The 1840 Presidential Election had President Martin Van Buren facing the Whig candidate William Henry Harrison. Harrison had been one of four candidates going against Van Buren in 1836. This time the Whig Party decided on one candidate instead of sending four up against Van Buren.

The Whig Party Convention was held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in December 1839. The three candidates were Henry Clay, Winfield Scott and William Henry Harrison. On the first ballot Clay lead but didn’t have enough support to get the nomination. Clay led for the first four ballots but on the 5th ballot Harrison overcame him and had enough to win the nomination. Harrison who was from Ohio, which was considered to be in the north, would have a southern vice-presidential running mate to balance the ticket. John Tyler of Virginia would be his running mate.

The Democratic Party renominated the widely unpopular POTUS Martin Van Buren. They would not renominate the Vice-President Richard Johnson. No one had enough support to be the running mate so Van Buren ran without one.

POTUS Martin Van Buren as soon as he took office in 1837 was hit with bad luck. The “Panic of 1837” hit. It was the worst economic recession in American history. The economy came to a standstill for several years and Van Buren although it wasn’t his fault took the hit. During the campaign the Whigs would call him- “Martin Van Ruin” and chant  “Van, Van, is a used up man’

William Henry Harrison was 68 years old. He campaigned as a war hero and a friend to the common man, just like Andrew Jackson did. He was the “log cabin’ candidate, even though he was quite wealthy and educated. Harrison and the Whig Party avoided talking about issues.  The Whig campaign slogan for Harrison was “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too”

The Whig Party turned an insult that Henry Clay made towards Harrison, into an asset. Clay said about Harrison “Give him a barrel of hard cider and settle a pension of two thousand dollars on him and, my word for it, he would sit the remainder of his days in a log cabin, by the side of a ‘sea-coal’ fire and study moral philosophy.” The Whigs would then make Harrison the “Log Cabin and Hard Cider” candidate. He was now ‘one of the boys.” This went over well across most of America. The funny thing was, Harrison wasn’t born in a log cabin, he didn’t drink hard cider and he wasn’t really that much of a war hero.  Van Buren though was probably so unpopular that whoever was running against him would have beaten him in 1840.

During the campaign William Henry Harrison would be the first candidate to make a few stump speeches. He really didn’t have much to say but huge crowds gathered to hear him talk.

The election was closer in popular vote than it was in the Electoral College. In the popular vote, Harrison won 52.9 % against Van Buren’s 46.8%. The Electoral College wasn’t close though. Harrison had 234 votes, winning 19 states. Van Buren ended up with 60 electoral votes and 7 states won.

William Henry Harrison would be the oldest POTUS until Ronaldus Magnus was elected in 1980. During the inaugural address Harrison gave the longest address ever. The weather was terrible and he stood out in it and talked without a hat or coat. He would die of pneumonia in a month. Harrison was the first POTUS to die in office which brought on a crisis of sorts. The Vice Daddy John Tyler would become POTUS but would he be recognized and respected as such? Harrison’s cabinet didn’t look at his as being legit. Tyler’s great contribution to the presidency was to put them in their place. He told them he was the POTUS and if they didn’t like it they could resign.

Tyler by the way was down on his knees playing marbles when he was informed of Harrison’s death. Tyler had 15 children. He has a grandson still living. Tyler had children with his second wife, one rather late in his life. That son, would have a son late in his life, that man who is now around 80, is still alive and well and the grandson of a POTUS who was POTUS 170 years ago. Amazing.