Talk:William Henry Harrison/Archive 1

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I can't find anything in this article that speaks of WHH's sexual involvement with one of his slaves, which produced at least one known child. (This is from the "Walter Francis White" article) "maternal grandparents were Dilsia, a slave, and Dilsia's master William Henry Harrison, who much later became president of the United States."

It is sourced. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press)

Could someone find a way to include these facts into this article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.130.189.213 (talk) 03:05, 25 February 2011 (UTC)

This page states that William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe, where Tecumseh died. It is my understanding the Tecumseh was not at Tippecanoe during the battle, he was in the South seeking more Indian allies to his confederation. Harrison defeated the British and Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames 2 years later. It was in the second battle that Tecumseh dies.

I think so too. 68.32.73.22 15:13, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

That is absolutely correct. Meldshal42 11:22, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Thats true. Tecumsah's brother, Tenskwatawa is the one who put the curse on Harrison though.

It was an extremely cold and windy day, 1841 March 4, when Harrison was to take the oath of office. Nevertheless, he faced the weather with no coat on, and delivered the longest inaugural address in American history, at nearly two hours. During this address he caught a cold, which developed into pneumonia.

It's my understanding the pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, which often results from weakened immunity and the state of being bedridden (and supine). Neither it nor the common cold can be caused by exposure to cold weather, longstanding myth notwithstanding. It makes sense to explain how Harrison died and we might also show what the cause of his illness was perceived to be at the time, but we can't state as fact that a cold day killed him, knowing that to be impossible. - toh

The text you quoted does not say that the cold weather caused his illness; it simply states that he happened to catch a cold during cold weather. There is no implication of causation. Kurt Weber 16:57, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Nevertheless, the section would be better served if it was worded such that the stress on his body, induced by the weather, permitted a greater severity of infection than had he not been exposed to such cold weather (the "pressures" thing is colloquial and ridiculous). GG The Fly (talk) 05:31, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (11/29/04) quotes Louisiana State University historian John Baker as saying, "Harrison had agreed that executive decisions would be based on a majority vote among members of the cabinet, with the president having one vote." Anyone have a good citation for this? - Walkiped 02:44, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Anyone know how many US presidents died in office? --BozMo|talk 15:06, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

• Yep, to date 8 US Presidents died in office: William H.Harrison (1841), Zachary Taylor (1849-50), Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) ,James A.Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1897-1901), Warren G.Harding (1921-23), Franklin D.Roosevelt (1933-45) and John F.Kennedy (1961-63).

The Article, in paragraph "Short Presidency" says the doctors tried many drugs, including petroleum jelly to cure his bad condition, which must have happened in 1841, in the last month of his life. However, the page on petroleum jelly claims it was invented in 1859, 18 years later. Looks like an inconsitency here.

Time travel of course! :p--Kross 01:12, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

No wonder the poor guy died -- they didn't travel far enough into the future to get some antibiotics. D'oh!

This article, along with the following articles: War of 1812, Tecumseh, Tippecanoe- are all completely biased and favour the americans. Tecumseh formed a confederacy called the Indian confederacy, which brought together the shawnee peoples a long with many of the indian peoples. Tecumseh formed this confederacy because he was enraged by the way the 'White peoples' were treating the 'Red peoples'. the treaty of fort wayne was a complete scandal, which sold three milion acres of land for a single payment of '7000$' in 'goods'. Americans were 'buying' land off unaware Indians, who believed land should not be owned in the first place. Not only did the americans completely strike a wound in the right arm of Indian cultures, they claimed right to the land. At tippecanoe, Gov. Harrison was invited to listen to Tecumsehs Oration - This is a great speech, and I suggest you get a hold of it if you are interested in this war. Tecumsehs arguement did not appeal to pathos, but simply to logos and ethos. He did not show any rage towards the americans, dispite how absurdly they had behaved. Tecumseh said to Gov. Harrison that the Indian people deserve an independant state. Gov Harrison siad 'no problem' (he didn't really say 'no problem' but he told the Indian peoples that their wish would be fulfilled.) After tecumsehs army moved south to spread their concepts of Indian liberation, leaving Tippecanoe unprotected, Gov Harrison raped and pillaged the city, and killed many women and children. Tecumseh was not there. This was all BEFORE the war of 1812. The americans started the war of 1812 because they wished to fulfill the manifest destiny which stated they 'Americans had the right to all of North America'. proof that the government of america at the time were wimps: They attacked at that time, (1812) because they understood that Britain was disadvantaged due to their feud with napoleon about the continental system (which involved taxation of ocean trade routes and 'confiscation' of british trade ships. Americans also supposedly started the war because of the British press gangs, yet in the political speeches of Felix Grundy, which urged america to go to war, not a word was stated about the press gangs. Felix grundy basicaly goes on about how Canada is full of 'savages' which must be freed from the british influence and taught the ways of the americans etc etc. Reminds you of someone doesn't it? (colonization of africa). Anyways shall I rant on? yes I shall. Gov Harrison savagely obliterated the city of tippecanoe, and hence Tecumsehs army allied with the canadian militia (farmers carrying tridents and such) and the british red coats. I forgot to mention that the treaty of fort wayne was a complete scandal, which sold three milion acres of land for a single payment of '7000$' in 'goods'. I can't go on ranting, but you should all read tecumsehs speech, alogn with the speeches of lord brock, felix grundy, john randolph, brig-general hull, and of course the idiot: Gov Harrison, who completely ignored tecumsehs wonderful speech. (And caused tecumsehs curse)-which you should also look up. (NOT ON THE INTERNET)

What a load! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.158.61.141 (talk) 17:36, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

I am just here to state that we should clean upc this article, as it has been vandalized by some immature little turds who consider editing a wiki as hacking!!! Unfortunately people like this are ruining these fine pages and deleting fine information, as I am relatively inexperienced with using Wikipedia to edit pages, I am asking someone to please revert the info from some of the sections back to their original status. The great kawa 20:45, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

Editing Wiki is hacking!!! Dzoni 23:44, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

wadup sam? has appeared on the page. Would somebody mind clearing it up?

With regard to the Tecumseh curse, if President Bush survives his full second term, it could be argued that technically he wasn't elected, given the way in which he was awarded Florida's electoral college votes. This in no way reflects my personal view on the 2000 election, it is merely an interesting observation for those with an interest in the Tecumseh curse.

Bush was elected. Get over it.--Bedford 17:10, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Bush was appointed. Get a basic grasp of the English language. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.29.223.216 (talk) 02:39, 25 February 2007 (UTC).

No, Bush was elected - get a "basic grasp" of reality. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.158.61.141 (talk) 17:37, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

On what grounds is his religion counted an Episcopalian? He was not a communicant in any religion & apparently had only recently acquired a bible

Harrison died just one month after his inauguration. After Harrison's funeral, the rector at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, DC said Harrison had bought a Bible one day after his inauguration and had planned to become a communicant. Does going to church make on a believer in that religion?--JimWae 19:25, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Like most upper-caste Virginia families, the Harrisons were cradle-to-grave Episcopalians and considered themselves as such. Whether they ever actually went to church is immaterial. --Michael K. Smith 18:25, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

My histry book says he was Episcopalian. 68.32.73.22 15:17, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Could somebody please include some info on his marriage thanks Programmer8 14:00, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

I had a book about him that I borrowed from the library and it had some decent information about his marriage. I'll see if I can get it again.--Martin (talk) 20:29, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Please do. I'd like to see what it says because WHH is my favorite president!Aruda556 (talk) 03:02, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

In Presidency section it sais that he serverd 30 days in office and died of pleumonia.

In Trivia section is said that he died 9 months into his term. I suggest we remove this line.

Nicolai Tufar 15:16, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

An entire section entitled "Post war career" or something like that has been lost to vandalism recently. I no longer repair this kind of vandalism—why fight a system which allows anonymous vandals to remove entire sections?—but maybe you do. —Kevin 16:40, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the tip. (And I understand your frustration). -Will Beback · † · 18:40, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

In the intro paragraph it says "His death threw the country into a constitutional crisis.", but nowhere in the text of the article does it explain anything about the crisis. The intro is supposed to summarize main points from the body of the article. I do not know enough about WHH or what the crisis was to fix this. Jons63 13:54, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

The crisis was whether John Tyler became President or merely "Acting President." Presidential succession was not codified in the Constitution at that time (nor until 1967, when the 25th amendment was passed.) Tyler took the oath of office and claimed the Presidency. I don't know if this move was challenged in the courts. Schoop (talk) 20:26, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

There's still no mention of this crisis in the article, outside that one sentence in the intro... Dricherby (talk) 17:49, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

In 1813 Harrison had Fort Meigs built, which is at the foot of the rapids (a choke point) on the Maumee River in Ohio. This was one of the largest forts, having ten acres of ground inside the stockade fence plus four blockhouses. Gen. Harrison did not fight here but command was delegated to Col. Green Clay. Musicwriter 03:12, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

"Harrison was in so much debt when he died that a sympathetic Congress voted to give his wife the remaining eleven months of his annual salary." NuclearWarfare 17:17, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Revised wording a bit and added two citations for this. -Sarcasmboy 10:32, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

What happened to the picture in the infobox? Image:William Henry Harrison.png. I can't find any trace that it ever existed, but I recall there was a picture there recently. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 19:52, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

The Treaty of Grouseland in 1805 was thought by Harrison to have appeased Native Americans however, tensions, always high on the frontier, became much greater after the 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne, in which Harrison illegally purchased more than 2,500,000 acres (10,000 km²) of American Indian land. The term "illegal" here seems like bias introduced by modern writers, sympathetic to the cause of Native Americans. By what law was the purchase "illegal"? If it was illegal by the laws of the United States, or by some other body that had a system of laws including it, it should be stated so and explained. If it was *viewed* at the time as illegal by any agency, it should be stated and explained. If it's just "illegal" by modern concepts of international law, it should be deleted, or at the very least explained. 162.83.227.25 (talk) 10:41, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

I don't think this belongs in Wikipedia: "Wiliam did not finish his career in mrdicine because he was dumb and was always messing around {they kicked him out}." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.95.207.108 (talk) 23:35, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

He was a great man —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.8.78.213 (talk) 14:07, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

You are very right.--Martin (talk) 20:32, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Too bad he had to die. Aruda556 (talk) 03:05, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

GA review (see here for criteria)

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose): b (MoS):

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.

   a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR):

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   a (fair representation): b (all significant views):

5. It is stable.

   

6. It contains images, where possible, to illustrate the topic.

   a (tagged and captioned): b lack of images (does not in itself exclude GA): c (non-free images have fair use rationales):

7. Overall:

   a Pass/Fail:

I found this book at the local library... can't check it out due to the age, but check out the title and date. As early as 1824, someone felt the need to "vindicate" Harrison's career dealing with the Native American nations. Probably not a good source for Wikipedia, but the book itself is now a part of history, and I think it tells us something about Harrison.

Dawson, Moses (1768-1844) (1824). A historical narrative of the civil and military services of Major-General William H. Harrison : and a vindication of his character and conduct as a statesman, a citizen, and a soldier, with a detail of his negotiations and wars with the Indians, until the final overthrow of the celebrated chief Tecumseh, and his brother the Prophet. Cincinnati: M. Dawson, at the Advertiser Office. LCCN 11027964.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

The article says that copies of the Harrison daguerreotype exist, but the cited article makes no mention of it. Jimpoz (talk) 21:10, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

From the page: For the first time, portraits could be truthfully recorded devoid of interpretation and free of artistic limitation. Portrait photography arrived in America just in time to record the likeness of the newly inaugurated ninth president of the United States, William Henry Harrison.... In a letter published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, President Harrison was reported to have been “delighted with the results” of the sitting.1 Just 31 days after his inauguration, President Harrison died from pneumonia. Unfortunately, the present location of the daguerreotype portrait of the ephemeral President Harrison is unknown. Charles Edward 23:37, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

I found a copy of the daguerreotype! It was in the webpage for the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've included it on the page and updated the information in the "Legacy" section, including a citation of the Met page.Msclguru (talk) 01:46, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Wow! Thats a great find! Charles Edward (Talk) 02:18, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:William Henry Harrison/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

I am reviewing this article. Detailed comments will follow soon. Brianboulton (talk) 11:52, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Here are some preliminary points:-

• Lead: I have corrected "Columbia" to "Colombia" in the lead, and have improved the link to presidential succession. I have also inserted extra commas as necessary.
• To get rid of the large white space under the "Early military career" subheading, you need to relocate the image William H. Harrison.jpg to under the "Congressman" heading. This is actually a more appropriate location, since the image is apparently dated 1800, when his congressional career began.
  • done
• I note that the formats of virtually all your in-text citations are incorrect. The correct form is (e.g.) "Hall, p. 2" or "Hall, pp. 10–12" using the ndash in the page range. You have also constantly misspelt Whiting as "Whitting".
  • done

I am now working through the text, more comments soon.

Brianboulton (talk) 15:30, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, you responded quickly to the above. Here is a bit more.

• Early life
  • The section title is a misnomer. It's much more about family background. I recommend you change the title to "Family background and childhood". Burwell Bassett should be described as “Congressman”.
    • done
  • The education details are inaccurate. This may be from a poor selection of sources – citation [4] is to a particularly weak source ("White House Kids"). Please consult a reliable source. I think you will find that Harrison briefly studied medicine under Benjamin Rush in Pennsylvania, during the 1790-91 period; he did not study medicine at Hampden-Sydney College.
    • done - And a bit more added from using Union 1812 as a source.
  • His mother had not died "years earlier”". She actually died in 1792, a year after his father’s death. Check with a reliable source.
    • done

• Early military career.
  • The following references do not appear to support the statements for which they are citations: [6] Hall, p. 28; [7] Hall, p. 21; [8] Hall, p. 22; [10] Hall, p. 44; [11] Hall, p. 53; [12] Hall, p. 54.
    • replaced
  • Harrison's verbatim quote about drunkenness, and the information about four-fifths of deaths due to alcohol, are not cited anywhere.
  • removed

On a more general note, ancient sources such as Hall, Whiting, and Burr should be treated with great caution. Historians weren’t too bothered with accurate detail in those days, and were often pursuing a subjective agenda—Hall’s history reads like a paean of praise to Harrison. There must, surely, be more modern histories against which you could check your facts?

Brianboulton (talk) 16:53, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree about the older sources, I've only used those to establish dates and events. For the things open to interpretation like his presidency and governorship i've used more modern sources. Strangely, I've been unable to find much recently published information on his early life. Charles Edward 17:42, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I am going to head to the libary to try and find a couple new books on WHH with which to reference anything that may be lacked. Charles Edward 18:50, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I've returned with three books that look promising. I am going to proceed to reword the the sections and move them over to reflect the new refs and replace the old ones. Charles Edward 22:19, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

That sounds an excellent idea. Some more review material:

• Congressman
  • Where does that date March 4, 1799 come from? It’s not in your cited source. My own source (a general reference book called The Book of Presidents) says that he was elected in September 1799, took his seat December 2, resigned May 12. Please check with a reliable source.
    • It would appear we have a discrepancy here. I have one source (the one currently cited) from Congress saying March, and another in a book showing October. I am inclined to beleive Congress's site as they would seem more authoritative.

• • It would be useful to briefly explain Harrison’s position in Congress as a “territorial delegate”. He could present bills, speak, but not vote.
    • done

• Governor: I’ve tidied up the prose in this section, and dealt with some commas. My chief concern still lies with the sources. [19] Whiting. P. 7, gives hardly any of the information in the section it’s supposed to be citing, and the style of Whiting’s prose is, even more so than Hall’s, of a gushing and uncritical character—it cannot be considered as in any way reliable.
  • new sources are supplied, wording adjusted to reflect it

• General: In view of what you say above, I won't commenting on the Hall and Whiting sources from now on. I think I’ve made my views on them clear. I have continued to copyedit the text, making minor adjustments.
  • The first brief paragraph of this section, which deals with Tecumseh and Tippecanoe, should be expanded to form a section of its own, perhaps entitled "Tecumseh and Tippecanoe". Tippecanoe was, after all, the pivotal point of Harrison’s career, and it propelled him to the presidency. It’s worth some more mileage. The section called "Tecumseh’s curse" could be merged to form a final paragraph of the Tecumseh and Tippecanoe section.
    • done
  • When you say "Harrison was authorized to march against the confederation…" who authorized him?
    • done - Secretary of war
  • The remainder of the "General" section should be retitled "Army General" (the word “general” on its own is a bit misleading).
    • done
  • Harrison didn’t "resign from the army" and return to his governorship. He merely delayed accepting his appointment as a brigadier-general in the US army for a few days, until he was appointed north-west commander in place of Winchester. He was promoted to major-general on March 2 1813.
    • done

I've found a good book on his military career and reworded the military section to reflect the new source and removed the old refs. I've also sectionized Tecumseh as you suggested. I can make it bigger if you think it should be. I also addressed the other two comments. Charles Edward 22:18, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

My remaining review comments follow. I'll wait for you to have a stab at these before I say more.

• Tecumseh’s curse: As a matter of interest, why is it Tecumseh’s curse, when it was laid by his brother? And is it part of the myth that the Prophet somehow knew that Harrison would be elected president in 1840?
  • That s just what the reference called it. Probable cause know one can say his brother's name.. haha. And the whole this is most likely made up after Harrison died, i find it pretty hard to believe otherwise.

• Senator and Ambassador: this section should be called "Congressman, Senator and Ambassador"
  • Can you confirm 8 October 1816 as the start of his US congressional career – seems an odd date.
    • he was elected to fill the term of a dead congressman, so it was midterm. Date is on the congressional bio.
  • Have you got a source for his unsuccessful attempt at the Ohio governorship?
    • source is congressional bio, done
      • The "Senator and Ambassador" title is wrong; this section deals with time in the House of Representatives, Ohio state senate and an unsuccessful run for governor, as well as his senate and ambassadorial roles. On thinking about it, rather than adopting my earlier suggestion I think you should retitle the section "Public Office", and incorporate into it the first stray sentence dealing with his appointment as an Indian commissioer. N.B. this sentence has a reminder on it to improve sources. Brianboulton (talk) 10:12, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
        • Changed, done

• Private Citizen
  • Do you have a title and publication details for the Dawson biography?
    • Couldn't find it, removed statement.

• • His 1836 run for the presidency should not be dismissed so briefly. Here are the results:
    • • Martin Van Buren (Democrat) 764, 198 votes, electoral college 150 (15 states)
      • William Henry Harrison (Whig) 549, 508 votes, electoral college 73 (7 states)
      • Hugh Lawson White (Whig) 145, 352 votes, electoral college 26 (2 states)
      • Daniel Webster (Whig) 41,287 votes, electoral college 14 (1 state)
      • Others: electoral college 11 (1 state)
      • It can be deduced from the above figures that the chief factor in Harrison’s loss was the split in his party – three separate Whig candidates. There’s a story here that should at least be touched on, in any article on Harrison’s life. The campaign poster of Harrison is from the 1836 campaign.
        • I wrote a section on this campaign using a couple of online sources.

• 1840 election campaign: this section is OK, except that its appearance is ruined by the images. If you do as I suggest and write a short section on the 1836 election, then the portrait poster can go into that, leaving the poster of accomplishments, somewhat reduced in size, with the 1840 election. That should improve appearances. Incidentally, it reads oddly that the result was a landslide, but the popular vote was very close. You must qualify, and say a landslide in electoral college terms (234 to 60), and much close in the popular vote (53% to 47%).
  • shrunk image, i am going to work on an 1836 election section.

• Shortest presidency: this section is OK after some copyedits. The sentence about the daguerreotype looks out of place in the middle – would be better placed at the end.
  • I moved it to the legacy section

• Legacy
  • Tyler was a Whig who abandoned the Whig agenda, and was disowned by his party. He was not a "long-time Democrat".
    • according to the ref [1], tyler was a democrat until 1832 and became a whig in 1834., i will add that in.
      • OK, he was a "former Democrat" rather than a "long-time Democrat". The text should clarify this.
        • done
  • How did the principle of presidential succession established by Tyler change after 1963?
    • The 1963 amendment dealt with the finer points of succession by clearly defining in what situations the Vice President was Acting President and in what situation he could become President, - None of those situation have ever happened - so really it didn't change anything so much as it clearly outlined the the procedures.
  • The trivia about Benjamin Harrison’s umbrella could easily be omitted.
    • removed
  • The section peters out into a series of single-sentence paragraphs. These might be combined in some way, with a bit of forceful prose, to make a suitable ending to the article.
    • reorganized it a bit, i think it looks better

Finally, in an article on a president I would expect to find the following information:-

• Date of marriage
• Minimal information on wife’s family background
• Number of children (ten, since you ask, 6 sons and 4 daughters)

• • I located a good amount of info and have added it, I could not locate Anna's date of death, but will keep looking.
    • Anna died 25 February 1864, aged 88. I have included this in the text. Brianboulton (talk) 16:19, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

To summarise where I think we stand, assuming that the above fixes are made: The prose isn’t bad now, it's pretty comprehensive, its neutral and stable. The referencing is the main outstanding problem, so let’s work on that. I may also come up with a few other ideas for improving the article.

Cheers! Brianboulton (talk) 22:34, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

P.S. Can you write "done" after each point as it is dealt with, so that I can keep track? Thanks. Brianboulton (talk) 22:37, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I am going to leave the Hall source for the info on Harrisons time in columbia, the dates are backed up by the congressional bio, but I cannot find any other source that establishes what happened there. I am also leaving burr for the references to his return to private life for the same reason, i cannot find another source on those years. All the other references from whitting, burr and hall have been removed. If you think the sources are not good enough I can try to pare down those sections to reflect what can be established without them - not much other than the basic info.

The new sources you have introduced look a lot moe authoratitive. If you should take this article to FAC, however, you may find further challenges on sources.

Thanks for your very thorough review! I agree referencing is the primary issue, I think I have corrected most (not all) of that now. I have also addressed some of the other issues. There are a few left - I will need to do a bit of reading before I can properly add the other information. I will try to get to the rest tommorrow. Charles Edward 03:38, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Remaining issues

• A paragraph on the 1836 presidential bid
• consider reducing the 1840 image to improve the section's appearance
• make Tyler a former Democrat
• incorporate the family details somewhere in the article.

When you have responded to these I will do a final sweep to pick up odd strays in the text. I think you will then have a pretty complete and creditable article. Well done. Brianboulton (talk) 11:53, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

I am doing my final read-through now. The article is in good shape and will pass GA. Brianboulton (talk) 15:55, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

I have completed my review of this article. In my opinion the article now meets all GA citeria. The prose is of good standard, the article is comprehensive, and the referencing now appears adequate, having been significantly improved during the course of this review. There ae no problems with neutrality or stability.

Advice: If the article is to be taken forward to FAC I strongly recommend (a) a thorough copyedit by one of Wikipedia's specialists, (b) a peer review and (c) further attention to references, to weed out and replace any remaining dodgy ones.

Congratulations on a worthy Good Article. Brianboulton (talk) 17:18, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

The term of Harrison's presidency was recently changed from 31 to 32 Days. I, however, believe that 31 is more accurate. He was sworn in around noon on March 4, and died right at noon on April 4, so it is within an hour or so of being 31 days of time. He was president on 32 different days - but only president for a length of 31 days. I am trying to locate a source to see what is the official or commonly referred to length but thought I would ask for input before changing it. Charles Edward 01:36, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

After a brief search I have located numerous sources saying both 31 and 32 days. I propose changing it back to 31 days and footnoting the 32 day info. Charles Edward 01:41, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Whenever he was sworn in, he became president at midnight (changed to noon by the 20th Amendment). Anything about the length of his term should reflect that. Also there is no reference for the time given of 30 days, 12 hours, 32 minutes. Richard75 (talk) 21:33, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

The precise time that Presidents handed over was not yet determined in 1837; but the later Presidents before the 20th amendment left office at noon. See Talk:Woodrow Wilson/Archive1#March_4.2C_1921 for an extensive quote on 1921. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 05:09, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

I have finally found a good source that established my opinion that he was indeed presidenton 32 different day. The continental Congress set new terms and the transition of government to occur on March 4, and regardless of when he was sworn into office, his term began at 12:00am March 4. This is also the way it was recorded in the senate handbook for the period, and the explanation give in Congressional Quarterly. There was a dispute at the time about whether or not terms began at noon on the fourth, or at 12 am. Either way, his term began March 4, which extended to April 4 is a total of 32 different days. If the time his term began was at dawn, then his time in office was 31 days and several hours. If his time in office began at midnight, then he was in office just short of a total of 33 days. Congressional Quarterly uses the Senate calculation on page 492 to say his term began at midnight. Again, either way he was president on 32 different days. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:05, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

I differ from all of you. I KNOW WHH served 35 days and final. Aruda556 (talk) 03:09, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

what is the main thing about william henry harrison please tell me —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.73.82 (talk) 20:41, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

The article mentions how many kids Harrison had but doesn't give their names. Anyone know why? Names are given for the children of every other president (at least of the biographies that I have looked at). Can someone please add them? It seems like it might be important, especially considering that one of his sons was the father of future president Benjamin Harrison. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tad Lincoln (talk • contribs) 07:27, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

One of his sons was Dr. Benjamin Harrison, served in the Texas Revolution, died in Ohio in 1840... but I don't know which son was the father of the president B.H. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.60.241.7 (talk) 19:00, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

The father of BENJAMIN Harrison was James Harrison, one of William Henry Harrison's sons. Thank you. Aruda556 (talk) 03:12, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Harrison, with Dilsia, a slave, was the great-great grandfather of NAACP leader Walter Francis White. - Kenneth Robert Janken, Walter White: Mr. NAACP, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p.

I have removed above content added by an IP address. I think we need additional sources to prove this. There is nothing in any of his biographies, which I own, that say anything about this. I also wonder about the reliablity of the source provided. Charles Edward (Talk) 17:58, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Does anyone else find it a bit odd that the lede ends with his acceptance of the nomination? Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 16:27, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Just noticed that almost all the books listed in the References section are linked to Google Books. Obviously if it's public domain and can be read in full there, it's a great idea, but if not, why the link? You could easily link to Amazon or another commercial site, so why promote one site in particular? Joshdboz (talk) 08:39, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Google books let you actually read most of the book. — Rlevse • Talk • 11:06, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, but many of these links lead to Google pages with no preview at all. We have the ISBN links to give users a choice of how to find a book so as not to favor one company over another. Joshdboz (talk) 15:48, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Schlesinger's Age of Jackson notes that Harrison was holding minor public office (Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas?) in 1836; this should be checked and included. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 03:21, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Since this is a featured article, I thought I'd suggest this first but would people consider replacing File:William Henry Harrison daguerreotype.jpg at top with File:WHarrison.jpg? I'm not particularly sure about the licensing at the new one. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 22:18, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

That is a good image for the article, but its source does not appear to be listed on the article. We need know where it is from before we can include it in a featured article. Charles Edward (Talk) 23:23, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

Recently a correction was made to a mistake on this page: in the box where it summarizes Harrison's tenure as president, it says, "Constituency: Hamilton County." This of course should be removed because it is in the box that describes his tenure as president. His constituency when he is president is the entire United States, not one county. Furthermore, none of the other US presidents have a line in their respective Wikipedia articles that gives a "constituency" after listing their successors and predecessors. So for consistency's sake if for no other reason, this line needs to be deleted. The best that can be said about it is that perhaps it belongs in another one of the boxes, perhaps the one that describes his tenure as a senator or some other position. But certainly not in the president one. This mistake was in fact corrected, but strangely, someone named Charles Edwards undid the correction, and not only that, the correction has been marked as vandalism and the page has been locked, making it impossible to reinstate the edit. I am hoping the administrator responsible for locking the article sees this post, removes the "constituency" line, then locks the article again to prevent further undos (since I do not seem to be able to contact him directly). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zibbinyou (talk • contribs) 22:24, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

I corrected it -- when "constituency" was added it was intended for a state senate position, but it didn't include the appropriate number (5) for that position so it defaulted to the first office listed (POTUS). Tom (North Shoreman) (talk) 23:16, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

I am sorry to have reverted that edit as vandalism as I now see you intended it as good faith. This article is the frequent victim of vandalism. North Shoreman is correct, his consistency was Hamilton county during his tenure as state senator. Charles Edward (Talk) 23:21, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

I couldn't find anything on his ancestry. What is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Oreocookey (talk • contribs) 14:52, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Just got back from another trip to Berkeley Mansion, birthplace of Harrison.

They are saying some different things about WHH's death:

1. The illness didn't begin until about 20 days after the inauguration, which negates the "cold caused by exposure" theory.

2. That the cause of death is unknown, but included bloating of the abdomen, rashes, etc.

I'm trying to find sources for this beyond the words of the tour guide.

Twohlford (talk) 19:56, 7 September 2010 (UTC)

Before you do, I think it be nice to tell you that Harrison MOST LIKELY, as the biography should've put, died from pneumonia. Aruda556 (talk) 03:17, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Only Act The day after William Henry Harrison was inaugurated as President of the U.S., he appointed Daniel Webster to the office of Secretary of State. Harrison originally handed this position to Henry Clay, who turned down the offer. Harrison did not live to see Daniel Webster's full legacy on a rising issue of the time;as he died after only a month in office. Daniel Webster After Harrison During the tenure of Harrison's successor(which was John Tyler), Daniel Webster began a historic negotiation with British-held Canada to establish a U.S.-Canadian border. The negotiations ended in 1842 when the two countries signed a treaty. The treaty stated that the boundary would be settled at the western side of Lake Superior. How Harrison Contributes If Harrison had not appointed Webster as Secretary of State, Webster may never have started the negotiations. This act may also show that appointing Daniel Webster to be Secretary of State is William Henry Harrison's only legacy.Aruda556 (talk) 23:34, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

The article says that they tried treating him with Virginia snakeweed, but I'm unable to find any plant by that name. Perhaps this means Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia serpentaria)? That plant is known medicinally (Alma R. Hutchens. Indian Herbalogy of North America. ISBN 0-87773-639-1.). But I don't know enough about the treatment of Harrison in particular, or medicinal practice of the day in general, to know how to track this down. Kingdon 02:28, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I hit on a source from 1800 which describes the use of "Virginia snakeweed", but I don't see a way to relate it to another species name.^[2] But it means the term was known; this isn't some error. Note however that the same source speaks of "Russia castor" - in other words, the italicized part doesn't appear to be part of the name. Mere "snakeweed" is enough. Wnt (talk) 08:08, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

Further digging (i.e. Google searching '"Aristolochia serpentinaria" snakeweed' yielded [3] which gives the names "Virginia snakeroot", "snakeweed", and "Virginia serpentary", but alas, not the elusive "Virginia snakeweed" combination. Nonetheless, I'm satisfied it is probably this herb. By contrast Rauwolfia serpentina is "Indian snakeroot" (see Snakeroot (disambiguation)). Note that Aristolochia was a widely used herbal medicine in many different cultures, but now is generally believed to be carcinogenic and (more relevant here) has a reputation for causing kidney failure. Wnt (talk) 08:19, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

This is not the first article I've read that uses "American Indians" when talking about American historical figures fighting native Americans. I think the terms are used intentionally to foster a specific America-centric image. It seems to come from a will to not accept that our forefathers spent a lot of time slaughtering the people who already lived here. We've known for some hundreds of years now that they weren't really Indians. -- goatasaur (talk) 22:21, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

The photo of Harrison at the top of the page has been retouched, but if you trace the image back to its source on the Metropolitan Museum of Art site by using Accession Number: 37.14.44, you will arrive at http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/190020170. A daguereotype is shown that is dated ca. 1850 (well after Harrison's death in 1841). The wikipedia page caption says the image there is a copy of an 1841 daguerreotype portrait by Moore and Ward, but there is no mention of a Moore and Ward on the museum page. Is the ca. 1850 daguerreotype a copy of an earlier daguerreotype taken when Harrison was still alive or is it a copy of something else?

On the right side of the museum page there is a line marked +notes. If you click on the word notes, two paragraphs appear. The first one indicates that Monroe Fabian of the National Portrait Gallery believes that this daguerreotype is a photograph of a painted portrait of Harrison by Albert Gallatin Hoit and that the painting can be found in National Portrait Gallery. Is that possible? If you go to http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2010/06/william-henry-harrison-17731841.html, you can see the portrait. The painting shows Harrison from the waist up, but the area around his head looks to me like it matches exactly what appears in the daguerreotype--the clothing, the posture and even the wrinkles on his face seem identical. The lighting differs, but that is understandable.

Obviously if this image is a daguerreotype of a very realistic painting, it can not be "the first photograph ever taken of a U.S. President" as the wikipedia caption says.

I have never edited a wikipedia article and am reluctant to start with a featured article, but I thought I should express my opinion. Maybe someone more experience could make corrections if they agree with my conclusions.```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by Striving for Accuracy (talk • contribs) 13:28, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

More about the photo. The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has a page (http://npgportraits.si.edu/eMuseumNPG/code/emuseum.asp?rawsearch=ObjectID/,/is/,/59597/,/false/,/false&newprofile=CAP&newstyle=single) referring to the daguerreotype that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has. It lists the artist (meaning the photographer) as Albert Sands Southworth and then has a line indicating that it is derived from Albert Gallatin Hoit (the painter).Striving for Accuracy (talk) 15:37, 11 January 2012 (UTC) Striving for Accuracy (talk) 19:06, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

The caption is confusing. It calls the image a portrati & a photograph. Upon closer examination, it appears to be a portrait. GoodDay (talk) 02:17, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

The source page for this, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lists this as a daguerreotype photograph. My understanding is that Hoit's portrait was based on this photo, not vice versa, and when you look at the Hoit portrait that GoodDay links above it's clear that it's far less realistic than this---VERY unlikely that the Hoit was the original and this the copy. Msclguru (talk) 17:33, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

On p. 172 of 'Secret and Sacred: The Diaries of James Henry Hammond, a Southern Slaveholder,' the entry for 9 Dec. 1846 alleges that "President Harrison got his wife's niece with child." This confused the heck out of me for a moment, since Benjamin Harrison would later (marry and) have a child with his first wife's niece. Anybody know anything more about this story, or should I take it as baseless rumor/political mud? 68.183.201.246 (talk) 19:57, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

it's what mud looks like, then and now. on how scholars handle such issues take a look at George Patton#Postwar re Jean Gordon. Rjensen (talk) 20:15, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

Being cited I am not removing it, but I would like to request a quotation from the source. I have not had any luck turning up supporting sources online.

Harrison also had a daughter, Dilsia, with one of his slaves. Through this family line, Harrison is the great-grandfather of famous black civil rights activist Walter White. White was the president of the NAACP from 1931-1955. - Janken, Kenneth Robert (2006). Walter White: Mr. NAACP. Chapel Hill: UNC Press. p. 2.

Thanks —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 15:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Seeing that no quote has been provided, and having failed in a good faith effort to locate this information in any of the sources I have access to, I am going to remove this statement from the article. I believe it is likely a fringe theory or simply false. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 18:09, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I have a citation there to an academic book. One of Janken's citations are as follows: Marie Elizabeth Harrison, handwritten note on family history (1919), Caroline Bond Day Papers, box 3 folder 1 Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. His other sources include family oral history of the Harrison/White family (the black family in question). (Walter White retells this story himself, he learned it from his mother.) As is common in these matters, many people don't "believe" evidence from black sources, but these must be taken as seriously as sources from white sources. And, of course, slaves weren't given birth certificates with their white family's names on them, so if we are looking for that type of "proof" here, it will be illusive. But historians have accepted black sources as REAL sources for decades now. White himself had blond hair and blue eyes although both his parents were classified as black. Still, I have changed the language to reflect the sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ProfSimmons (talk • contribs)

From what I have read, in Janken's book on White, a slave named Dilsia had six children by "William Henry Harrison." They were born in the 1830s in Virginia. Future President Harrison was not living in Virginia at that time. I highly doubt he was their father. There were many Harrisons alive in Virginia in that time, including several "William Henry Harrisons" and I bet one of them was the father of the slave Dilsia's children, or perhaps one of Harrison's brothers, nephews, or cousins, who stayed in Virginia, was the father. As time went on, he became confused and conflated with President William Henry Harrison (sometimes, and I have experience with this in my family, when someone says we 'descend' from someone, what they really are trying to say is we are 'related'; 'descend' and 'related' have different meanings). Oral histories always have to be taken with a very strong grain of salt. I have experience in my own family with faulty oral histories. I was told we descended from Quaker William Penn. We had no records, just oral history. With research I have found we don't descend from him at all, but rather from Jonathan Edwards, another prominent preacher alive at roughly the same time. Black sources are real sources, but may not always be right, and just because the family says they descend from the 9th president doesn't mean they actually do, unless their was a DNA test. Lordmarmont (talk) 02:44, 1 June 2013 (UTC)

One other factor that adds doubt or confusion to the claim is the detail about WHH's brother sending some of the children to Georgia to help avoid scandal during his presidential campaign. The problem is that both of WHH's brothers had died long before. According to Joseph Nathan Kane's Facts About the Presidents, he had two brothers, Benjamin, who died in 1799, and Carter, who died in 1808. The other four siblings were sisters. So, if WHH was the father, someone else helped him, if such help was actually given. If it was the father's brother who sent the children off, then the father was someone else.Willwoodlen (talk) 08:22, 11 January 2014 (UTC)

While not as exciting as talking about indians vs. native americans or better yet the possible fathering of children with slaves and nieces, there is some recent scholarship that casts doubt on the traditional cause of death often cited for President Harrison. This recent article http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/what-really-killed-william-henry-harrison.html?_r=0 suggests that enteric fever, not pneumonia, was the primary cause. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.51.66.32 (talk) 18:57, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

In 1824 the state legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate. He served a truncated term
after being appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary to Colombia in May 1828.

Logically, he served a truncated Senate term (1824-1828) before being appointed as Minister... ☺ Dick Kimball (talk) 12:54, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

Having been reverted by User:Carmichael without explanation, I'm wondering why I was reverted. 207.161.217.209 (talk) 05:40, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for the self-reversion and I hope you will be more discerning in the future. 207.161.217.209 (talk) 05:53, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Sorry I was moving too quickly and didn't see that your edits were valid. My apologies. carmichael [TALK] | [CONTRIBS] 05:59, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Apology accepted. Cheers, 207.161.217.209 (talk) 06:07, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Any objection to splitting this one big section into two smaller sections? One section would relate to Legacy, and include the first several content entries already here; the other section would be Honors and tributes, and includes the content related to various memorials, stamps, currency, statues, schools, etc. already included, plus other content memorials that may be listed in the future. Rosalina523 (talk) 22:00, 20 October 2016 (UTC)

Does he need the title Major General? I know Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant have the title General of the Army because it is a permanent rank and was held after they left office.Snakeskinsam 21:07, 4 February 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Snakeskinsam (talk • contribs)

I have reverted the lead image back to its previous photographic version. A lead image should present its topic as realistic and unbiased as possible - a photographic image is usually better for this purpose compared to a possibly idealizing painting (but of course editors often have to work with whatever images are available). Also, the painting is already used further down in the article. If you disagree, please discuss here and form a consensus among interested editors before changing the image again. GermanJoe (talk) 11:21, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

A far as realistic and unbiased, the photograph looks suspiciously clean for someone who died in 1841. It turns out the uploader substantially altered the photo from the original, http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/268344 . A good painting is better than a crappy or altered photograph.
(note: photograph in question: File:William_Henry_Harrison_daguerreotype_edit.jpg , painting in question : File:William H. Harrison.jpg ) Roseohioresident (talk) 15:24, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

Here's the deal, the original daguerreotype has been lost, although it had been copied several times as one during the 1840s. The one at the Met is one of these. I put a mention of this in the article. It is in fact the very first photo taken of a head of state, sitting or otherwise, in the history of the planet. Arglebargle79 (talk) 13:07, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Barack Obama may well be the most recent President born as a British Subject, not William Harrison. Without opening up the nonsensical "Birther" conspiracy theory, it is possible to have American and other citizenships. Barack Obama may well have been a British Subject at Birth as well as being a Natural Born American Citizen. At the time President Obama was born his father would have been a British Subject since Kenya was still a British Colony. This status would have been lost when Kenya became independent, (when President Obama would have still been a small child) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.84.85.136 (talk) 22:11, 2 August 2016 (UTC)

H'okay....Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961. His parents weren't legally married (Barack Obama, Sr. had a wife back home), so the whole thing doesn't count. Arglebargle79 (talk) 12:37, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

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Guys did you know that William Henry Harrison looks like Gargamel from the smurfs. i am not making this up — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rhodonite11 (talk • contribs) 01:20, 18 November 2017 (UTC)

• 
• 

These images are not a photograph of Harrison. It is a circa 1850 daguerreotype of an oil painting depicting William Henry Harrison. "A startlingly lifelike daguerreotype showing Harrison, made by the Boston photography studio Southworth and Hawes around 1850 and now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a reproduction of an oil portrait, not of a photograph."^[1] Harrison apparently did sit for a photograph after his inauguration, but it is lost. If you compare this to early daguerreotypes, you'll note how it is way too crisp and detailed to be an 1841 photograph. I have altered the caption on the article accordingly. TuckerResearch (talk) 05:28, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

I believe the references and link to the 1st US INF should be changed to the 3d US INF. The 3d was the 1st at that time. They reorganized based on the seniority of the commanding officer later and the 1st became the 3d.

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STOP REMOVING THE REAL HISTORY OF THE GENOCIDE THIS MAN COMMITTED AGAINST FIRST NATIONS! WIKIPEDIA PUT BACK THE REAL HISTORY ! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.241.96.191 (talk) 23:30, 14 January 2018 (UTC)

Things sometimes "creep in" so would someone look at the "Further reading" and "External links" sections for possible integration or trimming? With exceptions 3 to 5 (four to five as possible exceptions) seems to be a "reasonable number" but 6 links in the "Further reading" and 13 in the "External links" starts looking like link farming. Otr500 (talk) 21:55, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

The introduction to this page states both that he died from pneumonia and that he died from typhoid fever. Since as far as I can tell this is a point of contention I wasn't really willing to change this myself. Is there a popular consensus now on this issue? Leemorrison (talk) 12:01, 4 March 2019 (UTC)

(The claim that he died of pneumonia has since been removed from the intro.) Not so much a "popular consensus", since the issue isn't that widely known, but the conclusion of a modern medical re-evaluation of the case (see citations in the article) was that he died of "enteric fever" (typhoid or paratyphoid fever, which are similar though not completely identical). --Colin Douglas Howell (talk) 02:20, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Because of the W.H. initials, it occurs to me that he could have been nicknamed White House Harrison. The short tenure (died 31 days after inauguration) would have worked against it. I take it the paragraph you are reading is original research, thus no move by me to put it in the article. But you know about the later President U.S. Grant, right? Carlm0404 (talk) 20:49, 8 July 2020 (UTC)

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Is this the real photo of William Henry Harrison? [4] Mysticair667537 (talk) 22:27, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

No, it is not. TuckerResearch (talk) 20:23, 28 January 2021 (UTC)

There is no extant photograph of Harrison. Harrison may have sat for a photograph after his inauguration—and I have never seen a good reference for this fact—but, it if he ever did, it is lost. So, I removed the following paragraph (see diff):

He was also the first president to have his photograph taken while having incumbency. The image was made in Washington, D.C. on his inauguration day in 1841. Photographs exist of John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren, but these images were taken long after the men's presidential terms had ended. The original daguerreotype of Harrison on his inauguration day has become lost to history, although at least one early photographic copy exists in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1]

The removed bit had a link to the Metropolitan Museum of Art image: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/190020170.

Here are the images usually shown:

• 
• 

These images are not a photograph of Harrison. It is a circa 1850 daguerreotype of an oil painting depicting William Henry Harrison.

Jennifer Schuessler of the New York Times wrote in 2017 of this exact Metropolitan Museum of Art image: "A startlingly lifelike daguerreotype showing Harrison, made by the Boston photography studio Southworth and Hawes around 1850 and now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a reproduction of an oil portrait, not of a photograph."^[2]

I also removed this bit from the article (see diff): "He became the first head of state to have his photograph taken, then rode through the streets in the inaugural parade^[3]" because the cited webpage doesn't even mention Harrison taking a photograph!

If you compare this to early daguerreotypes, you'll note how it is way too crisp and detailed to be an 1841 photograph. TuckerResearch (talk) 21:29, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

• Also, who writes stuff like while having incumbancy? Sound like something you'd go to the VD clinic for. EEng 17:49, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

I believe that we should change the photograph of William Henry Harrison, possibly to this painting seen here, or the oil painting the daguerreotype is of:

• 
• 

--Helloguyswhatisup (talk) 21:36, 29 December 2020 (UTC)

Agreed. TuckerResearch (talk) 18:24, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

• I have boldly changed it to the official white house portrait of William Harrison since I think it's more official than that second one. PyroFloe (talk) 10:34, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

The details of the image say the painting was done in 1835, which is before Harrison became president. In what way is it the "official White House portrait"? Was this decided after the painting was done? Attic Salt (talk) 16:27, 26 January 2021 (UTC)

@Attic Salt: Made my recent dummy edit not realizing there was a talk page discussion. According to the White House Historical Association, it states This portrait of William Henry Harrison was painted by James Reid Lambdin in 1835, five years before he became president. [...] Lambdin's painting later became his official presidential portrait. [5]. Regards  Spy-cicle💥  ^Talk? 19:37, 26 January 2021 (UTC)

Got it. I added the source you found on this. Thank you. Attic Salt (talk) 19:58, 26 January 2021 (UTC)

I was the one who uploaded "File:P1240333-4.jpg" to the Wikimedia Commons, and when I uploaded it I did not realize that there is a full version of that exact painting already on the Wikimedia Commons. So I would using "File:William Henry Harrison.jpg" instead.

• 

--Helloguyswhatisup (talk) 14:17, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

At 68 years of age at the time of his inauguration, Harrison was the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency, a distinction he held until 2021, when Joseph Robinette Biden Jr was inaugurated at age 78. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ralf Halfeld (talk • contribs) 10:33, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

William Henry Harrison was the oldest person to assume the office until Ronald Reagan in 1981, as Reagan was 69. Then in 2017 Trump became the oldest at 70, and in 2021 Biden became the oldest at 78. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Helloguyswhatisup (talk • contribs) 21:12, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

No, Trump was then the oldest, then Biden was then the oldest... TuckerResearch (talk) 20:23, 28 January 2021 (UTC)

Harrison was the oldest until 1981 when Reagan became president. Then Trump became the oldest in 2017 - then it's Biden in 2021. SpicyCheese (talk) 18:53, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

Indeed, there is a Wikipedia article dedicated to this: List of presidents of the United States by age - TuckerResearch (talk) 15:54, 30 January 2021 (UTC)

I think we should use the daguerreotype anyways, as it looks better then the portrait, and it is the most commonly used image. TomVenam2021 (talk) 22:10, 3 April 2021 (UTC)

I believe previous consensus was against it. I'm against your change for the reasons explained above. This is a featured article which means that many editors have an interest. Let's measure again. BusterD (talk) 22:38, 3 April 2021 (UTC)

The daguerreotype is a daguerreotype of a painting. Its inclusion would give readers a false impression that it is a real image of President Harrison. Lochglasgowstrathyre (talk) 01:08, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

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I just noticed something missing from when we first did the FA years ago. His photograph! Harrison was the first president to be photographed. Somehow that all disappeared from the article. I went back to grab the old text.

Harrison was the first sitting [incumbent] President to have his photograph taken. The image was made in Washington, D.C., on his inauguration day in 1841. Photographs exist of John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren, but these images were taken after they left office. The Harrison image was also the first presidential photograph. The original daguerreotype of Harrison on his inauguration day has been lost—although at least one early photographic copy exists in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1][2]

Not sure why this was removed. Would anyone be opposed to readding it? It was the lead image too. Perhaps someone found out it was not legit. I did not dig through the article history to figure it out. Might at least be useful in the article somewhere if not the lead. I do think it is the best image of him out there. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:35, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

You may want to check the talk archives. Hoppyh (talk) 20:40, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

Yep, someone debunked the photo: [6]

Even so, he was the first president to be photographed. Even if the photo is lost, the fact is worthy of inclusion I think. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:48, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

I have not been able to find a source for the following. I have removed it from the article.

Harrison's wife Anna was too ill to travel when he left Ohio for his inauguration, and she decided not to accompany him to Washington. He asked his late son's widow Jane to accompany him and temporarily act as hostess; but Harrison's death meant that Anna never went to Washington.

I wanted to preserve it here. If a source turns up we could put it back in the article. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 17:08, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

Here is a White House website reference: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/firstladies/ah9.html. Hoppyh (talk) 17:43, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

Great find! —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 19:35, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

Hello, as this article was promoted in 2009, I think it would be good to review it again. There is only a few problems such as unsourced text. Examples:

• Harrison was the Whig candidate and faced incumbent Van Buren in the 1840 election. He was chosen over more controversial members of the party, such as Clay and Webster, and based his campaign on his military record and on the weak U.S. economy caused by the Panic of 1837.

Done. Hoppyh (talk) 20:19, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

• The dispute intensified when Harrison named Daniel Webster as Secretary of State, who was Clay's arch-rival for control of the Whig Party. Harrison also appeared to give Webster's supporters some highly coveted patronage positions. His sole concession to Clay was to name his protégé John J. Crittenden to the post of Attorney General. Despite this, the dispute continued until the president's death.

Done. Hoppyh (talk) 20:43, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

• Tecumseh was traveling in 1811 when Harrison was authorized by Secretary of War William Eustis to march against the confederation as a show of force. He led an army north with 950 men to intimidate the Shawnee into making peace, but the tribes launched a surprise attack early on November 7 in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison defeated the tribal forces at Prophetstown next to the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers, and he was hailed as a national hero and the battle became famous. Although his troops had suffered 62 dead and 126 wounded during the battle and the Shawnee just 150 casualties, the Shawnee prophet's vision of spiritual protection had been shattered.

Done. Hoppyh (talk) 20:13, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

• Harrison had many friends in the eastern aristocracy and quickly gained a reputation among them as a frontier leader. He ran a successful horse-breeding enterprise that won him acclaim throughout the Northwest Territory. Congress had legislated a territorial policy which led to high land costs, and this became a primary concern for settlers in the Territory; Harrison became their champion to lower those prices.

Done. Hoppyh (talk) 20:15, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

Hopefully the article can be improved. Sahaib3005 (talk) 21:10, 23 September 2021 (UTC)

@Sahaib3005: I’ll try to help with this as I’m able.. Thanks for letting me know of the review. Hoppyh (talk) 19:58, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

I am attempting a copyedit, including the unsourced text issue. I have been asked to advise when completed with a post at WP:FAR.Hoppyh (talk) 11:06, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

Done. Glad to help further as needed. Hoppyh (talk) 20:39, 23 October 2021 (UTC)

I have read it over and did a little cleanup too. I removed out some of the unsourced content, and add a citation needed tag on one sentence. If we can't find a source, I would be ok with just removing an unsourced content. The article would still very comprehensive and in good shape without it. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:47, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

In the 1840 campaign section, I would recommend we omit one of the two images, as it is now overcrowded. Do you have a preference? We could move the campaign photo to the gallery? Hoppyh (talk) 22:27, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

I have made adjustments to the two images so hopefully they will be ok now. Hoppyh (talk) 21:33, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

There is a link for audio of the article at the very top. Is the audio link needed that is in the External links section? Hoppyh (talk) 21:08, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

Hello, I only have a couple of the sources in my own library. I looked up the what I could

• Tecumseh was traveling in 1811 when Harrison was authorized by Secretary of War William Eustis to march against the confederation as a show of force. (languth p. 167) He led an army north with 950 men to intimidate the Shawnee into making peace, but the tribes launched a surprise attack early on November 7 in the Battle of Tippecanoe. (Languth p. 168) Harrison defeated the tribal forces at Prophetstown next to the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers, and he was hailed as a national hero and the battle became famous. Although his troops had suffered 62 dead and 126 wounded during the battle and the Shawnee just 150 casualties, (Languth p. 169) the Shawnee prophet's vision of spiritual protection had been shattered.

This is Languth pp.167-169.

• Harrison had many friends in the eastern aristocracy and quickly gained a reputation among them as a frontier leader. He ran a successful horse-breeding enterprise that won him acclaim throughout the Northwest Territory. Congress had legislated a territorial policy which led to high land costs, and this became a primary concern for settlers in the Territory; Harrison became their champion to lower those prices.

This is Gugin and St Clair p.19

I suspect the other two statements are from the next given citation, but I don't have those sources to verify at the moment. Hope that helps! Sources I have immediate access to are only the first half of his life. "Mr. Jefferson's Hammer" is a great biography of Harrison, and I suspect that could be used to resolve most sourcing issues. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 18:23, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

See recent posts at WP:FAR concerning the need for work on references/citations. Hoppyh (talk) 21:16, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I am conducting a citation cleanup from the beginning, as recommended per those posts.Hoppyh (talk) 16:57, 7 November 2021 (UTC)

@Charles Edward: In the Death and Funeral section, there is material using citation (4 times) to HistoryNet article "The Thirty-One Day Presidency of WHH" by Marty Jones. We need to find another source, as HistoryNet is not considered RS, and of course some revision of the material may be needed. Any help would be great. Hoppyh (talk) 02:37, 10 November 2021 (UTC)

We should be able to reference it all from Collins, I will see if I can get a copy of the book. —Charles Edward ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 18:37, 10 November 2021 (UTC)

Thanks. I have completed a review and edit of citations, bibliography, and further reading. Note to that effect posted at WP:FAR. Hoppyh (talk) 22:55, 10 November 2021 (UTC)

This edit request to William Henry Harrison has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

In the section "Presidency (1841)", in the 5th paragraph, there is an error where "president" is written as "presi dent". I believe the space should be removed. 1rre (talk) 19:07, 2 December 2021 (UTC)

 Done - Good catch, thanks! 19:16, 2 December 2021 (UTC)

Twice in this article, Ronald Regan is listed as the oldest elected president, this was true until Joe Biden’s election. 2601:483:101:B5B0:15CD:639C:54C5:BB99 (talk) 05:05, 26 January 2022 (UTC)

They're not wrong. Harrison was the oldest until Reagan.$chnauzer 05:48, 26 January 2022 (UTC)

Per current FAR, I have removed the following text and the source referenced per WP:RS: Between 1803 and 1809, he supervised 13 treaties with Indian leaders that provided the federal government over 60,000,000 acres (240,000 km²), including the southern third of Indiana and most of Illinois."William Henry Harrison". The War of 1812.org. Retrieved December 1, 2021. Hoppyh (talk) 01:30, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

The description for the photo says it was painted in Cincinnati in 1835 - obviously, he may not have had the opportunity to sit for a portrait while President, but was this portrait ever used as his “official” portrait as the caption implies? Someonefromohio (talk) 20:04, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

I think the current image should be change to the the same image that isn’t cropped so readers can see the whole portrait instead of a piece of it. Orson12345 (talk) 01:12, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

I think the image in general is a bad choice and that alternatives should be considered. 142.127.4.222 (talk) 15:13, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

The cropped version is best. GoodDay (talk) 01:19, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

Why? Your not giving any explanation to your reasoning. Orson12345 (talk) 01:36, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

I prefer the cropped version. We don't need to see the rest of him. Anyways, we're never going to agree on the proposed image, so best to let others weigh in. GoodDay (talk) 01:40, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

Agreed. Orson12345 (talk) 01:54, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

I prefer the cropped version as well. Hoppyh (talk) 01:56, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

The article states: "Harrison defeated Van Buren in the 1840 presidential election, making him the first of only three Whigs to win the presidency, the others being Zachary Taylor and Millard Filmore." This is incorrect. Only two Whig candidates won presidential election: Harrison and Taylor. Millard Fillmore (whose name is spelled incorrectly in the article) succeeded to the office and never won in his own right. Nljzcj2 (talk) 16:05, 30 September 2022 (UTC)

The article says that Harrison was one of only three Whigs to "assume" the presidency. This is also incorrect as John Tyler assumed the presidency after Harrison's death, in addition to Taylor and Fillmore. Ddavidk (talk) 17:22, 16 October 2022 (UTC)

This edit request to William Henry Harrison has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

I want to list some facts in the 30 day presidency btw my friend edited and trolled a talk page sadly :( Richardhgzdufgh (talk) 23:45, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Sarrail (talk) 23:46, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

And BTW, please don't make disruptive edits on this page (e.g. 1) Sarrail (talk) 23:47, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

It is said that Harrison had six children with his enslaved, concubine Dilsia. He later sold a portion of his enslaved family to his brother. Harrison’s lineage later extended to one of the presidents of NAACP Walter White through his maternal lineage. I’m not sure how much is documented to reference on Harrison’s Wikipedia page but should be considered Thanks. 2601:2C6:837F:2D90:64D4:687B:3DE3:AFF1 (talk) 15:19, 25 November 2022 (UTC)

This edit request to William Henry Harrison has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

“At 68, Harrison was the oldest person to assume the American presidency until Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 at 69.”

Should read:

“At 68, Harrison was the oldest person to assume the American presidency until Joseph Biden was elected in 2020 at 77.” 2601:801:101:24C0:E084:D0FF:4BF7:1154 (talk) 02:43, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

No, that was correct. Harrison did hold the record for oldest president until Ronnie was elected. $chnauzer 03:03, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

Needs to be updated 2600:4041:5E41:AD00:F15B:F3F0:7F42:78EA (talk) 17:13, 12 December 2022 (UTC)

See above.$chnauzer 17:38, 12 December 2022 (UTC)