 |
Anna
Symmes Harrison
Date of Birth: July 25, 1775
Date of Death: Feb 25, 1864
Age at death: 88
Married: Nov 25, 1795 William Henry Harrison
Children: 10 |
 |
- While serving as a Lt. in the Army,
William Henry Harrison met Anna Symmes in their native Ohio
- He had known her for less than a year
when he asked her father for her hand in marriage
- Symmes, a wealthy farmer, heard many
stories about the outgoing Harrison and refused his daughter's
hand
- They continued their courtship in
private however, and while her father was away on business they
were secretly wed
- At the time of his election, her husband
was the oldest president at 68, and she the eldest First Lady
at 65
- Anna served the shortest tenure as
such, as William caught pneumonia following his inaugural speech
and died 31 days into his term
- She received word of her husband's
death while in Ohio where she was making arrangements for the
move to the capital
- Mrs. Harrison holds the distinction
of being the only woman
who was the wife of a president and grandmother to another, Benjamin
Harrison in 1889
- As the first widow of a president
in office, Anna received a one time pension of $25,000 from Congress
|
|
|