American President
Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 23rd President of the United States (1889–1893)
- Born
- August 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio
- Nickname
- “Kid Gloves Harrison,” “Little Ben”
- Education
- Miami University (Ohio), graduated 1852
- Religion
- Presbyterian
- Marriage
- October 20, 1853, to Caroline Lavinia Scott (1832–1892). April 6, 1896, to Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (1858–1948)
- Children
- Russell Benjamin (1854–1936), Mary Scott (1858–1930), Elizabeth (1897–1955)
- Career
- Lawyer
- Political Party
- Republican
- Writings
- This Country of Ours (1897), Views of An Ex-President (1901)
- Died
- March 13, 1901, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Buried
- Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana
- A Life in Brief
- Benjamin Harrison was born in 1833 in North Bend, Ohio, to a prominent family that had a legacy of political activism. After all, he was the grandson of the nation’s ninth President, William Henry Harrison. More »
- Shall the prejudices and paralysis of slavery continue to hang upon the skirts of progress?
- March 4, 1889
Essays on Benjamin Harrison and His Administration
- Benjamin Harrison
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Caroline Harrison
- Vice President
- Levi P. Morton
- Secretary of State
- James G. Blaine (1889–1892)
- John W. Foster (1892–1893)
- Secretary of War
- Redfield Proctor (1889–1891)
- Stephen B. Elkins (1891–1893)
- Postmaster General
- John Wanamaker (1889–1893)
- Secretary of the Interior
- John W. Noble (1889–1893)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- William Windom (1889–1891)
- Charles Foster (1891–1893)
- Attorney General
- William H. Miller (1889–1893)
- Secretary of the Navy
- Benjamin F. Tracy (1889–1893)
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Jeremiah M. Rusk (1889–1893)
Consulting Editor: Allan B. Spetter
Professor Spetter is a professor emeritus of history at Wright State University. His writings include:
The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison (Co-authored with Homer E. Socolofsky, University Press of Kansas, 1987)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s Benjamin Harrison speech collection.
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Benjamin Harrison.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Federal Election Reform and its relationship to Harrison.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on Benjamin Harrison’s Private and Public Papers
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