Much like his presidential grandfather William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison did not owe his White House nomination of 1888 to lustrous performances in lesser political offices. Rather, he was a safe, clean, and loyal Republican. That, along with his kinship with a former President, seemed to be quite enough to earn him his party's endorsement.

Known as the "iceberg," Harrison was unusually detached from the normal hurly-burly of politics, and in domestic matters, his presidential style was essentially passive. As a result, he took little part in shaping the major congressional measures of his administration, including the landmark Sherman Antitrust Act. In foreign policy, however, Harrison exercised more influence, and his enthusiasm for a stronger American posture in the international arena foreshadowed this country's emergence as a world power after 1900. This drawing of Harrison is thought to be a preliminary sketch for a large formal portrait by Eastman Johnson, which hangs today in the White House.

Eastman Johnson (1824-1906)
Charcoal and chalk on paper, circa 1895
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
NPG.68.4

Enlarged image