Here are some quick facts, opinions, quotes and other information on President Benjamin Harrison:
Personal Information on Benjamin Harrison:
- Twenty-third (1889-1893)
- Birthday: August 20, 1833 (Tuesday)
- Birthplace: North Bend, Ohio
- Birthplace Website: President Benjamin Harrison’s Birthplace
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Date of Death: March 13, 1901 (Wednesday)
- Place of Death: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Place of Burial: Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Burial Website: President Benjamin Harrison’s Grave (Crown Hill Cemetery)
- Cause of Death: Pneumonia
- Age: 67 years old
- Length of Retirement: 2930 days
Interesting Benjamin Harrison facts:
- North and South Dakota entered the union while Benjamin Harrison was President. Not wanting either state to be upset with him about which state would enter the union first, Harrison ordered the papers shuffled and he signed the bottom of them. No one really knows which one he signed first. North Dakota is generally acknowledged as the 39th state and South Dakota is generally acknowledged as the 40th state. The only reason for that is that North Dakota comes first alphabetically.
- The most common number of years that our Presidents have lived is 67 years old. Three Presidents died at the age of 67 years old. The three were: George Washington, Benjamin Harrison and Woodrow Wilson. Strangely enough, Benjamin Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison (our ninth President), who died in office, was 68 years old when he died.
- John Scott Harrison, Benjamin’s dad, has the distinction of being the only person who was the son of one President and the father of another President. John Scott Harrison was the fifth child, and third son, of our ninth President, William Henry Harrison. Benjamin Harrison was the second child of John and John’s second wife, Elizabeth Ramsey Harrison. John would have a total of ten kids with Elizabeth. With his first wife, Lucretia Knapp Johnson Harrison, John would have three children. Benjamin Harrison would have three children. Two of those children were with his first wife Caroline Scott Harrison. The other child would be with his second wife Mary Scott Lord Dimmick Harrison.
My favorite Benjamin Harrison Quotes:
I knew that my staying up would not change the election result if I were defeated, while if elected I had a hard day ahead of me. So I thought a night’s rest was best in any event.
Great lives never go out; they go on.
I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process.
The bud of victory is always in the truth.
I don’t think people ought to take the elevator if they (can) walk, because they don’t get to see the stairway.
Benjamin Harrison blogs (click the title to go to that page):
Benjamin Harrison page on Presidential Crossroads (click “Benjamin Harrison” below):
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison Blogs:
Notable Cemetery Where he is Buried
William Henry Harrison’s (his grandfather) birthplace – Berkeley Plantation
What similiar trait do I have with Presidents Garfield through Wilson
Personal thoughts on Benjamin Harrison:
Strengths:
Very nice guy, Encouraged technology
Weaknesses:
Not much of a personality, Afraid to upset people
Presidential Greatness Scale (1-poor to 5-great): 1.5
Comments:
Benjamin Harrison came on a wave of anti-export sentiment. “Foreign countries were taking all our jobs because of their cheap labor.” The solution: tax or apply tariffs to exports. Foreign countries stopped selling us stuff. In America, monopolies formed when American business tried to pick up the slack. Prices skyrocketed. No one was happy. He also oversaw the first billion dollar budget. It nearly broke us as easy to get and easy to pass on veteran benefits became the rage. He was nicknamed the Human Icicle for his frigid personality that angered most and befriended very few. He may not have been as bad as some Presidents, but he probably deserves to sit somewhere close to the bottom.
Favorite Benjamin Harrison book:
Benjamin Harrison by Charles W. Calhoun
Favorite Benjamin Harrison story:
Sandwiched between Grover Cleveland’s two terms, he is the only President to defeat a sitting President only to lose to that same man four years later.
Most memorable Benjamin Harrison memory:
Benjamin Harrison is one of those Presidents that makes me go: “That’s right, he was one of the Presidents, too.” I really haven’t done or been motivated by any Benjamin Harrison moments yet.
Favorite Benjamin Harrison possession (see picture at the top):
1967 Morris Katz Postcard
