How did William Henry Harrison get elected?

By the end of the War of 1812, William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) had made a name for himself as a successful general. He then entered politics. After serving in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he became the US ambassador to Colombia. His diplomatic service was not successful, and he was recalled in less than a year.
Although his political career was not spectacular, the Whigs began to consider him as a presidential candidate in the 1830s. In the presidential election of 1836, three Whigs—including Harrison—gained electoral votes, but Martin Van Buren easily won the election. However, Harrison did win a large number of popular votes, so he tried again in 1840.
Harrison's victory in the 1840 presidential election had a lot to do with the public blaming Van Buren for the severe economic recession. Also, Harrison ran an effective campaign as a military hero and plain frontiersman. The campaign's image of Harrison as a simple and ordinary man was false: Harrison came from an affluent background, and his family had long been influential. The 1840 campaign slogan was "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." Tippecanoe was a famous Harrison victory over the Indians, and John Tyler was Harrison's running mate. Harrison became the oldest man to win the presidency, and he died only one month into his term.