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POLITICS

Benjamin Harrison won the White House by receiving the electoral majority, but losing the popular vote

President Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893

By Ashlyn Messier Fox News
Published
  • A portrait of Benjamin Harrison
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    Benjamin Harrison was born on Aug. 20, 1833, in North Bend, Ohio. After practicing law, serving as a colonel of the 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and being in the Senate through the 1880s, he was elected as the 23rd president of the United States. (Kean Collection/Getty Images)

  • An illustration from the Republican National Convention in 1888
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    Harrison, a Republican, defeated incumbent Democratic President Grover Cleveland during the election of 1888. (Interim Archives/Getty Images)

  • Benjamin Harrison speaking at an event
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    During the 1888 election, Harrison received 100,000 fewer popular votes than Cleveland, but won the electoral vote 233 to 168. (Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

  • An illustration from Benjamin Harrison's funeral
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    In 1892, Harrison lost the election to Cleveland. Following his presidency, he returned to Indianapolis, where he continued to practice law. Harrison died on March 13, 1901. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

  • Benjamin Harrison statue
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    Today, a statue of Harrison stands in University Park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. It was created by artist Charles Henry Niehaus. (iStock)

  • Benjamin Harrison home
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    Benjamin Harrison's home in Indianapolis is now the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. Harrison's home was built in the 1870s and has 16 rooms. Residents and tourists can schedule times to visit the home on N Delaware St. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States. 

Harrison, born on Aug. 20, 1833, was from North Bend, Ohio, about 15 miles outside Cincinnati.

Harrison studied at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and graduated in 1852. Upon graduation, he went to Indianapolis, where he practiced law and campaigned for the Republican Party. 

In 1853, he married future first lady Caroline Lavinia Scott. The pair had two children, Russell and Mary. 

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During the Civil War, Harrison served as a colonel of the 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, according to The White House Association, and went back to Indianapolis after the war to practice law once again. 

In 1876, Harrison ran for political office, but was defeated for governor of Indiana. He went on to serve in the Senate during the 1880s before making his bid for president. 

In the presidential election of 1888, Harrison received 100,000 fewer popular votes than incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland, according to WhiteHouse.gov, but he won the electoral vote 233 to 168. 

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Harrison was one of the first to implement a campaign strategy known as "front-porch" campaigns, delivering short speeches to the delegations that visited him. 

During his presidency, he showed support to veterans, including through his signing of the Dependent and Disability Pensions Act in 1890, which expanded aid to disabled service men, their widows and dependents, according to the White House Historical Association. 

Harrison also added six states to the Union during his presidency, according to the Benjamin Harrison Presidential site. 

In 1892, Harrison's wife, while still serving the role of first lady, passed away. 

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That same year, Harrison lost the White House to Cleveland. Following his term in the Oval Office, Harrison returned to Indianapolis and continued to practice law. 

In 1896, Harrison went on to marry the widowed Mary Dimmick Harrison, the niece of his first wife. They had one daughter, Elizabeth, who was born on Feb. 21, 1897. 

Harrison died on March 13, 1901, when he was 67 years old. 

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital. 

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