Image Courtesy of Monroedb1

On February 19, 2009 the U.S. Mint began offering William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollars. The obverse of each coin will depict an image of William Henry Harrison, the 9th U.S. President.

The 2009 William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollars will be offered in rolls. Each roll contains 25 coins and is priced at $35.95 ($10.95 over face value). To order the coins, visit the U.S. Mint's website.

William Henry Harrison is remembered today for his many accomplishments. Harrison was responsible for acquiring millions of acres of land that now are part of the United States of America.

William Henry Harrison was the oldest President elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before American Independence. Harrison was born on February 9, 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia. His father was Benjamin Harrison and his mother was Elizabeth Bassett.

William Henry Harrison was the youngest of seven children and by the age of 14 he had already begun attending Sydney College. In 1790, William moved to Richmond where he studied medicine. He disliked studying medicine but remained studying as this was his father's wish. By 1791, when William was 18, his father passed away and as a result, William had to quit medical school as he could no longer afford it.

After his father's death a good friend of William Harrison's father, Henry Lee (Governor of Virginia), recommended to William Harrison that he join the army. So, at the age of 18 Harrison enlisted in the army and within a year he was promoted to lieutenant in 1792. In 1793, Harrison's mother passed away and he was left with about 3,000 acres along with some slaves as an inheritance. Still active in the army, Harrison then sold his property to his brother. By 1795 Harrison began earning credentials in the army, playing a major role in the victory at the Battle of the Fallen Timbers.

In 1795 Harrison married Anna Symmes from North Bend, Ohio. Harrison's father-in-law sold him approximately 160 acres of land in North Bend. Harrison and Anna eventually had four daughters and six sons.

At age 26, Harrison served as a delegate to the Northwest Territory, representing Congress from March 4, 1799 to May 14, 1800. Additionally, Harrison had a very promising horse breeding business.

In 1800, Harrison was named Governor of the Northwest Territory. The territory was at that time split into two territories – the Ohio Territory and the Indiana Territory. The Indiana Territory consisted of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and the eastern parts of Minnesota. By this time, Governor Harrison held a lot of power and influence, including the power to appoint territory officials and overall control of the new Territory. During his tenure as Governor, Harrison was involved in 13 different treaties. He purchased over 60,000,000 acres of land from Native Americans! In 1809, he bought an additional 2,500,000 acres of land from the Miami tribe who claimed ownership of some of the sold lands despite the fact that the Shawnee tribe inhabited them.

On November 6, 1811 the Shawnees and other Indian tribes surprisingly attacked Harrison and his troops in the Battle of Tippecanoe. However, Harrison's troops greatly outnumbered the Native Americans and in the end, Harrison claimed victory. Because of their defeat, the Indian tribes then allied with the British troops in the War of 1812. On September 17, 1812, Harrison became Commander of the Army of the Northwest. After receiving reinforcements, he went on the offensive against the British troops and the Indian tribes, gaining victories in Indiana and Ohio. He also regained control of Detroit after he had initially lost control of it. He then invaded Canada, defeating the British at the Battle of the Thames.

Harrison's military exploits caused him to be widely portrayed as a hero and as a great leader. After the war he was elected to the House of Representatives and later to the U.S. Senate. In 1828 he resigned from the Senate and served as Minister to Grand Columbia. In March 1829, Andrew Jackson took office and as a result Harrison no longer held the position of Minister. After Harrison returned to the United States, he settled on his farm in North Bend, Ohio in his adopted home state. There he lived in relative retirement after nearly 40 years of continuous government service.

In 1840 Harrison ran for President of the United States and in 1841, he finally claimed victory, defeating the incumbent President Martin Van Buren. On March 04, 1841 he was appointed as the new President. Less than a month later, Harrison became very ill with a severe cold and on April 04, 1841 he died.

Therefore, William Henry Harrison served the shortest term of any U.S. President. However, his legacy and his great accomplishments during over 40 years of dedicated service are still greatly remembered and appreciated today.