2. pre- presidnet
Henry Harrison was born on February
9,1773.
The Harrisons were one of Virginia's
elite families and close friendsof the
Washingtons. The Declaration of
Independence bears the signatureof
William's father, Benjamin, who served
three terms as governor ofVirginia.
William's mother, Elizabeth Bassett
Harrison, hailed from oneof the colony's
3. continued
earliest and most prestigious families. It
is likely that some ofWilliam's memories
were of his parents talking about
General Washingtonand his marathon
struggle against England. After all, the
familyplantation lay just thirty miles
from Yorktown, at the base of
thepeninsula where Washington trapped
Cornwallis's army in the battle
thatsealed the British fate in the
4. elections
William Henry Harrison began to spend
time with others in his regionwho had
been dealt out of the Jackson regime.
Opposition to thepowerful, popular
Jackson ran so strong in some sectors
that they hadformed their own party,
called the Whigs. Observing Andrew
Jackson'swar hero popularity and
political success, the Whigs reasoned
that itwould take another war hero to
