“Life and Death in the White House,” a new exhibit at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, features stories and artifacts of former presidents and others who have died in the executive mansion. Photo by Casey Smith of the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Among the history lessons absorbed by thousands of Hoosier kids each year is that of a long-ago frontiersman who, for many, is largely remembered as the United States’ shortest-serving president — William Henry Harrison.

He was technically from Ohio — born in 1773 before Indiana was even a state. Nicknamed “Old Tippecanoe” for his dogged military leadership against Tecumseh’s confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe, Harrison also became well known for his role as the first governor of the Indiana Territory.

Formed in 1800, that new territory included all of what would become the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as the northeastern part of Minnesota.

His political career would eventually land him in the White House in 1841. But his stint as the ninth U.S. president was incredibly short-lived — just 31 days.

The cause of his misfortune? Possibly, an illness spurred by a lengthy inaugural speech on a cold, wet day outside the Capitol building. He was the first president to die in office, setting precedent for presidential funerals, as well as how the change of office would take place.

The family’s political success continued, though. Harrison’s grandson, Benjamin, went on to become the only U.S. president elected from Indiana.

The younger Harrison spent far more time in Washington, D.C., serving a four-year term as the nation’s 23rd president from 1889-1893. Still, his presidency was marred by death, too, when First Lady Caroline Harrison succumbed to tuberculosis. She was the second first lady to die while serving in that role.

In all, two presidents and three first ladies have died inside the White House. Presidents Warren G. Harding and Franklin Delano Roosevelt also died in office — but not inside the executive residence. Four presidents died by assassination — Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.

Experiences of the Harrison family and the losses they endured while in the White House are the spotlight of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site’s latest exhibit, “Death in the White House,” which dives into the centuries-long history of death in the executive mansion.

A visit to the nearly 150-year-old Harrison home features funeral mementos, diary passages and newspaper clippings from various family deaths. On display, too, are locks of hair original to the presidential grandfather and grandson — reminiscent of a bygone practice, in which mourners preserved small bits of hair in brooches or rings.

Harrison’s Long, Cold Speech

Despite spending so little time as commander in chief, William Henry Harrison may very well have been among the longest-winded presidents.

His entrance to the White House was marked by several firsts. Harrison was the first president-elect to arrive in Washington, D.C. by train, and for the first time, an official inaugural committee of citizens had formed to plan the day’s parade and inaugural ball.

At 68 years, 23 days of age at the time of his inauguration, he was also the oldest president-elect to take office until Ronald Reagan in 1981.

But the weather was not in the aging president-to-be’s favor. The day of the inauguration was overcast with cold wind and a noon temperature estimated by historians to be about 48 degrees.

Even so, the president-elect rode on horseback to the ceremony and chose to not wear an overcoat, hat or gloves during the festivities, according to records kept at the Library of Congress.

On that March day, Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address to date, totaling 8,445 words. He wrote the entire speech himself, with edits by soon-to-be Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

Harrison attended three inaugural balls later that evening, but in the following days and weeks,  the president developed what appeared to be a cold.

It was believed at the time that his illness was directly caused by the bad weather at his inauguration, but more contemporary evidence suggests that Harrison’s illness may have been from enteric or typhoid fever related to Washington’s water supply.

Regardless, doctors’ attempts to treat him were unsuccessful, and Harrison died on April 4, 1841. He was ultimately buried near his home in North Bend, Ohio.

Other White House Deaths

President Zachary Taylor also died at the White House on July 9, 1850, after suffering a stomach illness that was likely cholera or some other gastrointestinal illness. The 12th president died only 16 months after taking office.

President Warren G. Harding died during his term — but in a San Francisco hotel room, from a heart attack in 1923, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt also died in 1945 from a cerebral hemorrhage while at a polio treatment center in Georgia. The country’s four assassinated presidents died at various points in their presidencies.

Three first ladies have additionally died at the White House. Letitia Tyler — wife of President John Tyler — died on Sept. 10, 1842, following a stroke. Caroline Harrison, first lady to Benjamin Harrison, died of tuberculosis on Oct. 25, 1892. And on Aug. 6, 1914, Ellen Wilson, the first wife of President Woodrow Wilson, passed away after battling Bright’s Disease.

‘Death In The White House’

The Harrison site exhibit, which opened to the public on Friday, takes special interest in Caroline’s passing. A frequently ill first lady, she developed pneumonia in March 1891, on the backend of Benjamin’s presidency.

Although a summer retreat to Loon Lake in the Adirondack Mountains seemed to improve for Caroline’s health, her condition deteriorated by fall, when she was ultimately diagnosed with tuberculosis shortly before her death.

Telling a new side of Caroline’s passing are new-found, firsthand accounts from Harrison family seamstress Josephine Kneip’s personal diary.

Jennifer Capps, the Harrison site’s vice president of curatorship and exhibition, said the diary has been held for generations by Kneip’s family, who still remain in Indiana. Over the last year, the diary has been scanned and transcribed. Several passages are featured in the exhibit, detailing Caroline’s final days:

Thurs. 20th Oct. The President and Mrs. Harrison were married 39 years, a sad anniversary in deed. Mrs. Morton sent … beautiful red roses. …

Mon. Oct. 24th. Dr. Gardener came early, we all new (sic) what to expect … Mrs. H said … what time is it that I am dying? … It was pitiful to see Mrs. Harrison suffering so … the President did not go down to his meals but stayed near his dearest all day with a brave heart …

Oct. 25, 1892, 1:40 A.M. President holding the little white hand till then, then broken hearted … sat for one moment got up suddenly hurried to his room closing his door crying aloud talking with his Master.

The exhibit will be open to the public and be included with general admission to Harrison house through Dec. 30. Advanced tickets can be reserved at PresidentBenjaminHarrison.org.