Profile of the Day: William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison

On February 9, 1773, William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States, was born on the Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia.

In honor of his birthday, check out these interesting facts about him:

• His father, Benjamin Harrison, was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
• He was the last U.S. President to be born as a British subject before American independence.
• Harrison briefly established a distillery to produce whisky. However, he soon became disturbed by the effects of alcohol on his consumers and closed the distillery down believing he had sinned in making whiskey.
• At the time of his inauguration, he was the oldest president to take office at the age of 68. He held the record until Ronald Reagan took office in 1981.
• He also holds the distinction for being the first president to die in office and for serving the shortest tenure in U.S. presidential history. He died of complications from pneumonia after only 32 days in office.

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