The Shortest Presidency Lasted Only 32 Days

William Henry Harrison wanted to prove he was tough. Despite a cold, rainy Inauguration Day in 1841, the 68-year-old delivered the longest inaugural address in history, a two-hour marathon without a coat or hat. He caught a cold that turned into pneumonia. Exactly one month later, Harrison became the first president to die in office. His 32-day presidency remains the shortest in American history, and his death sparked the first constitutional crisis over presidential succession.