William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States, represented the Whig Party, though he'd previously been a supporter of the Democratic-Republicans, the party of Thomas Jefferson.
Harrison has earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first President to die in office. He's also gone down in history as being the shortest-serving President, lasting just thirty-one days in the job before he was struck down by typhoid fever. It has generally been assumed that Harrison's premature death was caused by his refusal to wear a hat or an overcoat during his Inauguration, which took place on a cold, wet day.
Before entering politics, Harrison had distinguished himself as a war hero, and he wanted to begin his Presidency in a suitably martial style, riding to his Inauguration on horseback instead of taking a ride in a closed carriage. Once he'd dismounted from his trusty steed, Harrison proceeded to give the longest Inauguration speech in American history, lasting over two hours and comprising nearly 8,500 words.
Harrison's untimely death may have robbed him of the chance to make his mark on the Presidency, but he still occupies a unique position in American history, albeit for the wrong reasons.
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