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Anna HarrisonWife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison
Date of Birth: 25.07.1775
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Anna Harrison: First Lady and Grandmother of Presidents
- Early Life and Education
- Marriage to William Henry Harrison
- Role as First Lady
- Later Life and Legacy
Anna Harrison: First Lady and Grandmother of Presidents
Anna Harrison, wife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison, held the titular position of First Lady of the United States for only one month during her husband's presidency in 1841.
Early Life and Education
Born Anna Tuthill Symmes on July 25, 1775, in Morristown, New Jersey, she was the daughter of John Cleves Symmes and Anna Tuthill Symmes. Her mother passed away in 1776, and her father disguised himself as a British soldier to carry her on horseback through enemy lines. She was cared for by her grandparents on Long Island during the war and enjoyed an unusually comprehensive education for a woman of her time. At the age of thirteen, Anna moved with her father and stepmother to the Ohio wilderness, where they settled in North Bend, Ohio.
Marriage to William Henry Harrison
In April 1795, Anna met William Henry Harrison, then an Army lieutenant, while visiting relatives. Despite her father's initial disapproval, they courted and were married on November 22, 1795. They had ten children together.
Role as First Lady
When her husband was elected president in 1841, Anna was bedridden with illness in North Bend and could not accompany him to Washington. Jane Irwin Harrison, the widow of the son he had named after her, acted as First Lady until Anna's arrival. However, President Harrison died on April 4, just one month after his inauguration, and Anna never entered the White House.
Later Life and Legacy
After her husband's death, Anna resided with her son John Scott Harrison in North Bend. In June 1841, President John Tyler signed into law the first presidential widow's pension, a grant of $25,000 for Mrs. Harrison.
Anna Harrison passed away on February 25, 1864, at the age of 88. She is buried at the William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial in North Bend.
