United States Presidential Election of 1840

Harrison swept Van Buren 234 to 60 in the log cabin campaign with the highest turnout ever, about 80 percent.

Overview

William Henry Harrison's campaign invented modern image politics, turning his humble log cabin and hard cider into symbols against the aristocratic Van Buren amid depression. Whig barbecues, songs, and gigantic rallies drove turnout to roughly 80 percent, the highest in American history, and Harrison won 234 to 60. He died a month after inauguration, the shortest presidency, elevating John Tyler and raising constitutional questions about vice presidential succession that lasted until the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.