[135]

Legacy
Historical reputation
Harrison (on left) at Tippecanoe County Courthouse, Lafayette, Indiana
Among Harrison's most enduring legacies is the series of treaties that he negotiated and signed with Indian leaders during his tenure as the Indiana territorial governor.[7] As part of the treaty negotiations, the tribes ceded large tracts of land in the west which provided additional acreage for purchase and settlement by the nation.[33][136]
Harrison's long-term impact on American politics includes his campaigning methods, which laid the foundation for modern presidential campaign tactics.[137] Harrison died nearly penniless, and Congress voted his wife Anna a presidential widow's pension of $25,000,[138] one year of Harrison's salary (equivalent to about $657,000 in 2021).[139] She also received the right to mail letters free of charge.[140]
Freehling refers to Harrison as "the most dominant figure in the evolution of the Northwest territories into the Upper Midwest today".[141] Harrison, age 68 at the time of his inauguration, was the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency, a distinction he held until 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated at age 69.[142]
Harrison's son John Scott Harrison represented Ohio in the House of Representatives between 1853 and 1857.