Presidency of Benjamin Harrison

Presidency of Benjamin Harrison March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893
Cabinet	See list
Party	Republican
Election	1888
Seat	White House
← Grover Cleveland (1st) Grover Cleveland (2nd) →
Presidential coat of arms (1877–1913)

This article is part of a series about Benjamin Harrison
Early life Family Public image Bust Senator from Indiana Senate career 23rd President of the United States Presidency Inauguration Foreign policy Cabinet appointment Judicial appointment Treaty of Berlin (1889) First International Conference of American States Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) Sherman Silver Purchase Act Forest Reserve Act (1891) International Copyright Act New Orleans Lynchings Baltimore crisis Presidential campaigns 1888 convention election 1892 convention election Post-presidency Presidential Site Death
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Benjamin Harrison's term as the president of the United States lasted from March 4, 1889, until March 4, 1893. Harrison, a Republican, took office as the 23rd United States president after defeating Democratic incumbent President Grover Cleveland in the 1888 election. Four years later he was defeated for re-election by Cleveland in the 1892 presidential election.

Harrison and the Republican-controlled 51st United States Congress (derided by Democrats as the "Billion Dollar Congress") enacted the most ambitious domestic agenda of the late-nineteenth century. Hallmarks of his administration include the McKinley Tariff, which imposed historic protective trade rates, and the Sherman Antitrust Act, which empowered the federal government to investigate and prosecute trusts. Due in large part to surplus revenues from the tariffs, federal spending reached one billion dollars for the first time during his term. Harrison facilitated the creation of the National Forests through an amendment to the General Revision Act (1891), and substantially strengthened and modernized the United States Navy. He proposed, in vain, federal education funding as well as voting rights enforcement for African Americans in the South. Harrison's presidency saw the addition of six new states, more than any other president. In foreign affairs, Harrison vigorously promoted American exports, sought tariff reciprocity in Latin America, and worked to increase U.S. influence across the Pacific.