The President Who Won The Election By Rolling Balls Around The Country
Victory balls were a publicity stunt employed by the campaign of ninth U.S. President William Henry Harrison to give potential voters something to talk about
The presidency of ninth President William Henry Harrison is best known for being the shortest ever — as he died just 31 days into his tenure. In addition to that unique distinction, he stands out in another way, given one of the unusual ways in which he campaigned in order to get elected. This was his use of victory balls; huge spheres emblazoned with slogans that were manually rolled from community to community to help get the word out to voters, and spawned the widespread use of what is now a popular modern phrase.
Born in 1773 in Virginia, Harrison was from a wealthy family with political influence. As he grew up, he went into the family business, holding down a distinguished military career and serving in a variety of political offices, including serving as Indiana’s first Governor; a term each in the senate and Congress as a representative of Ohio; a diplomat; and finally President.
Harrison, a Whig, first ran for President in 1836 in opposition to Martin Van Buren. He was narrowly defeated, and despite…
