1880 Bejnamin Harrison is elected to the U.S. Senate.

1888 Harrison is elected President.

1892 Grover Cleveland defeats Benjamin Harrison for President.

1901 Benjamin Harrison dies.

Benjamin Harrison
1889 - 1893
23rd President

Benjamin was born in North Bend, Ohio on August 20, 1833.

Benjamin Harrison was one of seven Presidents born in Ohio.

Harrison was a Presbyterian.

He served in the Civil War.

Benjamin Harrison lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote. Incumbent president Grover Cleveland won the popular vote. (One of three Presidents.)

Benjamin Harrison, 1888.
Library of Congress

President Harrison was called "the Centennial President" because he was inaugurated 100 years after George Washington.

Benjamin Harrison gave a 140 speeches in 30 days.

Harrison and his family often went to bed and left all the new electric lights burning because they were afraid to touch the switches. He used to have White House staff turn them on and off.

He was the first president to attend a baseball game.

Benjamin Harrison was a Republican.

Benjamin Harrison's Vice President was Levi P. Morton (1889-1893).

Electric lights were installed in the White House during his term.

President Harrison was the only grandson of a President (William Henry Harrison) to be elected President.

Benjamin Harrison had a beard and mustache.

Harrison was the second President whose wife died while he was in office.

Benjamin Harrison served only one term.

Harrison died in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 13, 1901. He was 67 years and 205 days old. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Ind.

Quick Facts

23rd President

Born: North Bend, Ohio, August 20, 1833

Party: Republican

Died: Indianapolis, Ind. March 13, 1901, age 67

References:

• The Presidents of the United States. 22 September 2004
• Davis, Gibbs and Ilus. David A. Johnson. Wackiest White House Pets. New York: Scholastic Press, October 2004
• James, Barber and Amy Pastan. Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies. New York: DK Publishing, 2002
• Harnsberger, Caroline Thomas. Treasury of Presidential Quotations. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1964
• Kane, Joseph Natan. Facts about the Presidents from Washington to Johnson. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1964.
• National Park Service Web Site on Presidential Trivia: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pres/trivia.htm.

Additional Sources:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
http://www.historyplace.com/specials/portraits/presidents/index.html
www.freep.com
http://www.umkc.edu/imc/prestriv.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/4062/trivia.html
http://www.freep.com/news/inaug/trivia/index.htm
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/

If you have comments or corrections, please send them to jim@anewadventure.org.