Benjamin Harrison has the unique distinction of having a grandfather, William Henry Harrison, who was also president.
Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833 in North Bend, Ohio. He was the second of eight children born to John Scott and Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin Harrison.
He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1852. While in school he met and began to court Caroline “Carrie” Lavinia Scott.
Upon finishing school he studied and practiced law. On October 20, 1853, he and Carrie Scott were married. They would go on to have two children together. In 1860, he was elected as the reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court.
During the Civil War, he helped to raise the 70th Indiana regiment and was commissioned as a colonel. On January 23, 1865, President Lincoln nominated Harrison to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, which was confirmed by the U.S. Senate a few weeks later. He mustered out at the end of the war and returned to his law practice.
In both 1872 and 1876 he ran for Indiana Governor but was defeated both times. He remained active in the Republican party.
In 1880, he was elected as a U.S. Senator and began serving in 1881.
In 1880, he became the Republican nomination for president and beat the incumbent, President Grover Cleveland.
President Harrison continued to deal with the issue of currency should be backed by gold and silver or just gold and achieved passage of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. He and Grover Cleveland had differing views on this matter.
He attended the United States Centennial Celebration in New York in 1889.
In late 1892, his wife became ill with tuberculosis and died two weeks before the presidential election. His daughter, Mary Harrison McKee, acted as his hostess for the remainder of his presidency.
In 1892, he campaigned for re-election. However, former President Grover Cleveland beat him out and won the election. This gave Harrison the distinction of being the only President whose predecessor and successor were the same man.
On March 4, 1893, he left the White House. He traveled the country giving speeches and making appearances.
In 1896, he was married a second time to Mary Scott Lord Dimmick. The couple had one child, Elizabeth, together.
In 1900, he won international renown as an attorney when he argued a case on the British Guiana boundary dispute, even though he lost the case.
On March 13, 1901 he died of pneumonia at the age of 67. He is buried between both wives at in the Indianapolis’s Crown Hill Cemetery.
Nicknames: “Kid Gloves Harrison”; “Little Ben” Born: August 20, 1833, in North Bend, Ohio Father: John Scott Harrison Religion: Presbyterian Presidential Salary: $50,000/year 1889 Benjamin Harrison became the President of the United States of America 1889 First Pan-American Conference in 1889 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) 1891 Electricity Installed in White House (1891) 1893 The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison ended 1833 Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833 in North Bend, Ohio 1846 Mexican-American War begins. 1852 Chester A. Arthur became a lawyer 1853 Benjamin Harrison was married to his first wife, Caroline Lavinia Scott, on October 20, 1853. 1859 Oregon admission to the US 1860 Pony Express begins 1861 The American Civil War, also called the War between the States, was waged from April 1861 until April 1865. The 4 year war was between the federal government of the United States and 11 Southern states that asserted their right to secede (withdraw) from the Union. Abraham Lincoln was the central figure of the American Civil War. Benjamin Harrison joined the military in 1862 to fight in the Civil War and was promoted to Brigadier General. 1863 Battle of Gettysburg 1864 Sand Creek Massacre 1865 Abraham Lincoln assassinated 1866 Civil Rights Act of 1866 1867 Alaska Purchase from Russia 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn 1877 Nez Perce War 1881 In 1881, Harrison was elected to the U.S. Senate and served until 1887. 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and European Restriction Act 1889 1889 Benjamin Harrison became the President of the United States of America 1889 First Pan-American Conference in 1889 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) 1891 Electricity Installed in White House (1891) 1893 1893 The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison ended 1896 Benjamin Harrison married his second wife was Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (1858–1948) a widow nearly thirty years his junior whom he married on April 6, 1896. 1896 Gold discovered in the Yukon’s Klondike 1898 Spanish-American War 1901 Benjamin Harrison died of pneumonia on March 13, 1901 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.
23rd President of the United States
(March 4, 1889 to March 3, 1893
Died: March 13, 1901, in Indianapolis, Indiana
Mother: Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin Harrison
Married: Caroline Lavinia Scott (1832-1892), on October 20, 1853; Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (1858-1948), on April 6, 1896
Children: Russell Benjamin Harrison (1854-1936); Mary Scott Harrison (1858-1930); Elizabeth Harrison (1897-1955)
Education: Graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (1852)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Republican
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)
McKinley Tariff of 1890
Harper’s Ferry Raid
United States Civil War ends
Benjamin Harrison left military service at the end of the war and resumed his law practice.
Ku Klux Klan founded
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)
McKinley Tariff of 1890