February 19, 2024 – Theme Week Day 1

Happy President’s Day! We’re keeping the celebration going all week on the Wiki Corner and talk about some presidents you probably don’t know much about with an Obscure Presidents theme week! First up, our 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison.
Harrison was born in Ohio to a political family – his grandfather was the 9th president, William Henry Harrison, and his great-grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, was a Founding Father. Harrison moved to Indianapolis after graduating college, where he was a prominent attorney, church leader, and politician. He served in the Union Army as a colonel during the Civil War, and was the last Civil War general to serve as president of the United States. He was also the last American president to sport a beard!
Harrison was nominated for president at the 1888 Republican Convention. He conducted one of the first “front-porch” campaigns, where he’d deliver short speeches to delegations that visited him in Indianapolis. He defeated the incumbent Grover Cleveland, winning the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote. During his administration, Harrison enacted economic legislation like the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Antitrust Act. He also facilitated the national forest reserves and welcomed six new western states to the Union. Harrison’s was the first administration to appropriate $1 million in Congressional spending, which as used for internal improvements, naval expansion, and veterans pensions.
During his time in office, the U.S. was experiencing major advances in science and technology. Harrison is the earliest president whose voice is known to have been preserved, recorded on a wax phonograph cylinder in 1889. He also had electricity installed in the White House for the first time. However, he and the First Lady were afraid of electrocution and wouldn’t touch the light switches, so they often slept with the lights on.
Electricity wasn’t the only improvement made to the White House during Harrison’s administration. First Lady Caroline Harrison oversaw many renovations, including repainting rooms, replacing carpeting, drapes, and upholstery, adding bathrooms, modernizing the kitchens, and purchasing new furniture. By the time she was finished, she had refurbished the entire White House, the first First Lady to do so. The Harrison’s also had the first White House Christmas tree put up in 1889.
Up for reelection in 1892, and facing Grover Cleveland again, Harrison struggled to overcome discontent, including several labor strikes. The First Lady became seriously ill, leading to a modest campaign effort and limited appearances in key swing states. After losing the election, Harrison returned to his law practice in Indianapolis. He died of complications from influenza in 1901. Many scholars have praised Harrison’s commitment to voting rights, along with his work ethic and integrity. Because of the uneventful nature of his term, he’s generally ranked as an average president. Learn more here.