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William Henry Harrison: A Political Biography
"William Henry A Political Biography" provides a detailed examination of the life and political career of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. This meticulously researched book covers Harrison's early life, including his military service during the War of 1812, as well as his political career, including his time as a U.S. Congressman, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and ultimately President. Goebel goes on to examine Harrison's political beliefs and policies, including his support for Indian Removal and his opposition to the National Bank. Of course, the book covers his brief presidency and death shortly after taking office. Goebel's book is well-researched and provides a comprehensive look at the life of William Henry Harrison and his place in American history.
About the Dorothy Goebel was an American historian of the United States and a professor at Hunter College in New York City. In addition to this biography on William Henry Harrison, she wrote American Foreign The Documentary Record, 1776–1960 in 1961. She likewise collaborated with her husband to write Generals in the White House in 1945, giving an account of nine generals who went on to become U.S. Presidents. She was likewise associate editor of The Law Practice of Alexander Documents and Commentary in 1963.
About the Dorothy Goebel was an American historian of the United States and a professor at Hunter College in New York City. In addition to this biography on William Henry Harrison, she wrote American Foreign The Documentary Record, 1776–1960 in 1961. She likewise collaborated with her husband to write Generals in the White House in 1945, giving an account of nine generals who went on to become U.S. Presidents. She was likewise associate editor of The Law Practice of Alexander Documents and Commentary in 1963.
- GenresBiographyUs Presidents
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 30, 2021
Anyone who’s tried to read about William Henry Harrison knows the choices are pretty limited. He hasn’t been the subject of a full-scale biography since the last century, so modern readers have little choice but to resign themselves to the florid prose of early-20th-century biographers.
For whatever reason, Freeman Cleaves’ Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time from 1939 is the one that seems to have stood the test of time and has survived in modern reprint editions. But there were two other major WHH biographies, one published about a decade prior to Cleaves’ and one about a decade later. So I figured I might as well read all of them, not only to learn about Harrison, but to learn a little something about the historiography of Harrison and see what may have changed in the telling over the decades, from one biographer’s work to the next.
Goebel’s 1926 Harrison biography is about as obscure as it gets - go back any further in time and essentially your only choice is a candidate-approved campaign biography written to promote his run for the presidency. It is certainly dated, the language is decidedly old-fashioned, and Goebel’s goal seems more to impart information than to tell a compelling story. But if you can get past all that, it’s actually pretty balanced in its recounting of Harrison’s successes and faults, and certainly worth the read if you’re inclined to seek it out.
It’s easy to criticize “Indian fighters” like Harrison and Andrew Jackson from our modern perspective. I’m not suggesting they don’t deserve some or most of the criticism, but it is important to see them in the context of their times. And Goebel does that effectively, acknowledging that the Native Americans were essentially cheated out of their land through rushed and unfair treaties negotiated by the likes of Harrison, in his role as Indiana’s territorial governor early in his career, so it’s no wonder they eventually took up arms against the American settlers. But she also considers the Americans’ motives and attributes their actions to more than just casual racism. “Just as the Indians resented the presence of the whites as intruders, so the settlers viewed the Indians as despoilers of desirable land,” she writes. “(It) was a deadlock which could only be broken by a resort to force.”
I thought a book written a century ago would be more fawning about Harrison, but Goebel also says the Battle of Tippecanoe, which made Harrison’s career, was no great victory. She calls him out for his later waffling on issues like the Bank of the United States and slavery, and points out his often clumsy attempts to obtain public employment because he needed the money. In one case, he petitioned President Monroe for an appointment as minister to Mexico, saying “it is not exactly the situation I would prefer, but… it would be acceptable.” And once President John Quincy Adams finally did appoint him as minister to Colombia, Adams noted that “this person’s thirst for lucrative office is absolutely rabid… Harrison wants the mission to Colombia much more than it wants him.”
Where Goebel’s book falls flat is in its dry, matter-of-fact narrative. What should be dramatically-described events like the death of Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames is instead treated as an aside, buried in the middle of a sentence in the middle of a paragraph. The 1840 campaign is described colorfully enough, but events leading up to Harrison's nomination are somewhat overdescribed (as is his earlier, brief stint in Colombia). And even Harrison’s own death comes along incredibly suddenly - at the beginning of a paragraph, it’s March 17, 1841 and he’s calling for a special session of Congress, and at the end of that paragraph, it’s three weeks later and he’s dead.
It’s interesting that Goebel doesn’t say anything about Harrison’s attire at his inauguration (i.e. being hatless and coatless) and doesn’t suggest that the weather or Harrison’s long inauguration address had anything at all to do with his death a month later - when that story is about the only thing that anyone today even knows about him. I read somewhere that that story didn’t gain currency until Cleaves mentioned it in his book, so with that next on the reading list, I guess I will find out for myself soon enough!
For whatever reason, Freeman Cleaves’ Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time from 1939 is the one that seems to have stood the test of time and has survived in modern reprint editions. But there were two other major WHH biographies, one published about a decade prior to Cleaves’ and one about a decade later. So I figured I might as well read all of them, not only to learn about Harrison, but to learn a little something about the historiography of Harrison and see what may have changed in the telling over the decades, from one biographer’s work to the next.
Goebel’s 1926 Harrison biography is about as obscure as it gets - go back any further in time and essentially your only choice is a candidate-approved campaign biography written to promote his run for the presidency. It is certainly dated, the language is decidedly old-fashioned, and Goebel’s goal seems more to impart information than to tell a compelling story. But if you can get past all that, it’s actually pretty balanced in its recounting of Harrison’s successes and faults, and certainly worth the read if you’re inclined to seek it out.
It’s easy to criticize “Indian fighters” like Harrison and Andrew Jackson from our modern perspective. I’m not suggesting they don’t deserve some or most of the criticism, but it is important to see them in the context of their times. And Goebel does that effectively, acknowledging that the Native Americans were essentially cheated out of their land through rushed and unfair treaties negotiated by the likes of Harrison, in his role as Indiana’s territorial governor early in his career, so it’s no wonder they eventually took up arms against the American settlers. But she also considers the Americans’ motives and attributes their actions to more than just casual racism. “Just as the Indians resented the presence of the whites as intruders, so the settlers viewed the Indians as despoilers of desirable land,” she writes. “(It) was a deadlock which could only be broken by a resort to force.”
I thought a book written a century ago would be more fawning about Harrison, but Goebel also says the Battle of Tippecanoe, which made Harrison’s career, was no great victory. She calls him out for his later waffling on issues like the Bank of the United States and slavery, and points out his often clumsy attempts to obtain public employment because he needed the money. In one case, he petitioned President Monroe for an appointment as minister to Mexico, saying “it is not exactly the situation I would prefer, but… it would be acceptable.” And once President John Quincy Adams finally did appoint him as minister to Colombia, Adams noted that “this person’s thirst for lucrative office is absolutely rabid… Harrison wants the mission to Colombia much more than it wants him.”
Where Goebel’s book falls flat is in its dry, matter-of-fact narrative. What should be dramatically-described events like the death of Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames is instead treated as an aside, buried in the middle of a sentence in the middle of a paragraph. The 1840 campaign is described colorfully enough, but events leading up to Harrison's nomination are somewhat overdescribed (as is his earlier, brief stint in Colombia). And even Harrison’s own death comes along incredibly suddenly - at the beginning of a paragraph, it’s March 17, 1841 and he’s calling for a special session of Congress, and at the end of that paragraph, it’s three weeks later and he’s dead.
It’s interesting that Goebel doesn’t say anything about Harrison’s attire at his inauguration (i.e. being hatless and coatless) and doesn’t suggest that the weather or Harrison’s long inauguration address had anything at all to do with his death a month later - when that story is about the only thing that anyone today even knows about him. I read somewhere that that story didn’t gain currency until Cleaves mentioned it in his book, so with that next on the reading list, I guess I will find out for myself soon enough!
February 21, 2025
There are not many books out there on the 9th president, who only lasted about a month before he died of a cold (which is hardly mentioned in the book). This book was decent at times and other times I felt like I was slogging through it. Harrison played more of a role in Indian policy and the War of 1812, and those sections were well-defined. His ambassadorship in South America bored me to tears. The description leading up to his running in 1836 and losing and then winning in 1840 was very detailed and enjoyable. I think he is just a hard subject to get excited about, likely. This book was almost a hundred years old. 2.5 stars.
June 15, 2023
William Henry Harrison is perhaps the most obscure American President ever, he died only one month into his term and is otherwise remembered for his military success in the battle of Tippecanoe. In this well-researched book Goebel delves deeply into Harrison's lengthy political career that covers many decades and includes time as a territorial delegate, territorial governor, Congressman, state senator , and U.S. Senator before standing as a candidate for President. As the title says this is a political biography so there is very little focus on his personal life outside a chapter on his early life. Highly recommend this for anyone interested in this largely overlooked President.
March 20, 2011
A well-researched look at the life of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison. Although his term lasted only a month, his life is an interweaving reflection of his times. He was born to Virginia gentry, yet struck out on his own lot the frontiers of Ohio and Indiana. The campaign of 1840 is a telling precursor to our modern-day affairs, rife with innuendo, half-truths, and political theater.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews