John Scott Harrison
Encyclopedia
John Scott Harrison was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from Ohio
and the only man to be both the son and the father of U.S. President
s. His father, William Henry Harrison
was the 9th President in 1841; and, his son, Benjamin Harrison
, was the 23rd President from 1889-1893. Harrison did not live to see his son become President, and his father did not live to see Harrison become a member of Congress.
, the son of future President William Henry Harrison
and Anna Tuthill Symmes
and the grandson of Declaration of Independence
signer Benjamin Harrison V
, Harrison completed preparatory studies and studied medicine. He later abandoned this to become a farmer.
In 1824 he married Lucretia Knapp Johnson (16 September 1804-6 February 1830). They had three children; Elizabeth Short Harrison (1825–1904), William Henry Harrison (1827–1829) and Sarah Lucretia Harrison (born 1829).
On 12 August 1831 in Cincinnati, Ohio
, he married Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin (18 July 1810-15 August 1850). He and Elizabeth had 10 children;
After his father's death, in 1841, his mother moved in with his family to help raise the children.
to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1852, reelected an Oppositionist
in 1854 and served from 1853 to 1857. After being defeated for a third term in 1856, Harrison retired to his estate "Point Farm" in North Bend, Ohio
where he died on May 25, 1878. He was interred in the William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial in North Bend with his parents and other family members.
The day of Harrison’s funeral it was discovered that the body of young Augustus Devin, which had been buried the previous week in an adjoining grave, had been stolen. The next day, one of John Harrison’s sons and another friend of Devin’s, traveled to Cincinnati to look for his body. With search warrants in hand they went to the Ohio Medical College, where they discovered not Devin’s body but the naked body of John Scott Harrison hanging from a rope down a chute beneath a trap door. Devin's body was later found preserved in a vat of brine at the medical college of the University of Michigan
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and the only man to be both the son and the father of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
s. His father, William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
was the 9th President in 1841; and, his son, Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, was the 23rd President from 1889-1893. Harrison did not live to see his son become President, and his father did not live to see Harrison become a member of Congress.
Early life and family
Born in Vincennes, IndianaVincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
, the son of future President William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
and Anna Tuthill Symmes
Anna Harrison
Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison , wife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison, was nominally First Lady of the United States during her husband's one-month term in 1841, but she never entered the White House.-Early Life and Marriage:Anna was born at her...
and the grandson of Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
signer Benjamin Harrison V
Benjamin Harrison V
Benjamin Harrison V was an American planter and revolutionary leader from Charles City County, Virginia. He earned his higher education at the College of William and Mary, and he was perhaps the first figure in the Harrison family to gain national attention...
, Harrison completed preparatory studies and studied medicine. He later abandoned this to become a farmer.
In 1824 he married Lucretia Knapp Johnson (16 September 1804-6 February 1830). They had three children; Elizabeth Short Harrison (1825–1904), William Henry Harrison (1827–1829) and Sarah Lucretia Harrison (born 1829).
On 12 August 1831 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, he married Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin (18 July 1810-15 August 1850). He and Elizabeth had 10 children;
- Archibald Harrison (1832–1870)
- Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
(1833–1901); became president - Mary Jane Harrison (1835–1867)
- Anna Symmes Harrison (1837–1838)
- John Irwin Harrison (born & died 1839)
- Carter Bassett Harrison (1840–1905)
- Anna Symmes Harrison (1842–1926)
- John Scott Harrison (1844–1926)
- James Findlay Harrison (1847–1848)
- James Irwin Harrison (1849–1850)
After his father's death, in 1841, his mother moved in with his family to help raise the children.
Political career
He was elected a WhigWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1852, reelected an Oppositionist
Opposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
in 1854 and served from 1853 to 1857. After being defeated for a third term in 1856, Harrison retired to his estate "Point Farm" in North Bend, Ohio
North Bend, Ohio
North Bend is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 603 at the 2000 census.-History:President Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend. His grandfather, President William Henry Harrison is buried in the William Henry Harrison Tomb State...
where he died on May 25, 1878. He was interred in the William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial in North Bend with his parents and other family members.
Body snatching
At that time it was common practice for graves to be robbed for recently deceased bodies for use in teaching dissection and anatomy at medical colleges. As a result, many precautions were taken to secure Harrison’s grave including: building a cemented brick vault, filling the grave with earth mixed with heavy stones and employing a watchman to check the grave each hour of every night for a week.The day of Harrison’s funeral it was discovered that the body of young Augustus Devin, which had been buried the previous week in an adjoining grave, had been stolen. The next day, one of John Harrison’s sons and another friend of Devin’s, traveled to Cincinnati to look for his body. With search warrants in hand they went to the Ohio Medical College, where they discovered not Devin’s body but the naked body of John Scott Harrison hanging from a rope down a chute beneath a trap door. Devin's body was later found preserved in a vat of brine at the medical college of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
External links
- John Scott Harrison at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...