Images(2)

William Harrison Medal

Maker Joseph M. Stillwell

Periodca. 1840

MediumSilver

Dimensions1.5 in. (3.8 cm)

InscribedIncised along the edge of this coin by hand, "HANNAH A. BURTIS"

ClassificationsPolitical Memorabilia

Credit LineGift of Hannah A. Burtis

Object numberM-502

DescriptionA round silver medal, with designs on both front and back and a small hole punched at the top. The front is struck with a profile portrait of a man facing left, wearing a high-collard outercoat with braided details and epaulets. Stamped along the edge of the medal, "MAJ. GEN. W. H. HARRISON / BORN FEB 9 1773." The back of the medal is struck with a scene of a log cabin flying an American flag. Smoke pours out of the chimney, trees grow on either side of the cabin, and a barrel sits out front. Stamped along the edge of the medal, "THE PEOPLES CHOICE / THE HERO / OF / TIPPECANOE."
NotesThis medal was likely struck for the presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison (1773 - 1841). Harrison was appointed acting territorial secretary in 1798, in the Northwest Territory, and became governor in 1799. In 1811, he commanded forces in the Battle of Tippecanoe, in which his troops defeated an American Indian uprising. This put him in the national spotlight and he was hailed as a hero. This battle led to larger conflict and, and Harrison commanded the Army of the Northwest in the War of 1812. Postwar, he continued his political career, serving in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. By 1830, he was living as a private citizen on his farm in Ohio. He could not stay out of the public eye for long, however, and in 1836 he made an unsuccessful run for President as a Whig party member. A second attempt in 1840 clinched him the Presidency. In this race, his opponents had tried to paint him and his running mate, John Tyler, as a backwoods, out-of-touch candidate. But this backfired when he played up the role, and used log cabin imagery to portray himself as the common man.

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