William Henry Harrison (1773-1841)
9th President of the United States (1841)
He was preceded in the Presidency by Martin Van Buren but he died after serving for just 31-days and was replaced in 1841 by his Vice-President, fellow Whig John Tyler. Harrison was the last U.S. President to be born as a British subject and he was the grandfather of the 23rd U.S. President, Benjamin Harrison. On a cold winter's day, eager to prove his robust health, he rode to the White House rather than taking a carriage and refused to wear an overcoat or hat as he delivered an 8,445-word inaugural speech that lasted two hours - the longest ever given. Thirty-one days later, he died of pneumonia and he has gone down in history as the shortest serving U.S. President. He and his wife had nine children (listed), all of whom lived to adulthood.
