President William Harrison represented the Whig political party but before he had been in office a month, William Henry Harrison caught a cold, that developed into pneumonia, and resulted in his death. William Harrison died on April 4, 1841, aged 68. He was the first president to die in office, serving the shortest tenure in U.S. Presidential history. The next president was John Tyler.

Birthday: February 9, 1773

Place of Birth: Ohio

Political Party: Whig 

Nickname: Old Tippecanoe

Number: 9th President

Vice President: John Tyler

Age at Inauguration: 68

Height: 5 feet 8 inches

Weight: 140 pounds

First Lady: Anna Harrison

Religion: Episcopalian

Date of Death: April 4, 1841

Date of William Harrison Presidency: March 4, 1841, to April 4, 1841

The Nickname of William Harrison: Old Tippecanoe
The nickname of President William Harrison provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public. The nickname "Old Tippecanoe" and his other nickname "Washington of the West" refers his strong leadership as a general during the Battle of Tippecanoe, on November 7, 1811, between the confederacy of native warriors led by the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. The meaning of his other famous nickname "General Mum" was due to his avoidance of speaking out on contentious or controversial issues.

Character and Personality Type of William Harrison
The character traits of President William Harrison can be described as outgoing, genial, kind, frank, good humored, humble and down to earth. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for William Harrison is an ESTJ (Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judgment). An outgoing, practical, realistic and civic-minded character with a strong belief in rules and procedures, placing a high value on competence and efficiency. William Harrison Personality type: Decisive, hardworking, methodical and orderly.

William Harrison for kids: Inaugural Address
The presidency of William Harrison only lasted for one month. He was a member of the Whig Party who had a common dislike of Andrew Jackson and his policies. He delivered his two hour long inaugural message on a freezing cold March morning without wearing a hat or coat. He presented a detailed critique of the Constitution and criticized what he saw as the excess of power seized by the executive branch. In a thinly disguised reference to President Andrew Jackson and the Bank Wars he remonstrated that the veto power invested in the president should only be exercised if the president believed a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional. He assured the nation that he would be obedient to the will of the people as expressed through Congress. William Harrison was a slave owner and made it clear that he supported the right of states to make their own decisions in the matter of slavery, criticizing antislavery supporters as endangering states' rights.

William Harrison for kids: The Death of William Harrison
William Harrison was sixty-eight years old when he inaugurated as President. After delivering his inaugural address he caught a cold which developed into pneumonia. He died after serving only one month in office. He was therefore unable to make any real impact on the United States. He spent his few short weeks as president dealing with job seekers due to the Spoils System which was operated during the administrations of the period. William Harrison was the first President to die in office. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, would later become President of the United States in 1889.