Harrison has been sometimes portrayed as a Luddite for his fear of electricity, but he had no objection at all to new technology — after all, he did order electricity to be installed in the White House. Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833–March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States (1889-1893). The electrical systems at the White House also need upkeep and updates. $1 MILLION: Although he and his wife never touched a light switch for fear of being shocked, who was the first president to have electricity in the White House? The White House's wires, in fact, were strung across the lawn from the Edison Company's generators, as Gizmodo recounts, then buried in plaster before making their way to round switches. This Is Why Benjamin Harrison Was Afraid Of Electricity. President Benjamin Harrison and his wife Caroline were the first to live in an electrified White House, but electricity was so new at the time that the couple refused to touch the light switches for fear of electric shock. She also purged the White House of rodent and insect populations, laid new floors, installed new plumbing, painted and wallpapered, and added more bathrooms. He was a Civil War hero and the grandson of former president, William Henry Harrison. As first lady, Caroline Harrison was noted for her elegant White House receptions and dinners. Benjamin was seven years old when his grandfather was elected president. President Benjamin Harrison for Kids: "The Human Iceberg" Summary: Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), nicknamed the "Human Iceberg", was the 23rd American President and served in office from 1889-1893.The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Maturation Era or the Gilded Age. This earned him the nickname “Light Bulb Johnson.”. He served one term, but lost the election for a second term due, in part, to his high spending habits. The White House staff was in charge of turning the lights on and off. Benjamin Harrison came to the presidency with little executive experience but great confidence in his own abilities. This is a splendid article. Born into a family with a legacy of political involvement, Benjamin Harrison believed that he was destined for important work. Learn More. However, he and his family were fearful of being shocked, so they refused to touch the light switches and simply left the lights on all the time. Presidents Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama all made contributions to a greener White House. Defined as a "moderate Republican" (remember that Republican-Democrat party ideologies were opposite what they are today), Harrison was known for defending the rights of Native Americans from railroads, pushing for bigger pensions for soldiers, having a vigorous foreign policy, and enacting the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) to deregulate international trade restrictions, as described on Britannica. In his speech, Benjamin Harrison credited the nation's growth to the influences of education and religion, urged the cotton states and mining territories to attain the industrial proportions of the eastern states and promised a protective tariff. Presidential Shenanigans: Benjamin Harrison and Electricity Benjamin Harrison was President of the United States from 1889 to 1893 after defeating Grover Cleveland in the election of 1888. Built in 1792, the White House has only been electrified for over a century. President Benjamin Harrison and his wife Caroline were the first to live in an electrified White House, but electricity was so new at the time that the couple refused to touch the light switches for fear of electric shock. Harrison was sworn into office on Monday, March 4, 1889, by Chief Justice Melville Fuller. Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. The question about Benjamin Harrison being the first president with electricity in the White House was a tough one! The renovation cost $5.7 million and took about four years to complete. Harrison was the first president to use electricity in the White House. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president and the last president who had served in the Civil War. TIL electricity was first installed in the White House in 1891. 1000 Independence Ave. SWWashington DC 20585202-586-5000. He was so afraid of being electrocuted that he refused to touch the light switches. Interesting enough it wasn’t until 1891 that the White House was wired for electricity. After he lost his reelection run to Grover Cleveland in 1893, Harrison moved to Indianapolis to practice law at age 62. During his time in office he focused on civil service reforms and tariff levels. In recent years, various administrations have focused on making the White House more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. A series of haphazard renovations over many years had removed or weakened load-bearing walls and made the house dangerous -- his daughter Margaret’s piano even broke through the floor of the family quarters! $1 MILLION: Although he and his wife never touched a light switch for fear of being shocked, who was the first president to have electricity in the White House? Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the WH. There are 7 professionals named "Harrison Benjamin", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. He was often called upon for his oratorical skills to give speeches and presentations. In the end, though, Harrison's electrophobic quirk would be his legacy more than anything he did in or out of office. It wasn't so much that Harrison was afraid of electric power itself, but rather of getting shocked by touching light switches. Harrison is remembered for a strange idiosyncrasy that coincided with the technological revolution of the late 1800s, one which has left Harrison an object of historical mockery. A: Ulysses S. Grant B: Benjamin Harrison But of course, history doesn't remember Harrison for his accomplishments or his character. Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity installed in the White House. This Is Why Benjamin Harrison Was Afraid Of Electricity. Another case in point: He was the first president to have his voice recorded (the recording can be heard on YouTube), as Potus Geeks reports. Served as Digital Content Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs.Served as Digital Content Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs. His story reads like the headline from a grocery store tabloid… “President Benjamin Harrison Shocks America!” “The Shocking Truth about Your President!” “The Electrifying Fear that Plagued President Harrison” Harrison fought for the Union in the Civil War and made it to the rank of brevet brigadier general before becoming Senator in 1881, followed by the presidency in 1889. The electricity industry has come a long way since then. A collection of quotes and sayings by Benjamin Harrison on woman, will, truth, love, thought, commission, electricity, friendly, enforced and defeated. vaughn davis bornet - 2/23/2009 . If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on. Of commerce, he said, "If o… By Richard Milner / Oct. 2, 2020 10:11 am EDT. After graduating, he moved with his wife Caroline to Indianapolis, Indiana where he passed the bar exam and became a lawyer. Harrison and his wife refused to touch the electrical switches for fear of electrocution and … They were only ever meant to supplement traditional gas lights. And so, Harrison straight up refused to touch the switches, and only White House staff and domestic servants took the duty upon themselves. Bonus fact: Harrison was the first president to have a Christmas tree with electric lights in the White House. The Presidents, on the History Channel. But he and his wife were afraid to touch the switches. The White House staff was in charge of turning the lights on and off. View the profiles of professionals named "Harrison Benjamin" on LinkedIn. Harrison has 4 jobs listed on their profile. Or at least, he wanted nothing to do with the lights' switches. Benjamin was educated in a local one-room schoolhouse. It involved a complete overhaul of the public and private quarters of the White House, which were then redesigned to simulate what they’d looked like in years past. We owe our 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison, for pushing ahead with this form of technology. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Harrison’s connections and jobs at similar companies. His home was in Indianapolis, Indiana.He was a member of the Republican party and was elected to the White House in 1888, beating the incumbent, Grover Cleveland. She was the second First Lady to die while in office. Electricity was first installed into the White House during Harrison's term, supplementing the gas lights already in use since no one at the time expected electricity to actually replace gas. - President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn’t dare touch the switches. Harrison; Had electricity installed in the White House for the first time: The grandson of the (other) Harrison: Fought in the American Civil War: Was Succeeded by Grover Cleveland: Had 10 Children: Born in 1833: Served as President in 1841: Was Succeeded by John Tyler: Born in the month of February: Born in the month of August During the Administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, however, the President was known for wandering the White House turning off lights in rooms he thought empty, sometimes to the surprise of people working in those rooms! It was even rumored that this fear drove Harrison and his wife, Caroline, to sometime sleep with the lights on. Benjamin Harrison Timeline Timeline Description: Benjamin Harrison was the twenty-third American president. 9. I was reminded of the Kansas series on the Presidency, with its 1987 book on Harrison by two … He was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison and the only grandson of a president to himself become president. To learn more about the history of electricity at the White House, check out the timeline above. Famous As: 23rd President of the United States Born On: August 20 , 1833 A: Ulysses S. Grant B: Benjamin Harrison Heritage Images/Getty Images. First electricity in the White House. But the technology was still unfamiliar -- and somewhat unreliable -- when electricity was first installed in the White House in 1891, during the administration of President Benjamin Harrison. The History of Electricity at the White House. In 1891 she had electricity installed but was too frightened to handle the switches. In 1891, a mere 13 years after the Edison Electric Light Company was founded in 1878 to market Thomas Edison's "incandescent lamps," per Britannica, Harrison made a key update to the historical White House: Namely, he ordered electric power to be installed. The White House is fueled by a lot of things: hard work, long hours, coffee. Once Truman won reelection in 1948, he and his family moved across the street to the Presidential guest quarters called the Blair House, while the White House was gutted. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, previously known as the Benjamin Harrison Home, was the home of the Twenty-third President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison.It is in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana.Harrison had the sixteen-room house with its red brick exterior built in the 1870s. Harrison was the first president to use electricity in the White House, installed by Edison General Electric Company. This was not an unreasonable fear, in fact, as electric power was a relatively new invention, and wiring was often crude at best. Caroline Lavinia Harrison (née Scott; October 1, 1832 – October 25, 1892), was a teacher of music, the wife of Benjamin Harrison and mother of two surviving children; after his election as President of the United States, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1889 until her death. Harrison himself, however, wanted nothing to do with electricity or electric lights. It was such a new concept that President Benjamin Harrison and his wife both refused to touch light switches due to their fear of electrocution so the White House staff had to follow them around and turn the lights off and on for them Chang phoned a friend, who just happened to be beloved journalist Mina Kimes, who correctly guessed that Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, was home to the United States 23rd president Benjamin Harrison. But one thing we often forget is all the electricity that makes everyday tasks so much more efficient. The Edison Company installed a generator in the basement of the State, War & Navy building next door, and strung wires across the White House lawn. Louis Pasteur is reported to have had such an irrational fear of dirt and infection he refused to shake hands. ... Benjamin Harrison Home Indianapolis, Indiana David Chang wins ‘Millionaire’ with help from ESPN’s Mina Kimes NFL It was the age of many new … The first president to install electric lighting at the White House was Benjamin Harrison in 1891, but he never touched the light switches himself, for fear of being electrocuted. At 5'6", 23rd President of the United States Benjamin "Little Ben" Harrison would have been easy to overlook if not for his career, presence, and oratorical skills, as stated on the White House website. President Benjamin Harrison and the First Lady would sometimes go to bed leaving all the White House lights on because they refused to touch the light switches. Shocking isn’t it! Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, came from a prominent Virginia family and was the grandson of U.S. President William Henry Harrison. Harrison worked as a lawyer until the Civil War broke out. In fact, the White House was on the verge of collapse during President Truman’s tenure. His Land Revision Act of 1891 led to the ability for the government to set aside land from development. President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn’t dare touch the switches. He joined the Union Army and fought under General Sherman in Atlanta for a time. President Benjamin Harrison, the first president with electricity in the White House, was skeptical about its use. 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