William Henry Harrison Memorial, Ohio

William Henry Harrison, who served as the ninth president of the USA in 1841, lasting only a month before dying in office, fought in the War of 1812, then returned to his family in North Bend, Ohio, where his wife’s father owned a large amount of land in the region, as part of a federal grant for his service in the Revolutionary War. Harrison lived in North Bend for the rest of his life (with the exception of his brief time in the White House), expanding an existing log cabin on the farmstead near the river into a 16-room mansion. The house burned down in 1858, and nothing remains at the site, except a plaque that celebrates it as the birthplace of his grandson, Benjamin Harrison (who served as the 23rd President). William Henry Harrison was 68 years old when he was elected president in 1840 - the oldest president to be elected, until Ronald Reagan came along 140 years later. When Harrison died after only a month, he was the first president to die in office. His body was brought to North Bend, where a large memorial tomb was later constructed. The tomb includes a large tower overlooking the river. Even though Harrison was born at a historic plantation, his rustic life on the frontier was promoted in his campaigns for president, and he made much of his time living in log cabins, even if they were enlarged into timber-framed mansions. Since Harrison was known to have made whiskey at his farm before his first run for the presidency in 1836, he became known as the “Log Cabin and Hard Cider” candidate, and popular log cabin shaped glass whisky bottles were produced by the E.C. Booz company for the campaign (the origin of the term “booze”). Some historians see William Henry Harrison as the first president to campaign in a modern way, traveling the country stumping, and managing his identity through publicity events. His bravado continued through his delivery of the longest inaugural speech in history, nearly two hours, in the cold winter of Washington DC, without a coat, after arriving dramatically on horseback. Though his death was perceived to have been caused by pneumonia and an excessive display of fortitude, later research suggests he might have died from enteric fever, contracted from primitive sewage ponds near the White House.