Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-20
SKETCH OF BENJAMIN. HARRISON
His Distinguished Career as Lawyer,
Soldier and Statesman

Soldier aud Statesman,
rs.;.4Illn Harrison came Of 4 disttn.
gushed family. HIS grandfather, William
Iienry Harrison, Was hinth PresidenT Of thy
Benj4 Harrison, Was one OF the slgners
ut the Declaration Of Independence The
fanny was among the nT>t settlers Of Nir.
ginia, but john scott Harrison early IN the
nineteenth centary move. to \ar(A BEND
OHIO, where the tate eN fg,SlSAH5 T,as born.
Aug. II, ls5S.
Benjamin VAS the second son. With his
brother he WAS e4ucAtad at College Hill
school, near Cincinnati, ana at Miami Tai.
Verstty, oxford, Ohio. where he was gradu.
ated In 1882. He then STUDIED law IN Cln.
ciunsti, aud was admitted Ia the bar In 1SJ4.
He began the practice Of his profession IN
Indianapolis, which had since been his
home.
Fer lawyer Of International reputation
who Is said to have earned fees as high rs
$4,000. Gen. HarrisonS beginning WAS SUI
ncientiy humble. Soon after he began to
practice he was appoin(ed cl9er of the Fed
eraI court M a salary OF $3.50 a day This
was, in fact. the first money he ever ca med
Opportunities followed. Jonathan w Cor
don, one Of the leaders ~ The India uapolis
bar, called npon young Harrison 10 assist
him In the prosecution Of a criminal tried
FOR burglary. aud gave his junior the task
N making the plea for the State Young
Harrison mad taken ample notes of the case
but when he rose TO speak IL was night and
the court house was dlmly lighted. 80 he
could not read note He depended an his
memory and made such an eloquent and
cogent speech that he Won the case Ever
afterward his speeches, as rule, were i'm
pr0mPtu.
Mr.. Harrison formed a partnership with
William Wallace which continued until
1850, when Wallace became Clerk OF Marion
County The same year Mr. Harrison was
chosen reporter of the Supreme Court OF
Indiana by a majority OF 3tSs. 1"is was his
entrance Into the political field. When the
Civil War began he assisted In raising the
a Second Lieutenant although Governor
Morton offered him the command
BY the time the regiment got into the field
Harrison was Its Colonel. The command
was sent 10 Bowling Green. KY and was
brigaded with the Seventy ninth Ohio. and
the One Hundred ard Second One Hundred
and Fifth and One Hundred and Twenty
ninth Illinois Regiments under Brigadier
General Ward. Col Harr!so had the right
of the brigade and his Command at first was
occupied In guarding railroads and hunting
guerFilas He spent all the time possible
in drilling his men. on the theory that every
day in camp should he preparation for the
day Of battle. BY this discipline he made
his regiment one Of the best In the service
When Gen. Ward was called to Nashville
Col. Harrison became brigade commander
and his brigade became part OF the third di-
vision of the Twentieth Army Corps under
Fighting Joe Hooker. In the engagement
at Resaca, Ga. when sherman led his forces
against Gen. Joe Johnston, Col. Harrison,
who had again taken command of the Sew
entieth, was one Of the first men to cross
the parapet In Storming the euemg'S works.
Every day following brought an engagement
of some kind with the enemy. When the
Peach Tree Greek fgAt was over Gen.
Hooker In Dispatch 10 WASH rgton gave
Col. Harrison high praise for the "tii ieney
Of his regiment. After 4 furl0ugh and a
canvass for recruits, Col. Harrison returned
to Chattanooga and then to Nashville, where
late In 1854 he was placed in command OF a
provisional brigade. When the battle OF
hull Aasa
Of Gen Hood. He took part ia the grand
army review at the close Of the war, and
June S, 1866, was mustered out as breyet
brigadier general
On returning to Indians noiis Gen Harrf-
son resumed the practice Of the law. In the
Grant campaigns OF 1SeS and 1872 he took
an active part, stamping the State for his
old ommander-in-chief In 1876 he declined
nomination for Governor on the RepublI.
can ticket. After the regular nominee had
withdrawn he consented 10 run but was
beaten. He was chairman of the Indiana
delegation at the Republican Convention OF
1850 that nominated Garfield for President
Garfield offered him place In his cabinet.
hut he declined. preferring Ia he United
States Senator from IF LLAMA, position held
from 1881 TO 1887,
Elected to the Presidency.
In 1855 In the Republican Convention Gen.
Harrison was nominated for the Presidency,
receiving 544 votes to lis for John Sherman
and 100 for Russell A. Alger He was elected
and served one term. but was defea ed in
1892 by Grover Cleveland.
During President Harrisons term as Pres.
dent the Rehring Sea sealing controversy
between England and the United States
reached an acute stage. The American GOV
eminent claimed that under the purchase
from Russia 1t had not only exclusive right
to the seals on the 'askan Islands, but tC
exclude cur own citizens aud people Of othel
nations from killing them within 100 miles
Of the Islands. After lengthy negotiations
between the two countri Res the dispute was
finally settled by arbitration.
President Harrison WAS the prime mover
I'm bringing about the pan-AmeFican con.
gress which met in Washington in 1850 80,
representatives of all the principal South
American countries being present This
congress gave a great Impetus Ia the reci-
procity movement which was James G..
BlhiRe's favorte policy for extending Amer
lean trade with foreign countries
1t was during President Harris0n's term
that the first movement was started for a
new American navy. The desire Of the ad-
ministration to push the construction of ar
mored vessels with guns Of great power re-
suited In placing on the water the new
white squadron, which played such an I'm
portant part In the Spanish war.
Since he retired from the Presidency Gen.
Harrison ,ook little part In politics He
resumed the practice If law and was identi-
fed Will several cases of International i'm
portance. one was the Venezuelan artitra-
tor case In Paris, for which. Il Is said. he
received fee Of $4,000 from Venezuela.
Gen, Harrison was ally avs a stauhch Pres
byterian and dev0ut councilman He was
on the committee that had In charge The
question of revising he Westminster CON
fess ion. which recently sat in Washington.
Gen. Harrison was twice married. His
first wife was Miss Caroline Scott. Of OK
ford Ohio whom he married In 1853 and
by whom he had SON Russell b., and a
daughter who is now Mrs. james r. Mckee.
She died In 1892 at the White House In
Washington His second wife was MIS- Mary
ard aF,5ao ~ IA a ipsFq an nm
nsnfon of the former Mrs. Harrison, They
were married April I. 1905. One daughter.