Benjamin Harrison's Life

Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833 in North Bend, Ohio, the grandson of William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States. He attended school in a log cabin and at the age of fourteen, he attended the Farmer's College near Cincinnati. Three years later, he transferred to Miami University at Oxford, Ohio. Harrison moved on to study law and he was admitted to the bar. Benjamin Harrison married Caroline Scott in 1853 and they had two children. Harrison joined the Union Army in 1862 during the Civil War and earned the position of general. After the war ended on April 9, 1865 he returned to his law practice. In 1876 Ben ran unsuccessfully in an election for Governor of Indiana. In 1881 Harrison was elected to the Senate and served the six-year term. The Republicans nominated Harrison as President of the United States against Grover Cleveland and Ben won. During his presidency Montana, Idaho, Washington state, North Dakota, and South Dakota were admitted to the Union. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed in 1890 as well as American women being allowed to vote in Wyoming. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The first gasoline-powered automobile was built in 1893 by the Duryea brothers. But before that, Caroline Scott Harrison died in 1892 before the election where Harrison was defeated by former President Grover Cleveland who served again as President. After Caroline's death, Ben returned to Indianapolis, Indiana where he married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick in 1896 and they had one child together. Benjamin Harrison died on March 13, 1901 at age sixty-seven. Note: Harrison was President from 1889 through 1893 and the Vice President was Levi Parsons Morton.