Benjamin Harrison 23rd President of the USA Date of Birth: 20.08.1833 Country: USA

Biography of Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, can be considered the most unremarkable president of the "Golden Age." He was born on August 20, 1833, and grew up in rural Ohio. Like Cleveland, he was raised in the Presbyterian faith. However, unlike his predecessor, he strictly adhered to the rules of his religion even as president. Faced with a choice between priesthood and law, he decided to become a lawyer and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. He remained loyal to the church as a deacon and preacher in Sunday school, and alongside his legal work, he collaborated in the Republican Party until the Civil War drastically changed his life. In July 1862, he joined the army as an officer and, thanks to his leadership qualities, quickly rose to the rank of brigadier general. His military successes made him an interesting candidate for the governorship in Indiana. Harrison repeatedly refused this position, but in 1881, he agreed to be chosen for the state senate. Harrison lacked great ambitions; he lost in the re-elections in 1887 but had influential politicians and financiers around him who raised him to be a presidential candidate. Harrison's unremarkable past, devoid of political scandals and moral purity, made him an excellent compromise candidate for the 1888 elections. The Republican Party had a good candidate but chose a poor president. Harrison had limited political experience but believed in his competence. As a deeply religious person, he saw his election as the work of God. His time in office went without any major achievements; his politics were weak and directionless. Harrison could not and did not want to work as a party leader. Instead of dealing with political issues, he saw himself at that time only as the chief executive responsible for appointments. In the first 18 months of his presidency, he was solely occupied with filling the positions of 1,700 government officials, including the postmaster general. He completely disregarded the most important criterion for appointments, political utility, and instead valued competence and integrity, which offended the entire party. Perhaps the most consequential decision was the appointment of the thirty-year-old New Yorker Theodore Roosevelt to the federal commission. It was in this position that Roosevelt established his federal political career. The party's initial reaction was shock, followed by rejection. For the next four years, it was difficult to speak of the president's politics. He had no noteworthy political program or desire to conflict with Congress. The president was a loner, lacking charisma; he was cold and reserved, making it impossible to establish personal connections with him. In his annual State of the Union addresses, Harrison included his proposals, which Congress consistently ignored. After he rejected his strongest weapon, patronage power, and expressed opposition to using the veto, he was no longer expected to resist the actions of the legislative branch. Harrison lived almost unnoticed in the White House with his wife Caroline Scott, their children, and grandchildren, where the rhythm of life was determined by the piety of the family. Even when choosing members of his cabinet, Harrison's most important criterion was membership in the Presbyterian Church. Apart from James Blaine, who, after prolonged pressure and political maneuvering, became Secretary of State again and wanted to establish himself as a kind of prime minister to secure the highest position in the next elections, none of the political celebrities had any chance. Congress, which was dominated by Republicans during the 51st Congress (1888-90), was given complete freedom. They implemented the major points of the Republican pre-election program, and the president had no objections. Harrison understood the Constitution to mean that the legislative branch had the most powerful position in the government. The president felt obligated to the Republican program, and Congress implemented it. The result was a federal budget that exceeded one billion dollars for the first time, and the legislative branch earned the nickname "the Billion Dollar Congress." Under the leadership of William McKinley, the House of Representatives passed a tariff law that caused tariffs to skyrocket unexpectedly. However, at Blaine's initiative, the principle of reciprocity was introduced, empowering the president to conclude agreements with other countries on mutual tariff provisions and monitor their enforcement. This ensured American opportunities in markets, primarily in Latin America. The "Silver Bloc" within the Republican Party demanded the removal of silver restrictions, while representatives from the Eastern Republican Party considered gold to be the only currency standard. Harrison did not clearly state his position in Congress, so both sides did not know where he stood. In July 1890, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act became law without the president's active involvement. If he had vetoed it, the law would have failed. However, after he hesitantly approved the law, the Treasury Department had to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver every month, which was almost the entire American production. As a result, the federal government's gold reserve significantly decreased. Unfortunately, the price of silver fell, and the ratio between its value and gold worsened, thereby changing the value of the dollar. However, it did not produce the expected economic effect. The law brought a huge loss deal to the Union, which had to be compensated by the next administration. The pension law for Civil War veterans, which increased pension payments by two-thirds, contributed to further reducing the surplus in the federal treasury. It was the most expensive law at that time in the history of the United States. From Cleveland's surplus, only a deficit remained. There was an extraordinary consensus in Congress on the issue of trust regulation. The progressive monopolization of the economy worried the majority of Americans, regardless of their regional origin and political orientation. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which is still valid today, was passed almost unanimously. However, Harrison did not enforce its provisions. The initiative mainly came from local prosecutors, and the president did not initiate a single case. In the 1891 congressional elections, the Republicans lost the majority in the House of Representatives. Since the Republican Party still dominated the Senate, both chambers were neutralized. In such conditions, it was impossible to take on any important legislation. Harrison's foreign policy was operetta-like. Blaine pursued the goal of a Pan-American Union, which would open up the Latin American market to the United States and provide opportunities to compete with Great Britain. He convened the Congress of American States in Washington, D.C., the result of which was only numerous social events and the establishment of one bureau. In other areas of foreign policy, the Harrison administration did not achieve anything significant. Problems arose with several European countries, including Germany, which hindered the flooding of their own markets with cheap American pork, allegedly for hygienic reasons. Conflicts with Canada and Great Britain related to seal hunting escalated further. The most important event in foreign relations was a deep crisis with Chile (after the American government intervened in the country's internal affairs and two American sailors were killed there in October 1891). In response to the protest from the Washington government and the demand for compensation for damages, the Chilean foreign minister responded with an insulting note. The crisis escalated to the brink of war in January 1892, only to be averted through the concession of the Chilean government. This entire incident demonstrated the rudeness of Blaine and Harrison's foreign policy but also showed that America had taken on a leading role in the Western Hemisphere. Nationalistic manifestations among the American population were precursors to the national fervor that engulfed America six years later during the war with Spain. Harrison's refusal to engage in patronage politics and his reluctance to lead the party greatly contributed to the growing divisions within the factions of the party. Republican leader Thomas B. Reed in the House of Representatives and other leading party politicians made every effort to prevent his nomination in 1892. However, they lacked a candidate from the opposition, as Blaine was forced to withdraw due to health reasons. With the support of delegates from the southern states, Harrison was nominated as a candidate without much effort. But when his wife died two weeks before the 1892 elections from tuberculosis, he lost any enthusiasm for it. Harrison lost to Cleveland, who brilliantly staged a comeback. He had an advantage of over 380,000 votes and won the electoral college by 277 to 145 votes. Harrison continued to be active in politics, as an orator and a member of an arbitration commission in the border conflict between Great Britain and Venezuela. On March 13, 1901, almost forgotten by everyone, he died from pneumonia.