Description
Memorial to President William Henry Harrison by William K. Hewitt, published by Nathaniel Currier of New York circa 1841.
Hand colored lithograph, in wood frame, white matte. Full piece measures 20″ x 17″. Paper backing, not examined outside frame. (Gale Research, 6594) Full text reads: “To the Memory of Wm. H. Harrison / Born February 9th 1773 / Inaugurated President of the United States March 4th, 1841 / Died April 4th 1841 / AE 68”
President William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States, died on April 4, 1841, just a month after assuming office. His death was caused by pneumonia, which he is believed to have contracted shortly after delivering his lengthy inaugural address in inclement weather. Harrison’s demise at the age of 68 made him the first U.S. president to die in office, and his presidency the shortest in American history. His death precipitated a brief constitutional crisis concerning presidential succession, as it was the first time a sitting president had died. Vice President John Tyler eventually assumed the presidency, setting a precedent for succession.
