Curse of Tippecanoe

William Henry Harrison, nicknamed Old Tippecanoe, died just a month after taking office in 1841. His death is the first attributed to the Curse of Tippecanoe.

The Curse of Tippecanoe (also known as Tecumseh's Curse, the 20-year Curse[1] or the Zero Curse[2]) is an urban legend[3] about the deaths in office of presidents of the United States who were elected in years divisible by 20. According to the legend, Tenskwatawa, leader of Native American tribes defeated in 1811 at the Battle of Tippecanoe by a military expedition led by William Henry Harrison, had cursed the "Great White Fathers".

Since 1840, eight presidents have died in office. Seven of them were elected in years divisible by 20: William Henry Harrison (1840), Abraham Lincoln (1860), James A. Garfield (1880), William McKinley (1900), Warren G. Harding (1920), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1940) and John F. Kennedy (1960). Two former presidents elected in applicable years, Ronald Reagan in 1980 and George W. Bush in 2000, did not die in office.

  1. ^ Purdy, Mike (August 17, 2011). "The End of the 20 Year Curse". Mike Purdy's Presidential History. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ZeroCurse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pohl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).