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President Harrison was probably the first empty suit elected to the Presidency. In the end, the damage was slight.
He rode to victory on the coattails of leading a much embroidered battle with Indians called Tippecanoe. "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," was his slogan, and it has remained probably the best known campaign slogan in American history. The Whigs selected Harrison as a candidate because they believed in a strong congress and a weak president; Harrison filled the bill perfectly. The Whigs turned out 82% of the eligible voters with such blandishments as live music, baloon rides, and free whiskey.
President Harrison's campaign slogan proved to be prophetic. Harrison died of pneumonia one month and a day after assuming office and was succeeded by President John Tyler. Despite his highly-truncated tenure he is better known than a lot of Presidents. Is he the most prominent amongst the obscure??
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1 comment:
Main achievement of Harrison's presidency: preventing the annexation of Cuba as a (or more likely several) slave state(s), a plot well underway that would have gone off without a hitch had Van Buren been reelected.
cwhig
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