President Benjamin Harrison’s Emotional Farewell After the Burial of His Beloved Wife, Caroline Scott Harrison, Who Had Died at the White House

“We yearn to tarry with you, and to rest near the hallowed spot where your loving hands have laid our dead…May a gracious God keep and bless you all.”; Obtained directly from the Harrison descendants and never previously offered for sale

Caroline Scott attended the Oxford Female Institute, which was run by her parents. She mastered English literature, for which she developed a life-long love, drama, music, art and painting. She graduated in 1853 with a degree in music. She went on to teach music, home economics and painting; she loved painting, first watercolors and then china painting, and she painted for her entire life.

She met Benjamin Harrison in the 1840s; he was serious almost to the point of being solemn, while she was lighthearted, humorous and had a sparkling personality that charmed him and others she met. There was an attraction, and he sent her affectionate, moving letters. They were married on October 20, 1853. In 1854, their first child – Russell Benjamin Harrison – was born. In 1858, Caroline gave birth to a daughter, Mary Scott Harrison. While Benjamin Harrison practiced law and his star rose rapidly in his profession, Caroline cared for their children and was active in the First Presbyterian Church and Indianapolis orphans’ home. At the onset of the Civil War, both Harrisons sought to help in the war effort. Caroline joined Indianapolis groups that raised money for supplies to help care for wounded soldiers. In 1862, when Abraham Lincoln issued a call for more troops, Benjamin recruited a regiment of over 1,000 men from Indiana. When the regiment left to join the Union Army, Harrison was promoted to the rank of colonel, and his regiment was commissioned as the 70th Indiana Infantry. In May 1864, his regiment joined Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign; soon Harrison was promoted to command a brigade. Harrison’s brigade participated in the Battle of Nashville in December 1864, and on March 22, 1865, Harrison earned a promotion to the rank of brigadier general. During the war, his letters to Caroline were filled with a deep loving and even passionate tone.

The Harrison home on North Delaware Street in Indianapolis became a center of political activity in the 1870s and 1880s, as Benjamin made plans and acquaintances and sought office. His election to the U.S, Senate in 1880 brought the couple to Washington, DC. In 1888 Harrison was nominated for President by the Republican Party. In the campaign, Caroline was a definite asset. Her natural charm and open manner offset her husband’s chilly reserve, and the press loved her. In November 1888, Harrison defeated the incumbent Grover Cleveland.

Caroline Harrison was 56 years old when she became First Lady, and she was a great one. She became known for her many “firsts” as First Lady. An advocate of women’s rights, she was the first First Lady to deliver a speech she had written herself, after she became the first president of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Caroline raised the first Christmas tree in the White House, and had electricity installed. She also had John Phillip Sousa and the Marine Band play and, for the first time since Sarah Polk was First Lady, there was dancing in the White House. As did Jackie Kennedy almost a century later, she had the old building refurbished from basement to attic. She inventoried the contents of every room, and cataloged the mansion’s furniture, pictures and decorative objects, working to preserve those that had historical value. Caroline complained about the lack of privacy on the White House grounds, saying, “The White House is an office and a home combined. An evil combination.” She was the first to suggest the addition of office space to the Executive Mansion when she made up very detailed plans to add an East and a West Wing so that the original mansion could be used for entertaining and as the family’s living area.

In the winter of 1891-1892, while she tried to fulfill her social obligations, Caroline was frequently ill with bouts of bronchial infections. In March 1892 she developed catarrhal pneumonia, followed by hemorrhages of the lungs. Her doctors diagnosed her condition as tuberculosis, which at the time had no known cure or treatment. Benjamin was at Caroline’s bedside helping with the nursing care at every moment he could be, considering his obligations as President and that he was in the midst of a reelection campaign. She suffered a setback in September, and after a painful but uncomplaining struggle, she died on Tuesday, October 25, 1892, in the White House at the age of 60. A private family service took place in the East Room of the White House on the morning of October 27th. A wreath of white roses and orchids offered by President Harrison was placed on the face of the coffin. Vice President and Mrs. Morton’s offering stood at the corner of the casket reaching almost four feet high, cross shaped, and made of ivy sprinkled with white chrysanthemums. Queen Victoria also sent a wreath of white roses. The St. John’s Church choir sang “Abide with me” and Mrs. Harrison’s favorite song “Lead, Kindly Light.” The services lasted about forty minutes and the cortege proceeded to the Pennsylvania Railroad station. All members of the family, except the three grandchildren, accompanied the remains to Indianapolis. The train arrived around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning. It was 10:00 a.m. when the parties accompanying the coffin entered the awaiting carriages. The remains were taken directly to First Presbyterian Church, where a simple service was conducted. People lined the streets, and a line of Grand Army veterans formed on either side and assumed an “attention” position as the hearse and carriages passed. Former President Hayes, members of Harrison’s cabinet, General Lew Wallace, and state and local government officials were in attendance. After the service at the church the cortege proceeded to Crown Hill Cemetery passing the Harrison’s Delaware Street home along the way. Friends and neighbors in Indianapolis thronged the cemetery. The family and President Harrison departed on the train back to Washington in the afternoon. Before leaving, the President, unable to thank each person personally for his or her support, addressed a note to be published in the newspapers thanking “dear friends and neighbors” for their sympathy and love. This is that very note.

Typed document signed, Indianapolis, IN, October 27, 1892, being his emotional farewell statement after Caroline’s funeral. “My dear friends and neighbors, I cannot leave you without saying that the tender and gracious sympathy you have today shown for me and for my children, and much more, the touching evidences you have given of your love for the dear wife and mother, have deeply moved our hearts. We yearn to tarry with you, and to rest near the hallowed spot where your loving hands have laid our dead; but the little grandchildren watch in wondering silence for our return, and need our care, and some public business will not longer wait my sorrow. May a gracious God keep and bless you all. Most gratefully yours, Benjamin Harrison.” This treasure has remained with the Harrison descendants for well over a century until we acquired it from one of them this spring. It is filled with feeling and grief, and has never before been offered for sale.