enshrined in the 15th Amendment, but it was being subverted by the Democrat-dominated South. Had he not been opposed by every Democrat and undermined by a few Republicans, the institutionalized racism of Jim Crow might have been a historical footnote rather than a terrible stain on America's history.
Cynics might say that since Blacks voted almost 100% Republican, Harrison had every reason to push such legislation. But Harrison was more than a politician—he was a deeply moral person. His views on the treatment of Black Americans were well established before he entered the White House.
An Impressive American Pedigree
No one came to the White House with a better pedigree than Harrison. His great-grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, signed the Declaration of Independence. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was the ninth president of the United States. His father, John Scott Harrison, served in the House of Representatives.
Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833, in North Bend, Ohio. Although always aware of his impressive lineage, he never used it to his own advantage. As he told an audience early in his career: "I want it understood that I am the grandson of nobody. I believe that every man should stand on his own merits."
Early Life and Military Service
Harrison attended Miami University in Ohio to be close to his future wife, Caroline Scott. After graduation, he and his new bride moved to Indianapolis, where Harrison practiced law. With his strong anti-slavery leanings, he also joined the Republican Party almost as soon as it was formed.
Then in 1862, he left his now prosperous legal career to enlist in the Union Army. Like future presidents Hayes, Garfield, and McKinley, he served with distinction, rising from colonel to brigadier general. He saw heavy action under General Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign.
The Path to the Presidency
After the war, Harrison returned to the law, becoming one of the leading attorneys in Indiana. In 1881, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Once again, he distinguished himself as a model public servant: honest, hardworking, and, in Harrison's case, a gifted orator. These qualities earned him serious consideration in the race for the 1888 Republican nomination for president.
Harrison wasn't anyone's first choice, but he was everyone's second choice. That proved good enough. He won the nomination in a field of seven candidates on the eighth ballot, and then he beat sitting Democratic President Grover Cleveland.
Harrison won by combining something old with something new. The old was high tariffs to protect American businesses from foreign competition—a Republican staple since Lincoln. The new was generous pensions to Civil War veterans, a popular policy Cleveland strongly opposed. It was a very close election. Cleveland won more votes, but Harrison won the Electoral College and thus the presidency.
A Productive But Challenging Term
Workmanlike in everything he did, Harrison's four years in office, as already described, were incredibly productive.
In 1892, Harrison was again opposed by Grover Cleveland, but this time several factors worked against Harrison. The Civil War pensions busted the budget, consuming almost 40% of total spending, resulting in the first "billion dollar Congress." The high tariffs that had helped Harrison win in 1888 by protecting industry in the East alienated farmers and ranchers in the West.
Personal Tragedy and Electoral Defeat
No less damaging, but much more tragic, his wife Caroline was dying of tuberculosis. Harrison refused to leave her side and never campaigned on his own behalf. Two weeks before the election, she died. So stricken with grief was Harrison, he barely noticed he had lost.
