Three Presidents No One Remembers 

1. Three Presidents No One Remembers Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison John Tyler

2. Martin Van Buren • He was the 1st president born in the United States. • He conceived the idea of the Erie Canal. • One of his ancestors was hanged in the Salem Witch Trials. • He served as Jackson’s VP • He defeated Henry Clay for the presidency.

3. Van Buren as President • As Jackson’s VP, Van Buren had the support of the Democratic Party. • In 1834, opponents of Jackson formed the Whig Party. They supported the idea of a weak president and a strong legislature. The Whigs had 4 candidates that ran against Van Buren. • Van Buren never had the popularity that Jackson experienced, and soon after he entered office, the country experienced the Panic of 1837. This crisis led to a severe economic depression.

4. Jackson’s favor of pet banks and his plan to end inflation had led to the panic, however, Van Buren took the blame. • Because of this he lost his bid for re-election in 1840.

5. William Henry Harrison • Born to a wealthy family, he was portrayed by the Whigs as a president of the “common man.” (Sound familiar?) • He had 10 children, 4 of whom lived to see him serve as president. • Harrison was a war hero from the War of 1812 (Battle of Tippecanoe-defeated Tecumseh) and had served as governor of the Indiana Territory (he helped implement Indian removal).

6. The Whigs used Harrison’s military career to their advantage and portrayed Van Buren as a friend of the rich. The campaign slogan became “Tippecanoe and Tyler too!” John Tyler was Harrison’s VP candidate. Although the popular vote was close, Harrison won a landslide in the electoral count (243-60) and became the 9th president of the U.S. Unfortunately, Harrison caught pneumonia during his long winded inauguration speech and died one month after entering office.

7. William Henry Harrison -served the shortest term as president EVER!

8. John Tyler • John Tyler served as a congressmen, Senator, and governor (all from Virginia) before being selected as William Henry Harrison’s VP candidate in 1840. • When Harrison died, Tyler became the 1st president to enter the presidency under constitutional succession. The Whigs were stuck with him, although he had shown no loyalty to them.

9. Tyler’s deep belief in states’ rights led to immediate conflicts with the Whigs. • Because they had no control over the actions taken by the president, they refused to re-nominate him in 1844.