African Americans Pioneers Artists Business Characters Cultural Figures Inventors Politicians Scientists Sports Women Writers

Benjamin Harrison (1833)close

Benjamin Harrison, the twenty-third President of the United States, was born on a farm at North Bend Ohio. His grandfather William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States. Harrison was defeated in his run for governor of Indiana in 1876, but was elected to one term in the US Senate in 1881. At the 1888 Republican Convention in Chicago, he was selected to run against Grover Cleveland. Cleveland won the popular vote, but Harrison won the election with a majority of electoral votes.
As president, Harrison signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, a piece of legislation designed to limit the growth of monopolies and trusts. During his administration, Congress adopted the first billion-dollar budget in American history.

Click on any of the names below to find out more...

Looking for a famous American?

This page presents short biographies of more than 200 famous Americans drawn from our unit, "The 50 States." These personalities are arranged by theme.

Just click a theme at the top of the page to view a selection list for that theme.