Signature of Benjamin Harrison
American President An Online Reference Resource for U.S. Presidents

Benjamin Harrison

At a Glance

Term: 23rd President of the United States (1889-1893)

Born: August 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio

Nickname: "Kid Gloves Harrison," "Little Ben"

Education: Miami University (Ohio), graduated 1852

Religion: Presbyterian

Marriage: October 20, 1853, to Caroline Lavinia Scott (1832-1892). April 6, 1896, to Mary Scott Lord Dimmick (1858-1948)

Children: Russell Benjamin (1854-1936), Mary Scott (1858-1930), Elizabeth (1897-1955)

Career: Lawyer

Political Party: Republican

Writings: This Country of Ours (1897), Views of An Ex-President (1901)

Died: March 13, 1901, Indianapolis, Indiana

Buried: Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

A Life in Brief: Benjamin Harrison was born in 1833 in North Bend, Ohio, to a prominent family that had a legacy of political activism. After all, he was the grandson of the nation’s ninth President, William Henry Harrison. More....

Essays on Benjamin Harrison and His Administration


Benjamin Harrison
A Life in BriefLife Before the PresidencyCampaigns and ElectionsDomestic AffairsForeign AffairsLife After the PresidencyFamily LifeThe American FranchiseImpact and LegacyKey Events
First Lady
Caroline Harrison
Vice President
Levi P. Morton
Secretary of State
James G. Blaine (1889 - 1892)John W. Foster (1892 - 1893)
Secretary of War
Redfield Proctor (1889 - 1891)Stephen B. Elkins (1891 - 1893)
Postmaster General
John Wanamaker (1889 - 1893)
Secretary of the Interior
John W. Noble (1889 - 1893)
Secretary of the Treasury
William Windom (1889 - 1891)Charles Foster (1891 - 1893)
Attorney General
William H. Miller (1889 - 1893)
Secretary of the Navy
Benjamin F. Tracy (1889 - 1893)
Secretary of Agriculture
Jeremiah M. Rusk (1889 - 1893)

Consulting Editor: Allan B. Spetter

Professor Spetter is a professor emeritus of history at Wright State University. His writings include:

The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison (Co-authored with Homer E. Socolofsky, University Press of Kansas, 1987)


Presidential Speeches

Below are selections from the Miller Center's Benjamin Harrison speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Benjamin Harrison or by another President, please click the link below.

March 4, 1889 - Inaugural Address

Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Benjamin Harrison.

Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Federal Election Reform and its relationship to Harrison.

Scripps Library Reference Resources

Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.

Information on Benjamin Harrison's Private and Public Papers

Presidential Speeches
Academic Programs | Public Programs
Policy Programs
Presidential Bibliographies | Presidential Papers
Home | About Us | News Room | Academic Programs | Public Programs | Policy Programs
Scripps Library | Support Us | Directions to the Miller Center | Contact Us