What You Need To Know
- It’s widely believed that William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia weeks after a frigid inaugural address
- Harrison was also the first U.S. president to die while serving in office
- He gave an extra long inauguration speech to show he was fit for office, despite his advanced age
You might shiver just reading this.
On March 4, 1841, the 68-year-old Harrison, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a long-serving member of Congress, rattled off a nearly two-hour speech outside of the Capitol building in on a frigid early March day in Washington D.C.
“Inauguration day was on March 4, and the [exact inauguration] site could bounce around a little bit,” said American Historian Sara Georgini, who is the Series Editor of The Papers of John Adams at the Massachusetts Historical Society. “In this case, it was Washington D.C., and William Henry Harrison on his inauguration day had pretty good weather. Most scholars had it in the upper 40s but with a cold wind.”
But a month later, the ninth president was dead.
Harrison chose to give a nearly 8,500-word speech on a relatively chilly late winter day, and according to observers at the time, he caught a cold that morphed into pneumonia.
While exact temperature and precipitation on that fateful day aren’t known (National Weather Service official records for Washington D.C. only date back to 1870), Harrison gave his address on a “cloudy, cold and blustery day”, according to the N.W.S.
Other accounts, including the Library of Congress, say it rained that day.
“His speech lasted one hour and 40 minutes and he rode a horse to and from the Capitol without a hat or overcoat,” note the weather service’s official records. “Pneumonia developed from a lingering cold he caught on that day and he died just one month later.”
Just a few months earlier, Harrison trounced incumbent president Martin Van Buren, winning 234 electoral votes to just 60 for Van Buren. A decorated soldier, farmer and grandfather (he had 25 grandchildren), Harrison was generally perceived as a man of the people, and it contributed to his landslide electoral victory in the November 1840 presidential election.
Despite his big electoral win, one of Harrison’s biggest criticisms during the campaign was his age. During the campaign, Harrison’s opponents mockingly referred to him as “granny”, and the Ohio native became the oldest first-term president when he defeated Van Buren.
It’s likely that Harrison’s perception of being too old for the job contributed to him standing outside and rattling off nearly 8,500 words on that chilly and likely rainy March morning. The new president wanted to show his country that he had the required stamina for the job.
How The Weather Led to the President’s Death
The 31-day proximity between Harrison’s inauguration and his death (along with his age and the weather) leads most historians to conclude Harrison’s weather-defiant wardrobe led to his sudden passing.
“Most scholars think he had a respiratory cold and that was enhanced by the cold,” Georgini said.
So perhaps a bit of advice to future presidents: Dress a bit warmer – and speak far less – than Harrison did on that fateful March afternoon almost 180 years ago.
How Weather Shaped Political History
Want to learn more about how weather has shaped our political history?
Check out this story on how a force of nature turned Alexander Hamilton into a political force.
Check out this story on how a tornado saved our nation’s capital during the War of 1812.
Check out this story on how a snowstorm in California affected the 1916 election.
Check out this story on how a flood led to Herbert Hoover’s ascension to the presidency.
Conclusion
William Henry Harrison’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of dressing warmly and speaking wisely on inauguration day. While it’s impossible to know for certain whether the weather directly caused his death, many historians believe that his decision to deliver a long and chilly speech in March 1841 led to his untimely demise.
FAQs
Q: What was the weather like on William Henry Harrison’s inauguration day?
A: According to historian Sara Georgini, the weather was “pretty good” with temperatures in the upper 40s and a cold wind.
Q: Did it rain on Harrison’s inauguration day?
A: Yes, according to the Library of Congress and other accounts, it rained on March 4, 1841.
Q: How long did Harrison’s speech last?
A: His speech lasted one hour and 40 minutes.
Q: Why did Harrison give a long speech?
A: He wanted to show he was fit for office, despite his advanced age.
