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William Henry Harrison
Born: February 9, 1773
Died: April 4, 1841
Term in Office: 31 days in 1841
Until 69-year-old Ronald Reagan was elected to the office in 1979, the title of oldest elected President was held by the ninth president, William Henry Harrison. Of course, since 1979 we've had a couple of guys in their mid- to late-seventies in the Oval Office.
Harrison won a whopping 80% of the electoral vote, his popularity due in large part to his successes as a military man. He took lands from Native Americans while governor of the Indiana Territory, most famously defeating the chief Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Yeah, that's where that slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!" came from... for William "Old Tippecanoe" and his running mate John Tyler. Harrison burned one of the Indian villages following his military victory, an action from which the legendary 'Tecumseh's Curse' sprang. The curse is said to be responsible for the death of any president in office who was elected in a year ending in '0.' Strangely, all seven presidents elected in such years died in office until Ronald Reagan's presidency broke the run (curse?). And he survived an assassin's bullet.
Harrison died just 31 days after delivering the longest inaugural address on record, going almost two hours in unseasonably cold weather without his topcoat. Some blamed that speech, but others claim it wasn't until he was drenched in a downpour some 23 days after the inauguration that he became ill. Washington DC was built on marshland, rife with all manner of ugly infectious bacteria and such. Harrison was known to do the daily shopping for the White House at some of the 'marsh markets' a quarter-mile or so from the mansion. Yes, he did his own shopping, and no, there were no Secret Service folks accompanying him. The Secret Service did not come into existence until after Abe Lincoln's assassination.
Whatever the cause, the ninth president died just 31 days into his term, testing the rules for succession. John Tyler pretty much demanded he be sworn in, though many interpreted the Constitution to say that the surviving vice-president should govern with the Cabinet by committee. Not until 1967, with the passing of the 25th amendment were the rules for succession specifically written into law. Tyler set a precedent that worked for the country until then.
Peace to all, and take good care of yourself in the rain.
Thanks to these two websites for info on Old Tippecanoe: www.historynet.com and www.thoughtco.com (Kelly, Martin. "10 Interesting and Important Facts About William Henry Harrison." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/things-to-know-about-william-harrison-105493.)
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