A Spare Hat - William Henry Harrison Decided to Wear

It was the morning of March 4, 1841 and William Henry Harrison was getting dressed to deliver his 18,000 word Inagural Adress. So it was a surprise to him when the new President was told that it was a cold, rainy day.

The Hero of Tippecanoe replied that the Americans needed a strong face.

The person who told him it was cold glared at the war hero and insisted he at least wear a hat.

Recognising the person right when he looked out his window, he donned his hat, but he insisted that he ride on horseback. The person just sighed, and walked out, muttering rudely.

Harrison got onto his horse and set about with his inagural address outlining the policies of the Whigs and a repudiation of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.

After attending many inagural balls, the President arrived at the White House and went to bed.

The following day, he found Henry Clay with an appointment, giving him suggestions for Cabinet positions aggressively.

William Henry Harrison was not a war hero for nothing and he sternly glared down Henry Clay. "Mr. Clay, you forget that I am the President, not yourself."

Later, Clay's rival, Daniel Webster, and Harrison's Secretary of State, gave his supporters some highly coveted patronnage positions. The rivalry of Webster and Clay would continue throughout Harrison's Presidency and beyond. Harrison eventually agreed to put Clay's protege, John J. Crittenden, in the position of Postmaster General.

Harrison noted by April that he'd been a bit slower. On April 4th, however, he complained of stomach pains and went to see his doctor. John Tyler, his Vice-President, escorted the President there.

It was there that the doctor discovered that Harrison was ill - and on the 5th, his condition worsened. His condition continued to worsen - and multiple treatments were used, such as opium, castor oil, leeches, and Virginia snakeweed - however they did little but worsen his condition.

Morning on April 20th John Tyler walked into the President's room at the doctor's. Harrison seemed at death's knell. Tyler sat down and Harrison looked to the left of Tyler and stated: "Carry out the principles of government..." With another breath, Harrison fell asleep, faintly breathing.

John Tyler blinked a few times and felt the old war hero's pulse. It was there, if faint. Tyler got the doctor in a flurried panic and the doctor said, "Well, Mr. Tyler, it seems that until the President recovers - if he recovers - you are the Acting President." Tyler immediately set out for the White House and called an emergency session of Congress. Henry Clay was in a foul mood.

"Exactly why did you call an emergency of session, Tyler?"

Tyler responded evenly: "President Harrison is a coma. I'm Acting President."

"Well, I'll be a son of a gun..." Clay muttered. "Well? Get about your business! You're the President, for heaven's sake! There's laws to be written, a National Bank to be established, and a Jackson to repudiate! Hurry up!"

Tyler left the session in a foul mood.

Such started a Constitutional Crisis.

In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President.

It was wondered that, had the powers of Vice-President devolved upon Tyler, or was he merely acting. Despite Harrison's faint life, Clay insisted that Harrison "was as good as dead" and that Tyler, as Vice-President, it was Tyler's duty to "carry out the Whig policies Harrison promised."

Despite this Tyler said that, as Harrison was not dead, he was not President. This debate continued for nearly a year until during 1842 it was reported by the doctor attending to Harrison that the President was dead.

So apparently Tyler was now president. But Clay had become fed up and said that emergency elections would be held in this case of Constitutional crisis. Tyler was not amused, but after being pressed by the cabinet, he announced to a very shocked public that emergency elections were taking place that August for the people to choose a president. Afterwards, Tyler submitted himself as a candidate for the Whig Party, which surprised Henry Clay. Daniel Webster heartily approved of it. The Democratic Party was only able to muster up the former President, Martin Van Buren. Tyler was elected in a landslide. Henry Clay was still spluttering in surprise. And new elections were to be held in only two years.

Tyler, having constitutionally became President, instilled Daniel Webster as Vice-President.

Clay however orchestrated in 1843 the mass resignation of all of Tyler's Cabinet members. One by one, his Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, Attorney General, and Postmaster General walked in and handed in forms of their resignation. Tyler was furious and appointed new members of the Cabinet.

Letters addressed to "Vice-President" Tyler or "Acting President" Tyler were returned unopened. The Bank and tariff legislation Tyler had vetoed caused the Whig House of Representatives to attempt to impeach Tyler. The attempt failed.

The election of 1844 had arrived and the major issue of the campaign was the annexation of the Republic of Texas.
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List of Presidents:
George Washington, 1789-1799
John Adams, 1797-1801
Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
James Madison, 1809-1817
James Monroe, 1817-1825
John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829
Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837
Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841
William Henry Harrison, 1841-1842*
John Tyler, 1842-**

*Technically, in April 1842, John Tyler assumed the powers of the Presidency after an intense debate.
**John Tyler was only constitutional ratified as President due to an emergency election held in 1842.
 
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It was wondered that, had the powers of Vice-President devolved upon Tyler, or was he merely acting. Despite Harrison's faint life, Clay insisted that Harrison "was as good as dead" and that Tyler, as Vice-President, it was Tyler's duty to "carry out the Whig policies Harrison promised."

Despite this Tyler said that, as Harrison was not dead, he was not President. This debate continued for nearly a year until during 1842 it was reported by the doctor attending to Harrison that the President was dead.
Why is Tyler so reluctant to take the office of President at this point? The passage of the Constitution that you quote mentions death and inability in exactly the same way, and Tyler had no qualms AFAIK in declaring himself full President when Harrison died.
Afterwards, Tyler submitted himself as a candidate for the Whig Party, which surprised Henry Clay. Daniel Webster heartily approved of it. The Democratic Party was only able to muster up the former President, Martin Van Buren. Tyler was elected in a landslide.
A special election makes sense, but surely Tyler can't get that much Whig support simply out of spite for Clay.
Henry Clay was still spluttering in surprise. And new elections were to be held in only two years.
I'm surprised that they didn't hold an election for a full term, offsetting the Presidential election cycle from OTL's.
Tyler, having constitutionally became President, instilled Daniel Webster as Vice-President.
By this you must mean "Tyler was elected President and Webster was elected Vice-President." The President has no authority to appoint a Vice-President until the 25th amendment passes.
Letters addressed to "Vice-President" Tyler or "Acting President" Tyler were returned unopened. The Bank and tariff legislation Tyler had vetoed caused the Whig House of Representatives to attempt to impeach Tyler. The attempt failed.
1) Who's sending these letters?
2) The Whigs really should have known what they were getting when they elected him...
 
Part Two - The Election of 1844

Tyler maintained that, once he was elected President, he was President, despite outcry all over that Tyler was a fraud because Harrison died. Tyler said that, as he was elected constitutionally, he was President. If only for the fact that the best candidate the Democrats could muster was Martin Van Buren, and the recession had lowered his reputation a great amount.

The only thing Tyler managed to push through the Whig Congress was the Act for Presidential Replacement; which stated that in the case of the President dieing, the Vice-President would become Acting President; an emergency election would be held; and whoever was elected during such an election would serve out the rest of the previous President's term until the new election.

Tyler's Presidency left Henry Clay in a foul mood all through out and this loosened his support. The effects of that were shown at the Whig Convention, where the candidates were Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Millard Fillmore, and John Tyler.

The first ballot showed Clay with the most support, but not enough of a majority. The issue of Texas came up and the ballots quickly became a bitter battle between Tyler (annex Texas) and Clay (don't annex Texas). As the Whig support for Clay had died down, on the second ballot John Tyler had a near majority. Webster withdrew. The third ballot showed that the votes for Fillmore had increased, as he had taken a neutral stance. The fifth ballot showed more votes for Fillmore. The sixth ballot showed most of the votes for Fillmore shifted towards Tyler, who wanted to annex Texas, and the votes for Tyler shifted to Clay. By the twelfth ballot, Clay had barely managed to win a majority.

Theodore Frelinghuysen became the Vice-Presidential candidate.

Tyler's Presidency also left the Democratic Party in a foul mood. The ballot for President had several candidates: Martin Van Buren, Lewis Cass, Richard M. Johnson, James Buchanan, and John C. Calhoun. Van Buren showed strong opposition towards the annexation of Texas. The convention re-established the rules that a 2/3 majority must be achieved by a candidate before they become the Party's Presidential Candidate (ironically, this same rules was used to ensure Van Buren achieved the Vice-Presidency years before). It was clear however that with this move Van Buren's candidacy was weakened as too many of the delegates opposed him. Lewis Cass became front-runner on the second ballot, however many of his enemies flocked to Van Buren, who became front-runner again on the third ballot. It was obvious then that a compromise candidate was needed as the ballots following flocked from Van Buren to Cass.

On the eight ballot for Presidential nomination the name James K. Polk came up. On the very ballot, Polk won the nomination. His original Vice-President was to be the ballot winner, Silas Wright, but the man refused. George Mifflin Dallas accepted the nomination.

The Whigs played on Polk's obscurity. "Who is James. K. Polk?" They asked. The Whigs took a very strong anti-Texas position. Unfortunately, the public very much supported the annexation of Texas, and that want shifted to the Electoral Vote, which came out as such: Polk won nearly every state except Kentucky. Clay managed to get Kentucky, Ohio, and Vermont.

Polk was President.
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List of Presidents:
George Washington, 1789-1799
John Adams, 1797-1801
Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
James Madison, 1809-1817
James Monroe, 1817-1825
John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829
Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837
Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841
William Henry Harrison, 1841-1842*
John Tyler, 1842-1845**
James K. Polk, 1845-

*Technically, in April 1842, John Tyler assumed the powers of the Presidency after an intense debate.
**John Tyler was only constitutional ratified as President due to an emergency election held in 1842.
 
James K. Polk, First Term

James Knox Polk was a strong advocate of expansion. During his campaign, he said that he would push for expansion, or as it was now being called, Manifest Destiny. Polk sent an ambassador to Britain over the Oregon dispute. It would take nearly a year before a deal was worked out.

While political wrangling over Oregon happened, Polk turned his attention to Texas. Mexico threatened war if the annexation went through. Polk sent an Ambassador with the firm stance that Texas had already been annexed and to purchase California and New Mexico for around $20-30 million. The ambassador, John Sidell, soon returned, saying that the Mexican government had rebuffed him. Polk thought of this treatment as an insult and an 'ample cause for war'. General Zachary Taylor crossed the Rio Grande River and occupied Matamaros, and a blockade preventing ships from entering Matamaros was also instued. A few days before Polk was going to make his proposal, he received word that Mexican forces killed seventeen soldiers. Polk made this his casus belli and told Congress that Mexico had invaded American territory and spilled the blood of their soldiers. Several Whigs challenged this, but the Democratic Congress overwhelmingly voted for the declaration of war

America was at war with Mexico. Polk selected top generals and they came up with a plan to beat the Mexicans. The combined armies of Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, John Fremont, Stephen Kearny, and several other generals were to go to war with Mexico. Polk meanwhile entered secret talks with Santa Anna, who said that, should he be given safe passage into Mexico, he would try to convince the leaders there to sell California and Texas to the U.S. Santa Anna was given safe passage, but upon his arrival, Santa Anna went back on the deal, declaring himself President. During a battle, Santa Anna was killed. Barely six months after war was declared, war was won.

Polk sent diplomat Nicholas Trist to Mexico. It took many weeks, but Trist, after much wrangling, managed to get Texas, California, and New Mexico. After even more wrangling and a near-shooting, Trist also got a portion of Chihuahua, a bit of Sonora, and Baja California. The Treaty of Guadelope Hidago was ratified by President Polk, despite Democratic demands for all of Mexico. Surprisingly, the Whigs did a complete 360 of their stance and ratified the Treaty. The Treaty was signed; the war was ended; and the United States was bigger. The territories of Trist, Kearny, and Scott were under U.S.

During Polk's presidency, the states of Wisconsin, Texas, and Iowa were admitted to the U.S. The part of Sonora and Chihuahua that was admitted became the state of Sarowhua in 1847. Polk accomplished most of his campaign promises in the first two years of his term, so the remaining two years were markedly relaxed.

With that in mind, Polk decided he would run again in 1848.
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List of Presidents:
George Washington, 1789-1799
John Adams, 1797-1801
Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
James Madison, 1809-1817
James Monroe, 1817-1825
John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829
Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837
Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841
William Henry Harrison, 1841-1842*
John Tyler, 1842-1845**
James K. Polk, 1845-

*Technically, in April 1842, John Tyler assumed the powers of the Presidency after an intense debate.
**John Tyler was only constitutional ratified as President due to an emergency election held in 1842.
 
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