Anna Harrison

Anna Tuthill Harrison (née Symmes; July 25, 1775 – February 25, 1864) was the first lady of the United States in 1841 as the wife of President William Henry Harrison. She served in the role for only one month, as her husband contracted pneumonia and died shortly after his term began.

Their son John Scott Harrison was the father of President Benjamin Harrison. She never entered the White House during her tenure as first lady, remaining the only presidential wife to never visit the capital during her husband's presidency. At age 65 when her husband's presidential term began, Harrison was the oldest woman ever to assume the role of first lady, a record held until Jill Biden became first lady at age 69 in 2021. She also has the distinction of holding the title for the shortest length of time, and the first first lady to be widowed while holding the title. Harrison was the only First Lady of the United States to have been the wife of one U.S. President and the grandmother of another U.S. President.

Anna was raised by her grandparents on Long Island and given an education better than any other first lady had yet received. She married military officer William Henry Harrison against her father's wishes in 1795, and she raised their family of ten children in the frontier of Ohio and Indiana while William pursued a political career. Eight of Anna's ten children died in her lifetime, causing her to become more deeply involved in her Presbyterian faith. She became first lady when William became president in 1841, though she did not attend his inauguration. William died while Anna was preparing to travel to Washington, D.C., only one month into his term. Anna lived the remainder of her life in Ohio, first in their family log cabin, and then with her only surviving son, John. Her short tenure as first lady, her absence from the White House, and the destruction of her personal papers in a fire have caused her to be overlooked by historians, and her life has been the subject of relatively little scholarly analysis.

Early life Anna Tuthill Symmes was born on July 25, 1775, in Morristown, New Jersey, as the second child of Anna Tuthill and John Cleves Symmes. Her father was an associate justice on the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Her mother died on her first birthday, leaving her father to raise her alone. When the American Revolutionary War began, John was a colonel in the Continental Army. To ensure his daughter's safety, he assumed the guise of a British soldier and transported her to Long Island via horseback. Here she was raised by her maternal grandparents. One rumor suggested that John carried two bags: one with Anna, and one with turnips that he showed to any soldiers who questioned him, claiming that he was delivering them to the British commander. William responded that he would use his sword. (William Henry Harrison's exact answer is variously quoted as: "by my sword, and my own right arm, sir"; "my sword is my means of support, sir"; In 1798, William resigned from the army, purchased land in North Bend, and built a log cabin for their home.) She felt lonely in Vincennes because of the distance from her extended family; Her participation continued until the death of another of her sons in 1840.

First Lady of the United States Harrison was displeased when her husband was elected president. She is quoted as saying "I wish that my husband's friends had left him where he is, happy and contented in retirement." and the first to receive a formal education. She also holds records due to her husband's short term: she served the shortest tenure of any first lady, only holding the title for 31 days, and she is the only first lady to have never been to the capital during her husband's presidency.