William Henry Harrison was born into an influential political
family on February 9, 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia.
Harrison’s father was a wealthy Virginia planter who signed the
Declaration of Independence and later became governor of
Virginia. Harrison attended Hampton-sydney College and studied
classics and history. He next moved to Richmond to study
medicine. In 1791, after the death of his father, Harrison
stopped studying medicine and joined the U.S. Army. He was sent
to the Northwest Territory (present day Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois), where he served as an aide to “Mad Anthony” Wayne.
Under Wayne, Harrison learned how to command an army of frontier
soldiers. In 1798, Harrison resigned from the U.S. Army and
became Secretary of the Northwest Territory. In 1799, Harrison
was elected as a delegate representing the Northwest Territory
in Congress. After helping to gain passage of the Harrison Land
Act, which made it easier for settlers to buy land in the
Northwest Territory, Harrison resigned as a