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Benjamin Harrison Biography

U.S. President

Benjamin Harrison was a Civil War general and a Republican senator from Indiana before defeating incumbent Grover Cleveland in the 1888 presidential election. His presidency was undistinguished, but his family tree was not: Harrison's great-grandfather was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; his grandfather was William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States; and his father was a congressman from Ohio. In a try for a second term, Harrison was defeated by Grover Cleveland in a rematch of their 1888 race.

Extra credit: Harrison's first wife, Caroline, died less than a month before Harrison lost his reelection bid... He was the 23rd president.

Harrison appears with his grandfather in our loop titled Presidents Closely Related. He also appears with James Madison in our loop on May-December Presidents.

For a complete list of U.S. presidents, please go to Easy Reference for U.S. Presidents.

Blog posts mentioning Benjamin Harrison:

• Grover Cleveland Died 100 Years Ago