William Henry Harrison, whose father Benjamin was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in 1773 in Charles City county, Virginia.
After attending college in Philadelphia, Harrison served as aide-de-camp to Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne and fought in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. His career included stops as Secretary of the Northwest Territory under Governor Arthur St. Clair, U.S. Congress, governor of the newly created Indiana Territory and Brigadier General in the War of 1812. In that war, his forces scored a major victory at the Battle of the Thames. I was there that the Indian leader Tecumseh was killed and an entire British force captured.
Harrison settled in North Bend and entered politics eventually winning the Whig nomination for the Presidency in 1840 at age 68, defeating Martin Van Buren in the election. His slogans included the famous "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!" which referred to his military campaign and his running mate, John Tyler. Sadly, Harrison died a month after his inauguration.
