Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison
Born	Benjamin Harrison 20 8, 1833
Birthplace	North Bend, Ohio, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, military officer
Known for	23rd President of the United States; grandson of President William Henry Harrison; oversaw admission of six states to the Union
Education	Miami University (B.A.)
Spouse(s)	Caroline Lavinia Scott (m. 1853; d. 1892), Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (m. 1896)
Children	3
Awards	Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers (1865)
Website	[http://www.presidentbenjaminharrison.org/ Official site]

Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833 – March 13, 1901) was an American politician, lawyer, and military officer who served as the twenty-third President of the United States from 1889 to 1893. A member of the prominent Harrison family of Virginia, he was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, the ninth president, and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the nation's Founding Fathers. Born on a farm along the Ohio River in North Bend, Ohio, Harrison rose from modest beginnings to become a successful attorney in Indianapolis, a decorated Union Army colonel during the Civil War, a United States Senator from Indiana, and ultimately the nation's chief executive. His presidency was marked by consequential economic legislation—including the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Antitrust Act—the admission of six western states, the modernization of the United States Navy, and efforts to protect the voting rights of African Americans in the South. Harrison won the presidency in 1888 by defeating the incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland in the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote, and he lost his reelection bid to Cleveland in 1892, becoming the only president to be both preceded and succeeded by the same individual. He died in Indianapolis in 1901, and scholars and historians have generally ranked him as an average president, while acknowledging his integrity, work ethic, and commitment to civil rights.

Early Life

Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833, on a farm near the Ohio River at North Bend, Hamilton County, Ohio. He was the second of nine children born to John Scott Harrison, a farmer and later a U.S. congressman, and Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin Harrison. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, had served as the ninth President of the United States in 1841, dying just thirty-one days after his inauguration. His great-grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, had been a governor of Virginia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, placing the younger Benjamin Harrison in one of the most politically distinguished families in American history.

Harrison grew up on the family farm, which was known as "The Point." The Harrison household, while carrying a famous name, was not wealthy; John Scott Harrison struggled financially throughout much of his life as a farmer. Young Benjamin received his early education in a one-room schoolhouse near the family farm and later attended a preparatory school, Farmers' College, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Harrison was described as a serious and studious child, shaped in part by the strong Presbyterian faith of his family. The religious convictions he developed during these formative years would remain a central part of his identity throughout his life, influencing his public service and personal conduct.

Despite the family's financial difficulties, Harrison's father ensured that his children received solid educations. The family's political legacy instilled in young Benjamin an early awareness of public affairs and governance. Growing up in antebellum Ohio, he was exposed to the debates over slavery and westward expansion that were shaping the nation during the 1840s and 1850s.

Education

After attending Farmers' College for approximately two years, Harrison transferred to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he enrolled in 1850. Miami University, already one of the more respected institutions of higher learning in the Midwest, provided Harrison with a rigorous classical education. He studied a curriculum that included Latin, Greek, history, philosophy, and political economy. Harrison proved himself a capable student and was an active participant in campus life, developing skills in public speaking and debate that would serve him in his legal and political careers.

At Miami University, Harrison also met Caroline Lavinia Scott, the daughter of John Witherspoon Scott, a professor of chemistry and physics at the school. Their courtship began during Harrison's time as a student. Harrison graduated from Miami University in 1852 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Miami University has continued to honor Harrison's legacy; the institution's most prestigious career faculty award bears his name, the Benjamin Harrison Medallion.

Following his graduation, Harrison studied law in Cincinnati under the tutelage of Bellamy Storer, a prominent attorney and former congressman. After completing his legal training, he was admitted to the bar in 1854.

Career

Early Legal and Political Career

After his admission to the bar, Harrison moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1854, where he established a law practice. Indianapolis at the time was a growing city, and Harrison quickly built a reputation as a diligent and effective attorney. He partnered with William Wallace, the son of former Indiana governor David Wallace, to form the law firm of Wallace and Harrison. Harrison became active in Republican Party politics almost from the moment of his arrival in Indiana. He affiliated with the newly formed Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories, a cause consistent with Harrison's own convictions.

Harrison served as the city attorney for Indianapolis and later as the reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court, a position that required him to compile and publish the decisions of the state's highest court. This work enhanced his legal reputation and provided him with a steady income. He also became an elder and prominent lay leader in the First Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, a role that reflected the deep religious faith he carried from his upbringing.

Civil War Service

The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 interrupted Harrison's legal career. In 1862, Indiana Governor Oliver Morton asked Harrison to help recruit a regiment for the Union Army. Harrison raised a company of volunteers and was commissioned as a colonel of the 70th Indiana Infantry Regiment. He led his regiment through several significant campaigns in the western and eastern theaters of the war. Harrison and the 70th Indiana participated in operations in Kentucky and Tennessee, and later took part in the Atlanta Campaign under General William T. Sherman in 1864.

Harrison proved to be a capable and courageous military leader. He led his regiment with distinction at the Battle of Resaca in May 1864 and in subsequent engagements during Sherman's march toward Atlanta. His leadership during the Battle of Peachtree Creek in July 1864 earned particular recognition. Harrison was commended for his bravery under fire and his ability to maintain discipline and morale among his troops. For his service during the Atlanta Campaign, Harrison was brevetted a brigadier general of volunteers in early 1865, a promotion confirmed by the United States Senate. He mustered out of the army in June 1865 with the rank of brevet brigadier general, having earned a strong reputation as a capable military commander.

Post-War Legal Career and Entry into State Politics

After the war, Harrison returned to Indianapolis and resumed his law practice, which continued to flourish. He became one of the most prominent attorneys in the state of Indiana, handling cases before the Indiana Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. His reputation for thoroughness, integrity, and eloquent argumentation made him a sought-after counselor.

Harrison became increasingly active in Republican politics during the Reconstruction era. In 1876, he received the Republican nomination for governor of Indiana but lost the general election to Democrat James D. Williams in a closely contested race. Despite the defeat, the campaign raised Harrison's profile significantly within the state and national Republican Party. He continued to be active in party affairs and was considered a leading figure among Indiana Republicans throughout the late 1870s.

United States Senate

In 1881, the Indiana General Assembly elected Harrison to represent the state in the United States Senate. (At this time, U.S. senators were chosen by state legislatures rather than by direct popular vote.) Harrison served a single six-year term in the Senate, from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1887. As a senator, Harrison aligned himself with the mainstream of the Republican Party and became known for his support of protective tariffs, civil service reform, and the rights of Civil War veterans. He advocated for generous pension legislation for Union veterans, a position that was both personally meaningful to him as a veteran and politically advantageous in Indiana, where the veteran vote was significant.

Harrison also supported measures to protect the civil rights of African Americans, a commitment that set him apart from many of his contemporaries and would continue to define his political legacy. He lost his bid for reelection in 1887 when the Indiana legislature, having shifted to Democratic control, selected David Turpie to succeed him. Despite this setback, Harrison's Senate career had positioned him as a national figure within the Republican Party.

Presidential Election of 1888

Harrison emerged as a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1888. At the Republican National Convention in Chicago, he secured the nomination on the eighth ballot, in part because he was viewed as a candidate who could carry the pivotal state of Indiana. Levi P. Morton of New York was selected as his running mate. The general election pitted Harrison against the incumbent Democratic president, Grover Cleveland.

The campaign of 1888 was focused largely on the tariff issue. Cleveland had advocated for lower tariffs, while Harrison and the Republicans championed protective tariffs as essential for American industry and workers. Harrison conducted a "front porch campaign" from his home in Indianapolis, giving carefully prepared speeches to delegations of supporters who traveled to meet him. The strategy proved effective: Harrison won the Electoral College with 233 votes to Cleveland's 168, despite receiving approximately 90,000 fewer popular votes nationwide. The result was one of the most notable instances in American history of a candidate winning the presidency while losing the popular vote.

Presidency (1889–1893)

Harrison was inaugurated as the twenty-third president on March 4, 1889. His administration was characterized by a series of significant legislative achievements and policy initiatives, many of them facilitated by the Republican control of both houses of Congress during his first two years in office.

Domestic Policy

One of the most consequential pieces of legislation enacted during Harrison's presidency was the McKinley Tariff of 1890, which raised average tariff rates to nearly 50 percent—among the highest in American history to that point. The tariff was designed to protect American industry from foreign competition, a core principle of the Republican economic platform. While the tariff achieved its protectionist goals, it also contributed to higher consumer prices, generating significant public discontent.

The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, another landmark law passed during Harrison's term, was the first federal legislation to prohibit business monopolies and restraints of trade. Although enforcement of the act was limited during its early years, it established the legal foundation for future antitrust regulation and remains a cornerstone of American economic law.

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 required the federal government to increase its purchases of silver, a compromise measure intended to satisfy both pro-silver interests in the West and gold-standard advocates in the East. The act, however, would contribute to financial instability in the years following Harrison's presidency.

Harrison also signed the Land Revision Act of 1891, which included an amendment enabling the president to set aside public forest land as reserves. Harrison used this authority to establish the first national forest reserves, encompassing millions of acres. This action is considered one of the earliest significant federal conservation measures and laid important groundwork for the later conservation policies of Theodore Roosevelt.

Federal spending reached one billion dollars for the first time during Harrison's term, earning the Fifty-first Congress the nickname "the Billion Dollar Congress." The increased spending was driven in part by generous veterans' pensions, naval modernization, and infrastructure projects. While supporters argued the expenditures were necessary investments, critics decried what they viewed as fiscal extravagance.

Admission of New States

One of the most notable features of Harrison's presidency was the admission of six new states to the Union. On February 22, 1889, shortly before Harrison took office, outgoing President Cleveland signed an omnibus bill that divided the Territory of Dakota in two and enabled the admission of several western territories as states. Under Harrison's administration, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington were all admitted on November 2, 1889. Idaho and Wyoming followed in July 1890. The admission of these six states significantly expanded the size of the Union and increased Republican representation in the Senate and Electoral College.

Harrison's visit to the new state of Washington in May 1891, including a stop in Tacoma during an economic boom, demonstrated the president's interest in the development of the West.

Foreign Policy and Naval Modernization

Harrison pursued an active foreign policy. His administration sought to expand American influence in the Pacific and Latin America. Secretary of State James G. Blaine organized the first Pan-American Conference in Washington in 1889, an effort to promote diplomatic and commercial cooperation among the nations of the Western Hemisphere. Harrison also attempted to annex Hawaii, although this effort was not completed during his term.

Harrison significantly strengthened and modernized the United States Navy, which had been in decline since the end of the Civil War. His administration funded the construction of new steel warships, contributing to the transformation of the Navy into a modern force capable of projecting power globally. This naval modernization program was a precursor to the more expansive naval buildup of the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Civil Rights

Harrison was a vocal advocate for the protection of African Americans' civil and voting rights, particularly in the Southern states where post-Reconstruction disenfranchisement was accelerating. He supported the Federal Elections Bill of 1890, also known as the Lodge Bill, which would have authorized federal supervision of congressional elections to prevent the suppression of Black voters. The bill passed the House of Representatives but was defeated in the Senate, where it faced opposition from Democrats and some Western Republican senators who prioritized other legislation. The failure of the Lodge Bill was a significant setback for the cause of civil rights, and the issue of federal voting rights enforcement would not be seriously revisited for decades.

Reelection Defeat

Harrison sought reelection in 1892 but faced a challenging political environment. The McKinley Tariff had become deeply unpopular with many voters, and the high levels of federal spending drew criticism. The Republicans had suffered a significant defeat in the 1890 midterm elections, losing their majority in the House of Representatives. Harrison also faced personal tragedy during the campaign when his wife, Caroline, fell gravely ill with tuberculosis; she died on October 25, 1892, just two weeks before the election. Grover Cleveland won the 1892 election decisively, making Harrison the only president in American history to be both preceded and succeeded by the same person.

Post-Presidency

After leaving the White House in March 1893, Harrison returned to Indianapolis and resumed his law practice. He quickly reestablished himself as one of the leading attorneys in the country. In 1896, Harrison married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, the niece and former secretary of his late first wife. The marriage was controversial within his own family; his two adult children from his first marriage objected to the union.

Harrison's most notable post-presidential undertaking was his representation of Venezuela in its boundary dispute with the United Kingdom over the border between Venezuela and British Guiana. The case was heard before an international tribunal in Paris in 1899. Harrison traveled to Paris to present Venezuela's case, delivering arguments that were noted for their thoroughness and eloquence. Although the tribunal's decision was largely unfavorable to Venezuela, Harrison's representation was praised as a distinguished example of international legal advocacy.

Harrison also authored a series of articles on the workings of the federal government, which were published as a book titled This Country of Ours in 1897. Additionally, he delivered lectures on constitutional law at Stanford University.

Personal Life

Benjamin Harrison married Caroline Lavinia Scott on October 20, 1853, shortly after completing his legal studies. Caroline was the daughter of John Witherspoon Scott, who had been Harrison's professor at Miami University. The couple had two children who survived to adulthood: Russell Benjamin Harrison and Mary Harrison McKee. The Harrisons were devoted members of the First Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, where Benjamin served as an elder for many years.

Caroline Harrison was an active First Lady who oversaw renovations to the White House and advocated for the establishment of what would become the Daughters of the American Revolution. She died of tuberculosis in the White House on October 25, 1892, during her husband's reelection campaign. Her death was a devastating blow to Harrison, who suspended active campaigning for the remainder of the contest.

In 1896, Harrison married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, who was the widow of Walter Dimmick and the niece of his first wife. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Harrison, born in 1897. The marriage caused a rift with Harrison's adult children from his first marriage.

Harrison's home in Indianapolis, where he lived for much of his adult life, still stands and is maintained as the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. The home continues to serve as a museum and educational center, welcoming visitors who wish to learn about Harrison's life and presidency.

Benjamin Harrison died on March 13, 1901, at his home in Indianapolis, from complications of influenza. He was sixty-seven years old. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, where his first wife, Caroline, was also interred.

Recognition

Harrison's contributions to American public life have been recognized in numerous ways. His Indianapolis home was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service and operates as the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of his life and presidency.

An annual wreath-laying ceremony is held at Harrison's gravesite at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. The 2025 ceremony brought together military leaders, civic organizations, community members, and descendants of Harrison to honor his service to the nation.

Miami University, Harrison's alma mater, awards the Benjamin Harrison Medallion as its most prestigious career faculty honor, recognizing distinguished contributions to academic life.

The Benjamin Harrison Bridge over the James River in Virginia, connecting Charles City County and Prince George County, bears his family name and remains an important transportation link in the region.

Harrison was honored on a U.S. presidential dollar coin as part of the United States Mint's Presidential $1 Coin Program.

Legacy

Benjamin Harrison's presidency occupies a complex position in the assessment of American historians. Scholars and historians have generally ranked him as an average president, noting that his single term lacked the dramatic crises or transformative moments that distinguish the most highly regarded administrations. However, several of Harrison's accomplishments have gained greater recognition over time.

His support for the Sherman Antitrust Act, though modestly enforced during his own administration, established the legal framework that would become central to American economic regulation in the twentieth century. The McKinley Tariff, while politically damaging in the short term, reflected the protectionist economic philosophy that dominated Republican policy for decades. Harrison's use of the Land Revision Act to establish national forest reserves represented an early and significant step toward federal conservation, anticipating the more expansive conservation policies of Theodore Roosevelt.

Harrison's commitment to the civil and voting rights of African Americans has received particular attention from historians. His advocacy for the Lodge Federal Elections Bill, though ultimately unsuccessful, represented one of the last significant efforts by a president to protect Black voting rights in the South before the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. The failure of the Lodge Bill contributed to the consolidation of Jim Crow laws and the near-total disenfranchisement of African Americans across the former Confederate states, a situation that would persist for more than six decades.

His modernization of the Navy helped lay the foundation for the United States' emergence as a global naval power at the turn of the twentieth century. His active foreign policy, including the first Pan-American Conference and efforts toward Hawaiian annexation, anticipated the more assertive internationalism of subsequent administrations.

Harrison was known among contemporaries for his reserved and formal demeanor, which sometimes made him seem cold or distant. He was reportedly more effective in formal addresses and written communication than in personal interactions, a trait that limited his political effectiveness in some regards but also contributed to his reputation for integrity and principle over personal charm.

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis continues to serve as a center for education about Harrison's life and the Gilded Age era of American politics, drawing visitors and researchers seeking to understand the complexities of late-nineteenth-century American governance.