William Henry Harrison
I’m partnering with Ashland Public Library for a virtual presidential series. We’re tackling each president chronologically on the second Friday at 10:30 A.M. EST. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Join us! More info and registration can be found here for 2026 and here for 2027.
Additional reading (and mandatory listening, etc.)
Read Harrison’s inaugural address
TLDR
Tecumseh’s Curse
Spoiler: it’s not real!
John Scott Harrison
Specifically, the body-snatching of
Please listen to his campaign song 🎵
It’s amazing
William Henry Harrison on Parks and Rec
They had the big ball!!
Grouseland
You have to see pics of his house! Also, Parks and Rec gave them the replica campaign ball and they bring it out for special occassions (whhhhaaaaat?!)
Anna Harrison
Learn more about the FLOTUS with the Mostest (kids) here
Why you gotta be so rude? 🎵
I swear the song “Rude” by Magic! captures the Harrison’s journey pretty perfectly … listen to it and see for yourself
PS Anna’s dad was a Hollow Earther
Maybe even wrote the book on it. (You can read the full book online, if you’re so inclined)
General Harrison’s Nogg Cocktail 🥃
Someone ordered this cocktail on a TV show I watched just this week! It’s named after Harrison!
Related blog posts
Flip through my doodles inspired by Peter Stark’s eye-opening book.
8 Bens a-benning
Let ‘em talk about hard cider
This doodle from a Halloween drawing challenge I participated in, whereby I forced presidential facts into completely unrelated drawing prompts… like this one, showing “something from a song.” This is a doodle of They Might Be Giants performing Harrison/Tyler’s campaign song.
If you’re here for the sexy grouse, look no further:
Q & A / discussion follow up
Harrison’s and Tyler’s homes were in the same county, separated by a few miles. This was the only time both candidates on the ticket were from the same county.
I immediately added Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, by Ben Goldfarb to my must read list (thanks, Sam!)
Etc.
Sources
Doodles for this presentation were inspired by:
Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation, by Peter Stark
William Henry Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 9th President, 1841, by Gail Collins
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, by Nathaniel Philbrick
Martin Van Buren: The American Presidents Series: The 8th President, 1837-1841, by Ted Widmer
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, by Jon Meacham
The Vice President’s Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn, by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers
America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick, by Bob Crawford
Heirs of the Founders: Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants, by H. W. Brands
A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland, by Troy Senik
The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth, by Jermaine Fowler
The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond,by Louis L. Picone
Everything You Need to Ace U.S. History in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide, by Workman Publishing, Lily Rothman, Editors of Brain Quest
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: Strange Stories and Shocking Trivia from Inside the White House, by Cormac O’Brien
The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, by William A. DeGreorio
Check out my bibliography for more.
Next up: John Tyler
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is in collaboration with a multitude of MA and NH libraries.
MA: Amherst, Andover, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cohasset, Cotuit, Falmouth, Groton, Hanover, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Maynard, North Reading, Quincy, Shutesbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Wellesley, West Newbury, and Woburn; NH: Amherst, Dover, and Greenfield.
“Died of the Presidency”