Family Traditions
The quest for the nation’s highest offices often ran in families. In 1840, William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) was elected president. Forty-nine years later, his grandson Benjamin (1833–1901) wrested the White House from the incumbent, Grover Cleveland, by linking himself to his grandfather. When Cleveland returned triumphant in 1892, his vice president was Adlai Stevenson, Sr., (1835–1914), who ran on a ticket with presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) in 1900. Stevenson’s second try proved unsuccessful, as did the presidential race of his son Adlai, Jr., (1900–1965) against Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) in 1952.
<p>The quest for the nation’s highest offices often ran in families. In 1840, William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) was elected president. Forty-nine years later, his grandson Benjamin (1833–1901) wrested the White House from the incumbent, Grover Cleveland, by linking himself to his grandfather. When Cleveland returned triumphant in 1892, his vice president was Adlai Stevenson, Sr., (1835–1914), who ran on a ticket with presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) in 1900. Stevenson’s second try proved unsuccessful, as did the presidential race of his son Adlai, Jr., (1900–1965) against Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) in 1952.</p>