Richard Lim Reveals the Forgotten Story of William Henry Harrison and Tippecanoe's 1840 Campaign
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Richard Lim Reveals the Forgotten Story of William Henry Harrison and Tippecanoe's 1840 Campaign
Richard Lim uncovers the remarkable story behind one of America's most famous campaign slogans: "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." William Henry Harrison, born into Virginia aristocracy and son of a Declaration of Independence signer, transformed himself from military hero to political icon. After defeating Shawnee Chief Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe and securing victory at the Thames River during the War of 1812, Harrison became a national celebrity. The Whig Party reinvented his patrician background into a log cabin frontiersman image, propelling him to the presidency in 1840. His triumph was tragically short-lived, making him both the oldest president elected at that time and the shortest-serving chief executive in American history.
The Campaign Slogan That Changed American Politics
The 1840 presidential election featured one of the most famous political slogans in American history: "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." The Tyler of the slogan was John Tyler, the vice presidential candidate, but who was Tippecanoe? It wasn't a person—it was the site of a famous battle. The general who won that battle was William Henry Harrison, the man who became the ninth president of the United States.
Virginia Aristocracy to Military Service
Born into a leading Virginia family on February 9, 1773, Harrison's father, Benjamin Harrison V, was one of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. William, the youngest of seven children, grew up on the family's largest estate. But when his father died suddenly, the cushy life of his youth quickly became a memory. Like most Virginia planters, the estate was more debt than profit, and at 18, William was on his own.
He joined the army and was posted to the Northwest Territory, an area that includes what is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Harrison quickly established himself as a brave soldier and competent administrator.
Governor of the Northwest Territory
In 1801, when Harrison was just 27, President John Adams appointed him governor of the entire region, an office Harrison would hold for 12 years. As governor, Harrison was a passionate promoter of westward expansion. He negotiated seven treaties with the tribes of the region, acquiring about 50 million acres of land for the United States in the process.
While many of the Indians adapted to changing circumstances and melded into the new settlements and towns, some refused. These gathered under the banner of Shawnee Chief Tecumseh.
The Battle That Made a Hero
In November 1811, Tecumseh's warriors, led by his brother Tenskwatawa, launched a surprise attack on Harrison's forces near the Tippecanoe River in what is now Indiana. After taking initial losses, Harrison and his men turned the tide and emerged victorious. The Battle of Tippecanoe made Harrison a national hero, but his greatest triumph was yet to come, and Tecumseh was again his nemesis.
During the War of 1812, the Indian chief aligned himself with the British. At the Thames River near modern Detroit, the two forces faced off. Harrison prevailed. Tecumseh died in the battle. The victory provided a major morale boost for the American people during a war in which victories were few and far between.
From Military Hero to Political Career
His hero status secured, Harrison settled in North Bend, Ohio. He capitalized on his military record to get himself elected to Congress in 1816 and then to the Senate in 1824.
By 1829, the American political landscape had dramatically changed. The founding generation was gone, and the era of modern political parties had begun. Politics was no longer a game for the elites. As the population of the country grew and voting rights expanded, the Common Man demanded to be heard.
The Age of Jackson and the Whig Response
The man who recognized this better than anyone was the new president, Andrew Jackson. The hero of the Battle of New Orleans wrote the political playbook of the 19th century: the rough man of humble beginnings rises against all odds to great heights.
Jackson's political opponents, the Whigs, fought him throughout his two presidential terms and got nowhere. But when Jackson stepped down in 1837 and his vice president, Martin Van Buren, took the top spot, the Whigs saw their chance. It also helped that the country had fallen into a major financial crisis—the Panic of 1837.
Reinventing the Candidate
Taking a page out of Jackson's playbook, the Whigs turned to Harrison, who like Jackson was a military hero. But that wasn't quite enough. They had to rewrite Harrison's biography. No longer was he a Virginia patrician—now he was a hard-drinking log cabin frontiersman.
The strategy worked. The 68-year-old Harrison easily defeated Van Buren in the 1840 election, becoming the first Whig president. He was also, at that time, the oldest man to reach the highest office.
A Fateful Inauguration
Eager to prove that he was hardy enough to do the job, he insisted on delivering a two-hour-long inaugural address—to this day the longest ever given—without a hat, coat, or gloves on a freezing March afternoon. In that speech, he offered his vision of a more modest presidency in sharp contrast to Jackson's "my way or the highway" approach. Harrison vowed not to wield the presidential veto over Congress as Jackson had done.
The Makings of a President Cut Short
Harrison had the makings of a successful president. He put together an all-star cabinet featuring the great statesman Daniel Webster as his secretary of state. He called Congress into special session to deal with the economic crisis. He was no pushover. When Henry Clay, the bigwig of the Whig Party, challenged his leadership, Harrison responded: "You forget, Mr. Clay, that I am the president."
But he wasn't for long. That record-breaking inauguration speech may have been his undoing. Within weeks, he developed pneumonia. His condition worsened, and he died on April 4, 1841, exactly one month after being sworn in. He was the first president to die in office and remains the shortest-serving chief executive in American history.
