Talk:Benjamin Harrison

File:HARRISON, Benjamin-President (BEP engraved portrait).jpg to appear as POTD soon

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Picture of the day

Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) was a politician and lawyer who served as the 23rd President of the United States from 1889 to 1893. Before ascending to the presidency, Harrison established himself as a prominent local attorney, church leader, and politician in Indianapolis, Indiana, and as a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War. After a term in the U.S. Senate (1881–1887), the Republican Harrison was elected to the presidency in 1888. Hallmarks of his administration included unprecedented economic legislation, including the McKinley Tariff and Sherman Antitrust Act, as well as modernizing the U.S. Navy and admitting six new western states to the Union.Engraving: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restoration: Andrew Shiva

1888 recording

Shouldn't it be mentioned that he was the first president whose voice was recorded? I could've sworn this was here a while ago. Xdude gamer (talk) 19:50, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

His 1889 recording was the earliest recording of a US president's voice. However, the sentence Harrison was the earliest president whose voice is known to be preserved, as it currently stands in the article, is wrong: Grover Cleveland's voice has been preserved from 1892. Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, and so, that record belongs to him. Renerpho (talk) 13:19, 23 November 2021 (UTC)

I've modified the sentence in question to read "A recording of his voice is the earliest extant recording of a president while he was in office." While Cleveland was president before Harrison, his recording is later (1892) than Harrison's. Indyguy (talk) 16:32, 23 November 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, this looks better. Renerpho (talk) 16:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)

Name

Would the subject's name not have been, in full, Benjamin Harrison VI? Being that he is named for his great-grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, and neither is noted to have had any middle names. 134340Goat (talk) 01:37, 26 March 2021 (UTC)

According to WP:JR/SR, we should "use ordinals if they are commonly used in reliable sources". I don't recall ever seeing him referred to as "Benjamin Harrison IV", probably because his fame for being president makes him much more notable than any of his ancestors. Also, I'm not sure the ordinal is officially part of his name - would it have appeared on his birth certificate or did he ever sign his name with it? Indyguy (talk) 02:40, 26 March 2021 (UTC)

Note that there already is a Benjamin Harrison VI (the president's great-uncle, and the son of Benjamin Harrison V). The claim that the president would have taken the same number VI as his great-uncle (why?), or a different one (maybe VII?), would have to be carefully assessed. As far as I can tell, president Harrison does not carry an ordinal in any relevant sources. I did not check whether a reason is stated anywhere, but I agree with Indyguy's speculation that president Harrison was notable enough to be unambiguously referred to without using ordinals. Renerpho (talk) 00:27, 27 November 2021 (UTC)

@Indyguy:Would it have appeared on his birth certificate - This isn't really relevant. In the 19th century at least, ordinals were often added to names not at birth, but when people reached adulthood (basically, when there was a need to disambiguate them; there were exceptions, but a lack of the ordinal in the birth certificate wouldn't mean much). The most obvious reason for this was the high child mortality. The question did he ever sign his name with it? is the more interesting one. As far as I can tell, he did not. Renerpho (talk) 02:30, 27 November 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 May 2024

Hello, because President Harrison was the 6th of his name, note his grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, would he not be Benjamin Harrison VI? Cronchconch (talk) 07:57, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Charliehdb (talk) 10:25, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Historical ranking

The source used said that he was average for not entering in a war, this is rare, a president is not more memorable for enter in a war. Johnymin (talk) 17:48, 14 November 2024 (UTC)