William Henry Harrison

:This article is about the general and president. For the congressman, see William H. Harrison (1896-1990).

Early years and military career

Harrison was born into a prominent political family at the Berkeley Plantation in Virginia, the third son of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Basset. His father was a Virginia planter who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–1777), signed the Declaration of Independence (1776), and was Governor of Virginia (1781–1784). William Henry Harrison's brother, Carter Bassett Harrison, later became a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia.

Related Topics:
Political family - Berkeley Plantation - Virginia - Benjamin Harrison V - Continental Congress - 1774 - 1777 - Declaration of Independence - 1776 - Governor of Virginia - 1781 - 1784 - Carter Bassett Harrison - United States House of Representatives

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Harrison briefly attended several colleges, including Hampden-Sydney College, with the intention of becoming a physician. His father's death in 1791 left Harrison without money for further schooling and so, at the age of 18, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Army. He was sent to the Northwest Territory, where he spent much of his life. Harrison served as aide-de-camp to General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, from whom he learned how to successfully command an army on the American frontier. Harrison participated in Wayne's decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, which brought the Northwest Indian War to a close. Lieutenant Harrison was one of the signers of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, which opened much of present-day Ohio to settlement by white Americans.

Related Topics:
Hampden-Sydney College - 1791 - Ensign - U.S. Army - Northwest Territory - Aide-de-camp - General - "Mad Anthony" Wayne - American frontier - Battle of Fallen Timbers - 1794 - Northwest Indian War - Treaty of Greenville - 1795 - White

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Harrison resigned from the Army in 1798 to become Secretary of the Northwest Territory, and acted as governor when Governor Arthur St. Clair was absent. In 1799, Harrison was elected as the first delegate representing the Northwest Territory in the Sixth United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1799, to May 14, 1800. As delegate, he successfully promoted the passage of the Harrison Land Act, which made it easier for people to purchase land for settlement in the Northwest Territory. Harrison resigned from Congress to become governor of the newly formed Indiana Territory, a post he held for twelve years, until 1813.

Related Topics:
1798 - Secretary of the Northwest Territory - Governor - Arthur St. Clair - 1799 - Delegate - Sixth United States Congress - March 4 - May 14 - 1800 - Harrison Land Act - Indiana Territory - 1813

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A primary responsibility as territorial governor was to obtain title to Native American lands so that white settlement could expand in the area. Harrison oversaw numerous treaties, purchasing much of present-day Indiana from Native American leaders. Tensions, always high on the frontier, became much greater after the 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne, in which Harrison secured the purchase of more than 2,500,000 acres (10,000 km²) of Indian land. An Indian resistance movement against U.S. expansion had been growing around the Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet"). Tecumseh called upon Harrison to nullify the Treaty of Fort Wayne, warned against any whites moving onto the land, and continued to widen his Indian confederation (see "Tecumseh's War"). In 1811, Harrison was authorized to march against the confederacy, winning his famous victory at Prophetstown next to the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers. During the War of 1812, Harrison took command of the Army of the Northwest. He won victories in Indiana and Ohio before invading Canada and crushing the British at the Battle of the Thames.

Related Topics:
Native American - Indiana - 1809 - Treaty of Fort Wayne - Shawnee - Tecumseh - Tenskwatawa - Confederation - Tecumseh's War - 1811 - Prophetstown - Wabash - Tippecanoe River - Army of the Northwest - Ohio - Canada - British - Battle of the Thames

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