In recognition of Presidents’ Day, the City is taking a trip down memory lane. We are journeying back in time to August 7, 1883 when President Benjamin Harrison visited the Warren County Fairgrounds. At the time, he was serving as a US senator from Indiana, but would win the presidency in 1889.
The following excerpt was sourced from Historic Lebanon Ohio’s Facebook page. Click here to read the full article (posted on August 7, 2020).
Benjamin Harrison came to Lebanon, Ohio on August 7, 1883, while a US senator from Indiana. The occasion was a reunion of veterans of the Civil War from the 35th and 79th Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiments. They met at the Warren County Fairgrounds on North Broadway.
It was recorded that Harrison had a “peculiarity.” It seems he wore kid gloves during his speech. They were said to be quite noticeable while he was on the platform. Unknown to most at the time, he was prone to skin infection and often wore kid gloves to protect his hands. The Democrats defeated him for Governor of Indiana in 1876 by unfairly stigmatizing him as "Kid Gloves" Harrison.
Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio on the estate of his grandfather, President William Henry Harrison, on August 20, 1833. He was educated at nearby Miami University in Oxford, Ohio graduating in 1852. At Miami he had a tough time deciding whether to be a minister or lawyer.
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States, and can be considered the “meat” in the “Grover Cleveland Sandwich.” President Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president. In 1891, while Harrison was president, Thomas Edison installed electric lights in the White House.