Day-by-Day / February 2, 1803

February 2, 1803

Harrison's nomination

Washington, DC Thomas Jefferson writes a list of various executive appointments addressed to the U.S. Senate. Most notably, he nominates William Henry Harrison to a second term as governor of the Illinois Territory.

William Henry Harrison (1840)

by Albert Gallatin Hoit (1809–1856)

Gentlemanly portrait of William Henry Harrison

Oil on canvas, 76.2 × 63.5cm (30 × 25in). National Portrait Gallery, public domain.

[2 February 1803]

Gentlemen of the Senate

I nominate . . . .

William Henry Harrison to be Governor of the Indiana territory from the 13th. day of May next, when his present commission as Governor will expire.

. . . . .

Th: Jefferson[1]Thomas Jefferson to the Senate, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-39-02-0376. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 39, 13 November … Continue reading

As the President’s Secretary, Meriwether Lewis, delivered Jefferson’s nominations to the Senate on 3 February.

In the 1790’s, William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) soldiered with William Clark in the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the decisive battle wresting control of the Northwest Territory from the British and their Indian allies. He was appointed governor of the Illinois territory in 1801 and served in that position until 1812. He also served as the governor of the District of Louisiana during its first year. Prior to becoming the 14th President—he had the shortest term on record—he treated with the Sauk and Foxes.

In a letter to Harrison penned from Fort Mandan on 2 April 1805, Clark mentioned a new species, “the ground prairie dog.” An excerpt of the letter was printed in the press, and the English name for Cynomys ludovicianus remains in common use to this day.[2]Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 1:229; Reuben Gold Thwaites, Original Journals … Continue reading

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Thomas Jefferson to the Senate, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-39-02-0376. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 39, 13 November 1802–3 March 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012, pp. 436–438] accessed 15 May 2022.
↑2 Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 1:229; Reuben Gold Thwaites, Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 7:314-16.

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

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Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).