Benjamin Harrison Day

Benjamin Harrison Day is an annual celebration on March 4^th to honor Benjamin Harrison.

History of Benjamin Harrison Day

The grandson of William Henry Harrison, 9th president of the United States, Benjamin Harrison followed in the family footsteps and served as the nation's twenty-third president from 1889 to 1893. The day occurs on March 4, the day on which Harrison and all presidents until 1937 were inaugurated.

Benjamin Harrison was born on August 2, 1833 in the village of North Bend, not far from Cincinnati. He studied at Farmer's College and University of Miami, and read law in Cincinnati before moving to Indianapolis to practice law. Until 1853, he married Caroline Lavinia Scott, and had two children later. Harrison entered Republican politics shortly after the party's founding in 1856. He fought for the Union during the Civil War and became an important figure in Indianapolis after returning home and continuing to practice law. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Indiana in 1876 but was elected a United States Senator in 1880. Along with his party, he advocated ample pensions for Civil War veterans and education for blacks, but he broke with the Republican Party to oppose the Exclusion of China Action. He failed to win re-election but continued to be an important figure in politics.

At the Republican National Convention in 1888, Harrison was nominated for president on the eighth ballot. Instead of actively campaigning, Harrison ran a front porch campaign where he gave short speeches to people visiting his home in Indianapolis. Although he received about 100,000 fewer votes than Grover Cleveland, he won the Electoral College vote by a total of 233 to 168 and with it the presidency.

March 4, 1889 was the day of the inauguration of Benjamin Harrison. During his presidency, the first Pan American Congress was held in Washington and he signed appropriations bills for naval expansion, aid steam lines and internal improvements. He also signed the Sherman Antitrust Act, the first federal act to regulate trusts. Six new states were incorporated into the Union during his time in office: Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Harrison ran for office in 1892, again facing Grover Cleveland, but this time he lost. The deficit and worsening economy before the election helped ensure his defeat.

Indianapolis once again became the home of Harrison. His wife died before his election lost, and he married to Mary Dimmick, the niece of his first wife in 1896. They had a daughter together. On March 13, 1901, he died of pneumonia in Indianapolis. Unforgettable, today he is honored with Benjamin Harrison Day.

How to Celebrate Benjamin Harrison's Day

Spend the day celebrating Benjamin Harrison. You can visit his birthplace or grave, or the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Estate, where his Indianapolis home is located. If you can't get to any of these locations, you can read a biography or watch a documentary about Harrison.