I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff You Need to Know (6 page)

Harrison was nicknamed for the battle of Tippecanoe. When he ran for president, and picked John Tyler as his running mate, their slogan became “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too! ” Even though he was from a wealthy, highbrow Virginia background, his campaign managers put the word out that just like Andrew Jackson, Harrison had also been born poor in a log cabin. And unlike Van Buren, who loved fine wine, Harrison preferred cider to Champagne. Guided by his advisors, Harrison also avoided talking about any important issues, a campaign tactic that worked and has been imitated ever since.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

William Henry Harrison was the first president to die while in office.

A Short-Term President

Elected in 1840, Harrison was, at 68, the oldest man to be elected president until Ronald Reagan became presidnet in 1980. Only four of his ten children lived long enough to see him win the presidency. He was inaugurated outside on a bitterly cold day, gave a speech that dragged on for an hour and 40 minutes (the longest ever), caught pneumonia, and passed away 32 days later—serving the shortest time of any U.S. president.

FUN FACT

William Henry Harrison’s father signed the Declaration of Independence, and his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, became the 23rd president of the United States.

10th President ~ 1841–1845

JOHN TYLER

His Accidency

“Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.”

Born

March 29, 1790 Charles City County, Virginia

Political Party

Democrat and Whig

First Ladies

Letitia and Julia

Children

Mary, Robert, John, Letitia, Elizabeth, Anne, Alice, Tazewell, David, John, Julia, Lachlan, Lyon, Robert, and Pearl

Pets

Le Beau, a greyhound; The General, a horse

The Accidental President

When President William Henry Harrison died 32 days after being sworn into office, his vice president, John Tyler, became the first man to step into the office of president without being elected. Many people argued that he should not have all the powers of an elected president. They called him “His Accidency.” Harrison’s cabinet thought that they should run the country. But Tyler pushed to make sure he took full control of the job. He even refused to look at any mail sent to the “Acting President.”

Tyler had already served his home state of Virginia as governor, U.S. congressman, and U.S. senator. He was popular in the southern states because he believed that states should have more say about how they ran themselves. He was kicked out of his own political party—the Whig Party—because he supported the rights of states and slavery. His stubbornness helped draw the lines that would later erupt into the Civil War. He also helped Texas join the United States as a slave state.

Family Life

Tyler was the first president to become a widower while in office, and the first to remarry. His second wife, Julia, was 30 years younger than he was. With his two wives, Tyler was father to 15 children, the most of any U.S. president.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS

John Tyler was the first president to serve without a political party. The Whigs forced him out of their party during his second year in office.

FUN FACT

Tyler was a talented violinist. His second wife would sometimes play the guitar while he played the violin. After he retired as president, he would play the violin at parties.

Taking Sides

Just before the Civil War broke out, Tyler, broke, retired, and back at his farm in Virginia, tried to negotiate a peace treaty between the North and the South. But President Lincoln rejected all of his ideas. Tyler sided with the Confederacy and was elected to the Confederacy’s Congress. He died a year later.

11th President ~ 1845–1849

JAMES K. POLK

Young Hickory

“No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure.”

Born

November 2, 1795 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Political Party

Democrat

Vice President

George M. Dallas

First Lady

Sarah

Pets

Horses

Manifest Destiny

James Polk believed that the United States was destined to expand to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This belief was called “Manifest Destiny.” As Polk told Congress, “The people of this continent alone have the right to decide their own destiny.”

The Canadian Border

Of course, this thinking caused problems, first with the British, who were still settling Canada: An argument broke out over where the U.S. borders were in the Pacific Northwest. Polk wanted the border to be placed well within the British territory; it would have extended the United States way up into what today is Canada. When the British agreed to a border on the 49th parallel (farther south than the Americans had wanted), Polk was pleased with the compromise. The United States got present-day Oregon and Washington.

The Mexican Border

Then border problems started with Mexico over Texas. The United States declared war on Mexico. When the Mexican-American War was over, the United States got the border it wanted for Texas and the land that would become New Mexico and California. Polk paid the Mexican government $15 million as compensation.

PRESIDENTIAL FIRST

When the U.S. gained the territory that became California, James Polk became the first president of a United States that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

FUN FACT

James Polk’s wife, Sarah, hosted the first Thanksgiving dinner ever held at the White House.

A Serious White House

A longtime family friend of Andrew Jackson (known as “Old Hickory”), Polk came to Washington with the nickname “Young Hickory.” His wife, Sarah, was strictly religious and allowed no drinking of alcoholic beverages or dancing in the White House.

Keeping a Promise

When he ran for president, Polk promised he would serve only one term and not try to get re-elected. He kept that promise. Polk left the country two-thirds larger than when he took office. The job exhausted him; only months after retiring to his home in Tennessee, he died of cholera.

12th President ~ 1849–1850

ZACHARY TAYLOR

Old Rough and Ready

“For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken.”

Born

November 24, 1784 Near Barboursville, Virginia

Political Party

Whig

Vice President

Millard Fillmore

First Lady

Margaret

Children

Ann, Sarah, Octavia, Margaret, Mary, and Richard

Pet

Old Whitey, a horse

A Popular—Not Political—Man

A hero of the Mexican-American War (in the Battle of Buena Vista, his army of 6,000 defeated a Mexican force of 20,000), General Zachary Taylor was one of the most popular men in the country, but he had no experience with politics. In fact, he had never even voted in an election because he saw himself as a professional soldier, and soldiers, he believed, should not take sides in politics. He was called “Old Rough and Ready” because he used to share the hardships of war with his men and he sometimes dressed sloppily, wearing old farm clothes and a straw hat into battle.

Slavery Again

When the Whig Party picked him to run for president, he didn’t think he was qualified, but he accepted because he felt it was his duty. He stepped right into the raging national argument over slavery: Should the new states of California, New Mexico, and Utah be admitted to the United States as slave states or free states? When Taylor, who owned 100 slaves himself, said that the new states should be allowed to decide for themselves, both sides got mad at him.