Biographies: American Presidents

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Biographies: American Presidents
President Benjamin Harrison – (1889 - 1893)
President Benjamin Harrison was born on 20th August 1833 to John Scott Harrison, a renowned farmer from Cincinnati, Ohio (whitehouse.gov par. 2). Harrison was from a family lineage familiar with the American leadership. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was the 9th president of the United States. He joined Miami University to study law and later went to Indianapolis to practice law before venturing into politics against his father’s will, becoming a staunch member of his grandfather’s party, the Republican Party. In the year 1853, Harrison got married to Caroline Lavinia Scott.
In 1861, the Civil War between the United States and the Southern States broke out, lasting for three years. Within this period, Benjamin played a pivotal role, taking part in the war as an army colonel before ascending to the rank of brevet brigadier general. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, Harrison reverted to his law career. During this era, the reconstruction policies, spearheaded by the Republicans, had started surfacing, with him playing a pivotal role in enacting reconstruction policies. In 1876, Harrison decided to run for the governorship office and lost to a Democrat counterpart. In 1881, Harrison made a major comeback in his political career by clinching the Senate seat to represent the Indiana State (Spetter par. 4). While serving at the United States Senate, pensions for the war veterans, revolutionizing the navy, championing for the Indians topped his agenda until 1887, when Democrats gained control of the Indiana state legislature.
Until the year 1888, Harrison’s presidential ambition became a reality when he declared himself available for nomination in the Republican Party. Despite being the most unlikely victor in the Republican nomination, Benjamin clinched the nomination and went ahead to win the presidency through electoral votes. At the same time, the Democratic incumbent had garnered more of the popular votes. Since assuming office in 1889 as the 23rd president of the United States, Harrison continued the unfinished agenda that he had begun in the Senate, acting more of a protectionist by imposing high tariffs. He also played a fundamental role in reshaping American foreign policies. His tenure was characterized by lots of controversies from within the party in addition to the unbearable tariffs he had imposed, costing him his reelection bid in 1892, losing to Grover Cleveland (Spetter par. 4). Towards the end of his term, Harrison lost his wife, partly blamed for his loss in the reelection bid. He later remarried in 1896 and remained active in the public limelight until he died in 1901.
President Theodore Roosevelt – (1901 - 1909)
Theodore Roosevelt was born on 28th October of 1858 in New York City to the wealthy Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Martha Bulloch (PBS par. 1). Despite having emerged from a family of high social class, Roosevelt Jr. had to battle health issues in his early life (whitehouse.gov, “Theodore Roosevelt” par. 3). In 1876, Roosevelt Jr. joined Harvard University to study biology. He later graduated with distinction a...