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　　From VOA Learning English, welcome to The Making of a Nation, our weekly program of American history for people learning American English. I'm Steve Ember.

　　In November of 1840, the American people elected William Henry Harrison as their ninth president. Harrison was a retired general and a well-known Indian fighter. Many people considered him a hero for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

　　Americans elected John Tyler as Harrison's vice president. The two men ran on the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!"

　　William Henry Harrison, is shown in this undated portrait, served the shortest presidential term in American history. Harrison was in office only 31 days before he died of pneumonia April 4, 1841. (AP Photo)
Harrison was the first president from the Whig party. Some Whig leaders, including Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, believed they could control the newly elected president.

　　Harrison asked Daniel Webster to edit the speech he planned to give after the swearing-in ceremonies. Webster removed some material from the inaugural speech and suggested other changes.

　　The inauguration took place on March 4, 1841. It was the coldest inaugural day in the nation's history. Harrison spoke on the front steps of the Capitol building. He gave the longest inaugural address of any president. It lasted almost two hours.

　　But Harrison did not wear a winter overcoat or hat. He got sick, probably from standing so long outside in the cold. Rest was his best treatment. But the new president was so busy, he had little time to rest.

　　Harrison Dies After One Month as President

　　Harrison's health grew worse. Late in March 1841, he developed pneumonia. Doctors did everything they could to cure him. But nothing seemed to help. On April 4, exactly one month after he became president, William Henry Harrison died.

　　Vice President John Tyler was then at his home in Williamsburg, Virginia. Daniel Webster, the new secretary of state, sent his son on horseback to tell Tyler of the president's death.

　　The vice president was shocked. He had not even known that Harrison was sick. Two hours after he received the news, Tyler was on his way to Washington.
There was some question about Tyler's official duties. Harrison's death marked the first time that a president had died in office. No one was sure what the Constitution meant when it said that the powers of a deceased president should go to the vice president.
Eventually, Tyler, Webster and other cabinet members decided that Tyler should be president and serve until the next election.

　　"That was a very controversial claim. Because people said no, he's not the president, he's an acting president. He's just temporarily filling the office, but he's not president."

　　Historian Michael Holt taught at the University of Virginia. He says although not everyone supported John Tyler's claim, he set an important example. He showed how power could transfer peacefully to the vice president after a U.S. president died in office.

　　John Tyler Becomes President

　　Tyler was sworn-in as the nation's 10th president on April 6, 1841. He was 51 years old. No other man had become president at such an early age.

　　Tyler was a slave-holding southerner. He was born and grew up in the same part of Virginia as William Henry Harrison. His father was a wealthy landowner and judge who had been a friend of Thomas Jefferson.

　　Tyler completed studies at the College of William and Mary, and became a lawyer. He entered politics and served in the Virginia state legislature. Then he was elected a member of Congress and, later, governor of Virginia. He also served as a member of the United States Senate.

　　Tyler believed strongly in the rights of the states. As a congressman and a senator, he had voted against every attempt to give more power to the federal government. In fact, historian Michael Holt says that in many ways, Tyler was more like a member of the Democrats -- the opposing party at the time.