In the simultaneous attacks that were made upon the French posts in
America in 1755, that against Fort Du Quesne (the present site of
Pittsburg) was conducted by General Braddock, and those against Niagara
and Frontenac by Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, and General
Johnston, of New York. The following is an extract from Judge Martin’s
History of North Carolina, giving an account of those expeditions:—
“The army of the latter (Shirley and Johnston), during the summer, lay
on the eastern bank of the Hudson, a little south of the city of Albany.
In the early part of June the troops of the Eastern provinces began to
pour in, company after company; and such a motley assemblage of men
never before thronged together on such an occasion, unless an example
may be found in the ragged regiment of Sir John Falstaff. It would have
relaxed the gravity of an anchorite to have seen the descendants of the
Puritans, marching through the streets of that ancient city (Albany),
take their situations on the left of the British army,—some with long
coats, and others with no coats at all, with colors as various as the
rainbow,—some with their hair cropped like the army of Cromwell, and
others with wigs, the locks of which floated with grace around their
shoulders. Their march, their accoutrements, and the whole arrangement
of the troops, furnished matter of amusement to the rest of the British
army. The music played the airs of two centuries ago; and the _tout
ensemble_, upon the whole, exhibited a sight to the wondering strangers,
to which they had been unaccustomed. Among the club of wits that
belonged to the British army there was a Doctor Shackburg, attached to
the staff, who combined with the science of surgeon the skill and
talents of a musician. To please the new-comers, he composed a tune, and
with much gravity recommended it to the officers as one of the most
celebrated airs of martial music. The joke took, to the no small
amusement of the British. Brother Jonathan exclaimed it was _nation
fine_, and in a few days nothing was heard in the provincial camp but
the air of Yankee Doodle. Little did the author in his composition then
suppose that an air made for the purpose of levity and ridicule should
ever be marked for such high destinies. In twenty years from that time
the national march inspired the heroes of Bunker Hill, and in less than
thirty years Lord Cornwallis and his army marched into the American
lines to the tune of Yankee Doodle.”
“Watson, in his “Occurrences of the War of Independence,” says,—
“This tune, so celebrated as a national air of the Revolution, has an
origin almost unknown to the mass of the people of the present day. An
aged and respectable lady, born in New England, told me she remembered
it well, long before the Revolution, under another name. It was then
universally called ‘Lydia Fisher,’ and was a favorite New England jig.
It was then the practice with it, as with Yankee Doodle now, to sing it
with various impromptu verses,—such as
‘Lydia Locket lost her pocket,
Lydia Fisher found it;
Not a bit of money in it,
Only binding round it.’
“The British, preceding the war, when disposed to ridicule the
simplicity of the Yankee manners and hilarity, were accustomed to sing
airs or songs set to words invented for the passing occasion, having for
their object to satirize and sneer at the New Englanders. This, as I
believe, they called Yankee Doodle, by way of reproach, and as a slur
upon their favorite ‘Lydia Fisher.’ It is remembered that the English
officers then among us, acting under civil and military appointments,
often felt lordly over us as colonists, and by countenancing such slurs
they sometimes expressed their superciliousness. When the battles of
Concord and Lexington began the war, the English, when advancing in
triumph, played along the road, ‘God save the King;’ but when the
Americans had made the retreat so disastrous to the invaders, these then
struck up the scouted _Yankee Doodle_,—as if to say, ‘See what we simple
Jonathans can do!’ From that time the term of intended derision was
assumed throughout all the American colonies, as the national air of the
Sons of Liberty; even as the Methodists—once reproachfully so
called—assumed it as their acceptable appellation. Even the name of
‘Sons of Liberty,’ which was so popular at the outset, was a name
adopted from the appellation given us in Parliament by Colonel Barré in
his speech! Judge Martin, in his History of North Carolina, has lately
given another reason for the origin of ‘Yankee Doodle,’ saying it was
first formed at Albany, in 1755, by a British officer, then there,
indulging his pleasantry on the homely array of the motley Americans
then assembling to join the expedition of General Johnston and Governor
Shirley. To ascertain the truth in the premises, both his and my
accounts were published in the gazettes, to elicit, if possible, further
information, and the additional facts ascertained seem to corroborate
the foregoing idea. The tune and quaint words, says a writer in the
‘Columbian Gazette,’ at Washington, were known as early as the time of
Cromwell, and were so applied to him then, in a song called ‘Nankee
Doodle,’ as ascertained from the collection he had seen of a gentleman
at Cheltenham, in England, called ‘Musical Antiquities of England,’ to
wit:—
“‘Nankee Doodle came to town
Upon a little pony,
With a feather in his hat,
Upon a macaroni,’ &c.
“The term feather, &c. alluded to Cromwell’s going into Oxford on a
small horse, with his single plume fastened in a sort of knot called a
‘macaroni.’ The idea that such an early origin may have existed seems
strengthened by the fact communicated by an aged gentleman of
Massachusetts, who well remembered that, about the time the strife was
engendering at Boston, they sometimes conveyed muskets to the country
concealed in their loads of manure, &c. Then came abroad verses, as if
set forth from their military masters, saying,—
“‘Yankee Doodle came to town
For to buy a firelock:
We will tar and feather him,
And so we will John Hancock.’
“The similarity of the first lines of the above two examples, and the
term ‘feather’ in the third line, seem to mark in the latter some
knowledge of the former precedent. As, however, other writers have
confirmed their early knowledge of ‘Lydia Locket,’ such as,
“‘Lydy Locket lost her pocket
In a rainy shower,’ &c.,
we seem led to the choice of reconciling them severally with each other.
We conclude, therefore, that the Cavaliers, when they originally
composed ‘Nankee Doodle,’ may have set it to the jig-tune of ‘Lydia
Fisher,’ to make it the more offensive to the Puritans. In this view it
was even possible for the British officer at Albany, in 1755, as a man
skilled in music, to have before heard of the old ‘Nankee Doodle,’ and
to have renewed it on that occasion. That the air was uniformly deemed a
good retort on British royalists, we must be confirmed in from the fact
that it was played by us at the battle of Lexington when repelling the
foe, again at the surrender of Burgoyne, and finally at Yorktown
surrender, when Lafayette, who ordered the tune, meant it as a retort on
an intended affront.”
The following is the first verse in the original _American_ Yankee
Doodle song:—
“Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Do it neat and handy:
The boy to flog the British troops
Is Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
_HAIL COLUMBIA._
The following is Judge Hopkinson’s own account of the origin of “Hail
Columbia:”—
“This song was written in the summer of 1798, when a war with France was
thought to be inevitable, Congress being then in session in
Philadelphia, deliberating upon that important subject, and acts of
hostility having actually occurred. About that time a young man by the
name of Fox, attached to the Chestnut Street Theatre, was getting up
some attraction for his benefit. I had known him when at school. On this
acquaintance he called on me on Saturday afternoon,—his benefit being
announced for the following Monday. He said there were no boxes taken,
and his prospect was that he should suffer a loss instead of receiving a
benefit from his performance, but that if he could get a patriotic song
adapted to the tune of the ‘President’s March’ (then the popular air) he
did not doubt of a full house; that the poets of the theatrical corps
had been trying to accomplish it, but were satisfied that no words could
be composed to suit the music of the march. I told him I would try for
him. He came the next afternoon, and the song, such as it is, was ready
for him. It was announced on Monday morning, and the theatre was crowded
to excess, and so continued, night after night, for the rest of the
season,—the song being encored and repeated many times each night, the
audience joining in the chorus. It was also sung at night in the streets
by large assemblies of citizens, including members of Congress. The
enthusiasm was general, and the song was heard, I may say, in every part
of the United States.”
The President’s March was composed by Professor Pfyle, and was played at
Trenton Bridge when Washington passed over on his way to New York to his
inauguration. An old writer, speaking upon this subject, says, “I have
also reason to believe that the Washington’s March generally known by
that title—I mean the one in the key of G major—was composed by the Hon.
Francis Hopkinson, Senior, having seen it in a manuscript book of his,
in his own handwriting, among other of his known compositions.”
_THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER._
Was written by Francis S. Key, while on board one of the vessels
composing the British fleet. He was an agent for the exchange of
prisoners, and witnessed in the distance the bombardment of Fort
McHenry. The tune was originally set to the song “To Anacreon in
Heaven,” by Dr. Arnold.
_THE PRESENT AMERICAN FLAG._
The first flag adopted by the colonial army before Boston was a red
flag, with the mottoes, “An appeal to Heaven,” and “Qui transtulit
sustinet,” which was construed by the colonists thus:—“God, who
transplanted us hither, will sustain us.” About this time also the
floating batteries, which were the germ of the navy subsequently
organized, bore a flag with the motto, “Appeal to Heaven.” These flags
were adopted before the union of the colonies was effected. After that
union, and upon the organization of the army and fleet, these flags were
supplanted by one calculated to show to the world the union of the North
American colonies among themselves and as an integral part of the
British empire, and as such demanding the rights and liberties of
British subjects. And for this purpose a flag combining the crosses of
St. George and St. Andrew united (the distinctive emblem of Great
Britain), with a field composed of thirteen stripes alternate red and
white, the combination of the flags previously used in the camps and on
the cruises, and the floating batteries of the colonists, was adopted,
and called the _Great Union flag_. The union implied both the union of
the colonies represented in the striped field, which was dependent upon
it, and the nationality of those colonies. The thirteen stripes
alternate red and white, constituting the field of the flag, represented
the body of that union, the numbers that composed it, as well as the
union of the flags which had preceded this Great Union flag. The colors
of these stripes, alternate red and white, indicated on the part of the
colonies thus represented as united the defiance to oppression,
symbolized by the red color of the flag of the army and the red field of
the Continental cruisers, with the purity implied by the white flag of
the floating batteries, of which the motto was, “Appeal to Heaven.”[36]
These flags of the colonies and this Great Union flag gave place in turn
to the flag of the United States, which is thus described in the
following resolution of Congress, passed June 14, 1777:—
“_Resolved_, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen
stripes alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white
in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
From the above it appears that the only alteration made from the Great
Union flag was the substitution of a union of stars representing “a new
constellation,” in place of the old union of the British crosses; and
the question is, what is the meaning of the “new constellation,” and is
there any constellation which represents union? The answer is, that the
constellation Lyra is of this character; for, according to classical
authority, the Lyra was the symbol of harmony and unity among men. The
constellation Lyra is a time-honored emblem of union, and because it was
so it gave to our forefathers the idea of the stars now on our flag,
while the stripes have originated as we have mentioned. May the Stars
and the Stripes ever “wave over the land of the free and the home of the
brave,” and may the United States ever be among the nations of the earth
a constellation like Lyra, which is said to “whirl in harmony and unity
along the immense orb of the revolving world, and to lead all the other
stars.”
_CONGRESS._
Previous to the Revolution, and during the war, the seat of government,
or points of meeting of Congress, were at such places as convenience
suggested or the vicissitudes of war allowed. The first Congress under
the present Constitution met in New York, on the 4th of March, 1789.
George Washington was inaugurated President before this body, John Adams
Vice-President. F.A. Muhlenberg, of Pennsylvania, was the Speaker of the
House.
The following are the places at which the Continental Congress met from
1774 to the adoption of the Constitution, in 1789:—
At Philadelphia, 1774, September 5.
At Baltimore, 1776, December 20.
At Philadelphia, 1777, March 4.
At Lancaster, 1777, September 27.
At York, Pennsylvania, 1777, September 30.
At Philadelphia, 1778, July 2.
At Princeton, 1783, June 30.
At Annapolis, 1783, November 26.
At Trenton, 1784, November 1.
At New York, 1785, January 11.
From which time New York continued to be the place of meeting until the
adoption of the Constitution. From 1781 to 1788, Congress met annually
(on the first Monday in November), pursuant to the Articles of
Confederation adopted June 9, 1778.
The first Congress under the Constitution met in New York on the 4th of
March, 1789. The second session of the same Congress met at New York in
January, 1790, at which session the _permanent_ seat of government was
fixed in the District of Columbia, and the _temporary_ seat moved from
New York to Philadelphia. The third session of the First Congress was
held at Philadelphia, December, 1790, where it continued until December,
1800, when Congress met for the first time in Washington.
The following table, in connection with the names of the
postmaster-generals, furnishes a complete panoramic view of the chief
officers of the United States Government from 1774 to 1864.[37]
_THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS BEFORE THE REVOLUTION._
FIRST CONGRESS, Sept. 5, 1774. Peyton Randolph, of Virginia,
President. Born in Virginia, in 1726, died at Philadelphia,
Oct. 22, 1785. Charles Thomson, of Pennsylvania, Secretary.
Born in Ireland, in 1730, died in Pennsylvania, Aug. 16, 1824.
This patriot was Secretary of all the Congresses in session
during the Revolution, and until March 3, 1789.
SECOND CONGRESS, May 10, 1775, Peyton Randolph, President.
Resigned May 24, 1775.
John Hancock, of Massachusetts, elected his successor. He was
born at Quincy, Mass., A.D. 1737, died Oct. 8, 1793. He was
President of Congress until October, 1777.
Henry Laurens, of South Carolina, President from Nov. 1, 1777,
to Dec. 1778. He was born at Charleston, S. C., A.D. 1724,
died in South Carolina, Dec. 1792.
John Jay, of New York, President from Dec. 10, 1778, to Sept.
27, 1779. He was born in New York City, Dec. 12, 1745, died in
New York, May 17, 1829.
Samuel Huntingdon, of Connecticut, President from Sept. 28,
1779, until July 10, 1781. He was born in Connecticut, in
1732, died 1796.
Thos. McKean, of Pa., President from July, 1781, until Nov. 5,
1781. He was born in Pennsylvania, March 19, 1734, died at
Philadelphia, June 24, 1817.
John Hanson, of Md., President from Nov. 5, 1781, to Nov. 4,
1782. He was born ——, died 1783.
Elias Boudinot, of N. J., President from Nov. 4, 1782, until
Feb. 4, 1783. He was born at Philadelphia, May 2, 1740, died
1824.
Thomas Mifflin, of Pennsylvania, President from February 4,
1783, to November 30, 1784. Born at Philadelphia, 1744, died
in the same place, January 21, 1800.
Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, President from November 30,
1784, to November 23, 1785. He was born in Virginia, A.D.
1732, died 1794.
John Hancock, of Massachusetts, President from November 23,
1785, to June 6, 1786.
Nathaniel Gorham, of Massachusetts, President from June 6,
1786, to February 2, 1787. He was born at Charlestown,
Massachusetts, A.D. 1738, died June 11, 1796.
Arthur St. Clair, of Pennsylvania, President from February 2,
1787, to January 28, 1788. He was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland, ——, died in 1818.
Cyrus Griffin, of Virginia, President from January 28, 1788,
to the end of the Congress under the Confederation, March 3,
1789. He was born in England, A.D. 1748, died in Virginia,
A.D. 1810.
_UNDER THE CONSTITUTION._
1789 to 1793.
George Washington, of Virginia, inaugurated as President of
the United States, April 30, 1789. He was born upon Wakefield
estate, Virginia, February 22 (11th, Old Style), 1732, died at
Mount Vernon, December 14, 1799.
John Adams, of Massachusetts, Vice-President. Born at
Braintree, Massachusetts, October 19, 1735, died July 4, 1826,
near Quincy, Massachusetts.
ELECTORAL VOTE—George Washington, 69. John Adams, 34. John
Jay, New York, 9. R.H. Harrison, Maryland, 6. John Rutledge,
South Carolina, 6. John Hancock, Massachusetts, 4. George
Clinton, New York, 3. Samuel Huntingdon, Connecticut, 2. John
Milton, Georgia, 2. James Armstrong, Georgia, 1. Edward
Telfair, Georgia, 1. Benjamin Lincoln, Massachusetts,
1.—Total, 69. Ten States voted,—Rhode Island, New York, and
North Carolina not voting, not having ratified the
Constitution in time.
1793 to 1797.
George Washington, President, inaugurated March 4, 1793.
John Adams, Vice-President.
ELECTORAL VOTE—George Washington, 132. John Adams, 77. George
Clinton, 50. Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, 4. Aaron Burr, New
York, 1.—Total, 132. Fifteen States voted.
1797 to 1801.
John Adams, President, inaugurated March 4, 1797.
Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, Vice-President. Born at
Shadwell, Virginia, April 13, 1743, died at Monticello,
Virginia, July 4, 1826.
ELECTORAL VOTE—John Adams, 71. Thomas Jefferson, 68. Thomas
Pinckney, South Carolina, 59. Aaron Burr, 30. Samuel Adams,
Massachusetts, 15. Oliver Ellsworth, Connecticut, 11. George
Clinton, 7. John Jay, 5. James Iredell, North Carolina, 3.
George Washington, 2. John Henry, Maryland, 2. S. Johnson,
North Carolina, 2. Charles C. Pinckney, South Carolina,
1.—Total, 138. Sixteen States voting.
1801 to 1805.
Thomas Jefferson, President, inaugurated March 4, 1801.
Aaron Burr, of New York, Vice-President. Born at Newark, N. J.
February 6, 1756, died at Staten Island, New York, September
14, 1836.
ELECTORAL VOTE—Thomas Jefferson, 73. Aaron Burr, 73. John
Adams, 65. Charles C. Pinckney, 64. John Jay, 1.—Total, 138.
Sixteen States voting.
There was no election by the Electoral colleges, and the
election was carried into the House of Representatives, when,
upon the thirty-sixth ballot, it appeared that ten States
voted for Jefferson, four States for Aaron Burr, and two
States in blank. Whereupon Jefferson was declared elected
President, and Burr Vice-President. After this the
Constitution was amended, so that the Vice-President was voted
for separately as a distinct office, instead of being the
second on the vote for President.
1805 to 1809.
Thomas Jefferson, President, inaugurated March 4, 1805.
George Clinton, of New York, Vice-President. He was born in
Ulster county, New York, A.D. 1739, died in Washington, D. C.,
April 20, 1812.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, Thomas Jefferson, 162; Charles
Cotesworth Pinckney, 14.—Total, 176. Seven States voting.
_For Vice-President_, George Clinton, 162; Rufus King, New
York, 14.
1809 to 1813.
James Madison, of Virginia, President, inaugurated March 4,
1809. He was born March 16, 1751, in Prince George county,
Virginia, and died at Montpelier, Virginia, June 28, 1836.
George Clinton, of New York, Vice-President, until his death,
April 20, 1812.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, James Madison, 122; George
Clinton, 6; C. C. Pinckney, 47.—Total, 175. Seventeen States
voting.
_For Vice-President_, George Clinton, 113; James Madison, 3;
James Monroe, Virginia, 3; John Langdon, New Hampshire, 9;
Rufus King, New York, 47.
1813 to 1817.
James Madison, of Virginia, President. There is no record in
the Journals of Congress of his having taken the oath of
office.
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, Vice-President, until his
death, November 23, 1814. He was born at Marblehead,
Massachusetts, July 17, 1744, and died at Washington, D. C.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, James Madison, 128; De Witt
Clinton, New York, 89.—Total, 217. Eighteen States voting.
_For Vice-President_, Elbridge Gerry, 131; Jared Ingersoll,
Pennsylvania, 86.
1817 to 1821.
James Monroe, of Virginia, President, inaugurated March 4,
1817. He was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, A.D. 1759,
died in New York, July 4, 1831.
Daniel D. Tompkins, of New York, Vice-President. Born June 21,
1774, at Fox Meadows, New York, died at Staten Island, June
11, 1825.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, James Monroe, 183; Rufus King,
34—Total, 221. Nineteen States voting.
_For Vice-President_, Daniel D. Tompkins, 183; John Eager
Howard, Maryland, 22; James Ross, Pennsylvania, 5; John
Marshall, Virginia, 4; Robert Goodloe Harper, Maryland, 3.
1821 to 1825.
James Monroe, President. There is no record in the Journals of
Congress of his having taken the oath of office.
Daniel D. Tompkins, Vice-President.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, James Monroe, 231; John Quincy
Adams, Massachusetts, 1.—Total, 232. Twenty-four States
voting.
_For Vice-President_, Daniel D. Tompkins, 218; Richard
Stockton, New Jersey, 8; Robert G. Harper, 1; Richard Rush,
Pennsylvania, 1; Daniel Rodney, Delaware, 1.
1825 to 1829.
John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, President, inaugurated
March 4, 1825. He was born at Quincy, Massachusetts, July 11,
1767, died at Washington City, February 23, 1848.
John Caldwell Calhoun, of South Carolina, Vice-President. Born
in Abbeville district, South Carolina, March 18, 1782, died
March 31, 1850, in Washington City.
POPULAR VOTE—_For President_, John Quincy Adams, 105,321;
Andrew Jackson, Tennessee, 152,899; William H. Crawford,
Georgia, 47,265; Henry Clay, Kentucky, 47,087.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, Andrew Jackson, 99; John
Quincy Adams, 84; William H. Crawford, 41; Henry Clay,
37.—Total, 261. Twenty-four States voting.
There being no choice by the Electoral colleges, the vote was
taken into the House of Representatives, when upon ballot it
appeared that Adams had received the vote of thirteen States,
Jackson seven, and Crawford four. John Quincy Adams was
therefore declared elected President.
_For Vice-President_, the Electoral vote was John C. Calhoun,
South Carolina, 182; Nathan Sanford, New York, 30; Nathaniel
Macon, Georgia, 24; Andrew Jackson, Tennessee, 13; Martin Van
Buren, New York, 9; Henry Clay, Kentucky, 2.
1829 to 1833.
Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee, President, inaugurated March 4,
1829. He was born in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, near
the Waxhaw Settlements, which are in South Carolina, March 15,
1767, died at the Hermitage, Tennessee, June 8, 1845.
John Caldwell Calhoun, Vice-President, until his resignation,
December 28, 1832.
POPULAR VOTE—_For President_, Andrew Jackson, 650,028; John
Quincy Adams, 512,158.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, Andrew Jackson, 178; John
Quincy Adams, 83.—Total, 261. Twenty-four States voting.
_For Vice-President_, John C. Calhoun, 171; Richard Rush,
Pennsylvania, 83; William Smith, South Carolina, 7.
1833 to 1837.
Andrew Jackson, President, inaugurated March 4, 1833.
Martin Van Buren, of New York, Vice-President. He was born at
Kinderhook, New York, December 5, 1782. Died, July 24, 1864.
POPULAR VOTE—_For President_, Andrew Jackson, 687,502; Henry
Clay, 550,189; opposition (John Floyd, Virginia, and William
Wirt, Maryland), 33,108.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, Andrew Jackson, 219; Henry
Clay, 49; John Floyd, 11; William Wirt, 7,—Total, 288.
Twenty-four States voting.
_For Vice-President_, Martin Van Buren, 189; John Sergeant,
Pennsylvania, 49; William Wilkins, Pennsylvania, 30; Henry
Lee, Massachusetts, 11; Amos Ellmaker, Pennsylvania, 7.
1837 to 1841.
Martin Van Buren, President, inaugurated March 4, 1837.
Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, Vice-President. He was born
in 1780; died November 19, 1850.
POPULAR VOTE—_For President_, Martin Van Buren, 762,149;
opposition (William H. Harrison, Hugh L. White, Daniel
Webster, W.P. Mangum), 736,736.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, Martin Van Buren, 170; William
H. Harrison, Ohio, 73; Hugh L. White, Tennessee, 26; Daniel
Webster, Massachusetts, 14; W.P. Mangum, 11.—Total, 294.
Twenty-six States voting.
_For Vice-President_, Richard M. Johnson, Kentucky, 147;
Francis Granger, New York, 77; John Tyler, Virginia, 47;
William Smith, Alabama, 23.
1841 to 1845.
William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, President until his death at
Washington, April 4, 1841. He was inaugurated March 4, 1841.
He was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, February 9, 1773.
John Tyler, of Virginia, Vice-President. He was born April,
1790, at Greenway, Charles City county, Virginia. Died,
January 18, 1863.
John Tyler, of Virginia, became President by the death of
William H. Harrison. He took the oath of office April 6, 1841.
POPULAR VOTE (November, 1840)—_For President_, William Henry
Harrison, 1,274,783; Martin Van Buren, 1,128,702; James G.
Birney, New York (Abolition), 7609.
ELECTORAL VOTE—_For President_, William Henry Harrison, 234;
Martin Van Buren, 60.—Total, 294. Twenty-six States voting.
_For Vice-President_, John Tyler, 234; Richard M. Johnson, 48;
L.W. Tazewell, South Carolina, 11; James K. Polk, Tennessee,
1.