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William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States. He was born in 1773 into a wealthy plantation-owning family. He studied classics and history at college and then began studying medicine in 1791. In that same year, Harrison switched interests and joined the First Infantry of the Regular Army. He headed to the Northwest, where he spent much of his life.
威廉·亨利·哈里森是美國第9任總統。他于1773年出生在種植者貴族家庭。大學期間，他學習了古典文學和歷史。1791年，他開始學醫。同年，哈里森又將興趣轉向軍隊，加入了正規軍第一步兵營。后來，他前往西北，并在那里度過了一生中的大部分時光。
Harrison resigned from the army in 1798 to become Secretary of the Northwest Territory. He used his contacts in the east to get elected to Congress. In 1801 he became Governor of the Indiana Territory, serving 12 years. His prime task as governor was to take over Native American lands. His victory in the Battle of the Thames against Native Americans and the British in 1813 made him a national hero.
1798年，哈里森辭去了軍中職務，擔任起西北地區部長。他利用東部關系，當選為國會議員。1801年，他成為了印第安納州州長，任職12年。作為印第安納州州長，他的首要任務是接管印第安人的土地。1813年，哈里森擊退前來進犯的印第安人和英國人，取得了泰晤士河戰役的勝利，并成為了美國的民族英雄。
Thereafter Harrison returned to civilian life. The Whigs, in need of a national hero, nominated him for President in 1840. He won by a majority of less than 150,000, but swept the Electoral College, 234 to 60. He arrived in Washington in February 1841 and gave the longest Inaugural Address in American history. It took him nearly two hours to read.
自此以后，哈里森過回了自己的平民生活。1840年，急需一位民族英雄的輝格黨人將哈里森提名為美國總統。哈里森以不足15萬的多數票通過了美國總統候選人的選舉，并最終以234票對60票的表決結果震驚選舉人團。1841年2月，他來到華盛頓就職，他的就職演說持續了將近兩個鐘頭，成了美國歷史上最長的總統就職演說。
1841年4月4日，哈里森因患肺炎逝世。哈里森上任僅30天，他的執政時間比美國歷史上任何一位總統還要短。他是美國歷史上第一個在任內逝世的總統，且屬于英國統治下的最后一代人（也就是說，他出生在《獨立宣言》頒布之前）。同時，哈里森也是第一位照過相的美國總統。后來，他的孫子當選為美國第23任總統，他們成了美國歷史上唯一一對祖孫倆都擔任過總統的總統。
譯文屬可可英語原創，未經允許，不得轉載。
