Inside the Tomb of William Henry Harrison: America's Shortest Presidency

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Transcript

William Henry Harrison was the first U.S. president to die in office on only his 32nd day. And this really created a constitutional test for presidential succession. And as we know, Vice President John Tyler assumed the presidency after Harrison’s death. And though William Henry Harrison doesn’t really have a presidential legacy, he does have a fascinating life and a remarkable burial place. And today we’ll be visiting the William Henry Harrison Memorial and Tomb and learning a little bit more about his life.

Today I’m visiting the William Henry Harrison Memorial in North Bend, Ohio. And this towering monument overlooking the Ohio River is also the final resting place of President William Henry Harrison, America’s ninth president, along with his wife and a few other family members. And as I head up to the monument here, I just want to provide a little bit of Harrison’s life story. So, William Henry Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison V, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Virginia. In the 1790s, William Henry Harrison joined the army and began a military career that included fighting against Indians in the Northwest Territory. In 1801, he began a 12-year stint as governor of the Indiana Territory. And during this time, he led troops to victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7th, 1811. This victory assured his fame and led to the presidential campaign slogan of “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too,” referring to his running mate John Tyler.

Well, in his life, Harrison had expressed his desire to be buried at the top of Mount Nebo overlooking the Ohio River. And when he died in 1841 on only his 32nd day in office as president, his body was eventually brought via a black draped barge down the Ohio River to this location.

Well, as I’m walking up to the tomb, this scared the bejesus out of me. Nice little snake there on the path. So, something to keep in mind if you come here and visit the tomb.

And here we are at the memorial and tomb of President William Henry Harrison. Now, what we see today is not what the tomb looked like in 1841 when he was laid to rest. In fact, in 1871, his son, John Scott Harrison, sold most of the family estate here in North Bend, with the exception of 6 acres that included this tomb and a nearby family cemetery. He offered this land to the state of Ohio with the promise that it would be maintained and preserved. And for some reason, it wasn’t until 1919 when the state of Ohio formally accepted this offer and began to maintain the site. Then it wasn’t until 1924 when this towering stone obelisk-like monument was built at this site, which of course is what we see today.

And from what I read online, the tomb here has 24 vaults, though not all of them are being used. Of course, President William Henry Harrison is laid to rest here. So is his wife Anna and their son John Scott Harrison along with a few other family members. And it’s nice. You’re able to just kind of walk in and see the tomb.

On this side, it goes into a little bit of the history of President William Henry Harrison’s death. Of course, he was the first president to die in office on his 32nd day. And they brought his body after he was placed in a glass-covered coffin in the east room of the White House, ultimately down a barge down the Ohio River to this site, which I think is incredible.

And right in here is the tomb of President William Henry Harrison. They have this gate. But thankfully we’re able to look through it clearly. And over here on the right we see the tomb of President William Henry Harrison. Next to him, his wife Anna and off there to the left next to Anna is their son, John Scott Harrison, who has the distinction of being the only man who was the son of a United States president and the father of a U.S. president. His son was Benjamin Harrison, America’s 23rd president.

President William Henry Harrison’s memorial and tomb is really a remarkable site. And I’ve been to a lot of presidential grave sites and I can’t think of one that’s this grand and magnificent. And there’s a lot of other history in the area. So if you do get a chance, I highly recommend visiting and spending some time in North Bend and throughout this region. But that’s going to be it for this one. Now it’s on to the next journey.

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