(In Pics) The Victims of the Curse of Tippecanoe

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Beware the curse of Tippecanoe! Or at least, be aware, as it is extremely unlikely to apply to you, unless you have been President of the United States and (as of the time of writing) are actually Joe Biden. Let me explain.

William Henry Harrison made his name and reputation as a soldier. As a general of the United States forces during what was known as Tecumseh’s War between the US soldiers and Native Americans, Harrison led a successful defeat of the tribes at the Battle of Tippecanoe.

It was said that the defeated Native Americans cursed Harrison that day, a curse wrought by Tenskwatawa, the religious leader of the defeated Shawnee tribe. 30 years later the curse manifested, only 11 months after Harrison, who had risen far, was sworn in a President.

Harrison would not survive his Presidency, and it seemed that every President who, like him, was elected on a year ending in a “0” was also cursed to die before their term was up. Here are the Presidents who fell victim to the curse of Tippecanoe.

1. William Henry Harrison

Harrison was elected in 1840 and died 11 months later: apparently worn down by constant campaigning he had caught a chill after walking in a rainstorm. Harrison developed pneumonia, dying a week later. Although his death seemed natural, only later would observers realize the curse had started (N Currier / *Public Domain*)

2. Abraham Lincoln

US Presidents are elected to a term of 4 years which means that a President will be elected in a year ending in “0” once every twenty years. The winner of the 1860 election, twenty years after Harrison, was Abraham Lincoln. Elected into the thick of the US Civil War, *Lincoln* *would be famously* *assassinated* *five years later, as the curse once again ensured he would not serve his full term (Gibson & Co /* *Public Domain*)

3. James Garfield

Twenty years later and the 1880 Presidential election winner is another Republican, James Garfield. The curse strikes the new President once again after only a year in office as Garfield is shot in a train station by a Republican speechwriter looking for a job. *Garfield* *might even have survived the shooting, but the ill-advised treatment of the ailing President by his doctors meant that he died after two months (A. Berghaus and C. Upham /* *Public Domain*)

4. William McKinley

Another twenty years, another Republican President killed by the curse. William McKinley was the unfortunate man who won the 1900 Presidential election, only to be assassinated six months into his second term as President shortly afterwards. McKinley was short by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz, part of a rest of violent protest. Another protestor, Gavrilo Princip, would fire another important bullet a decade later, sparking the *First World War* *(Achille Beltrame /* *Public Domain*)

5. Warren G Harding

The winner of the 1920 Presidential election was Warren G Harding. Another Republican, he was an extremely popular sitting President, and although he was involved in finance scandals and an affair nothing seemed to stick. However in 1923 the curse struck again and the *President* *collapsed in July 1923, dying after a short illness (Margaret Lindsay Williams /* *Public Domain*)

6. Franklin D Roosevelt

The 1940 President election was won by the first Democrat on this list, and FDR had an unusual Presidency for a few other reasons. For a start, the 1940 election saw Roosevelt elected for a third term, something never seen in US politics before or since. He would not escape the curse however, leading the US through the *Second World War* *only to die in April 1945 of a cerebral hemorrhage brough on by exhaustion (Harris & Ewing /* *Public Domain*)

7. John F Kennedy

*The 1960 Presidential election, one of the closest in history, was won by* *John F Kennedy. Promising a new start for America and a fairer country, he brought dynamism and hope to the nation. He also authorized extra-military operations against communist* *Cuba, something which apparently led a lone gunman with communist sympathies to shoot him in Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd 1963 (Walt Cisco /* *Public Domain*)

8. The Curse Broken?

And that is the curse: seven Presidents in a row who were elected in a year ending in “0” would go on to die in office before their term was up. However, those who are concerned for Joe Biden (who won the 2020 election, after all) should note that Kennedy was the last to fall to the curse.

In fact, two other Presidents have won elections in years ending in “0” since Kennedy but have gone on to serve their full terms. Both Reagan in 1980 and George W Bush in 2000 won and survived their terms, and the latter is still alive today.

Has the curse been broken?

Top Image: Kennedy in his Presidential motorcade on November 22nd 1963, the last victim of the Curse of Tippecanoe. Source: Victor Hugo King / Public Domain.

By Joseph Green

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Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More