Harrison defeated Van Buren in the 1840 presidential election, making him the first of only two Whigs to be elected to the presidency, the other being Zachary Taylor.
Just three weeks after his inauguration, Harrison fell ill and died days later. After resolution of an ambiguity in the constitution regarding succession to the powers and duties of the office, Tyler became president. At 68, Harrison was the oldest person to assume the American presidency until Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 at 69. Though Harrison is often omitted in historical presidential rankings due to his brief tenure, he is remembered for his Indian entreaties, and also his inventive election campaign tactics.

Early life and education
Harrison was the seventh and youngest child of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth (Bassett) Harrison, born on February 9, 1773, at Berkeley Plantation, the home of the Harrison family of Virginia on the James River in Charles City County.[1] This was a prominent political family of English descent whose ancestors had been in Virginia since the 1630s;[2] he became the last American president not born as an American citizen.