1840 William Henry Harrison President Campaign Pamphlet German Ohio Whig Election Imprint
HISTORIC 1840 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON CAMPAIGN PAMPHLET
German-Language Ohio Whig Imprint – Eine Skizze des Lebens und der öffentlichen Dienste von William H. Harrison
Printed in Columbus, Ohio by J.S. Wiestling (1840) — 40 Pages Complete
Features the Official English Resolution Signed by Ohio Whig Leaders Alfred Kelley & Lyne Starling, Jr.
OVERVIEW & HISTORIC SIGNERS
Up for sale/sale is an extraordinarily rare and historically significant piece of 1840 presidential campaign ephemera. Published during the watershed "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" election, this 40-page German-language campaign biography was issued to court the rapidly growing German-American voting demographic in Ohio—representing one of the earliest documented instances of targeted foreign-language political micro-targeting in U.S. history.
What makes this specific copy exceptional is the inclusion of the final page: an official directive printed in English from the Harrison and Reform Central Committee of Ohio (dated May 18, 1840), signed by two of Ohio's most prominent founding figures:
Alfred Kelley, President: Known historically as the "Father of the Ohio & Erie Canal," Kelley was a powerhouse lawyer, state legislator, bank president, and the chief financial architect of early Ohio infrastructure. As president of the state Whig central committee, he directed the statewide strategy to mobilize voters for Harrison.
Lyne Starling, Jr., Secretary: Member of one of Columbus’s founding dynasties (nephew of Lyne Starling, key land proprietor of the state capital). Starling Jr. served as Clerk of Courts in Franklin County and worked alongside Kelley to build the Whig party’s grassroots distribution machinery.
The resolution explicitly commands county committees to distribute Wiestling’s German translation into every German-populated district in Ohio, officially transforming this biography into a documented piece of 1840 election architecture.
KEY HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
First Targeted Foreign-Language Presidential Campaign: A primary artifact documenting the moment American presidential politics first treated non-English speakers as a distinct, vital voting bloc.
Columbus Printing: Published by J.S. Wiestling, printer of the pro-Whig newspaper Ohio Staats-Zeitung und Volks-Advokat.
Defense of Military Record: Pages 28–37 contain real-time Whig damage control against Democratic campaign attacks, featuring transcribed 1840 testimonial letters from Harrison’s War of 1812 military aides (Chambers, Todd, O'Fallon, and Smith) defending his command at the Battle of the Thames and Tippecanoe.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Howes J20
Morgan 9435
Martin 61
CONDITION REPORT
Condition: Very Good (VG) for a fragile 1840 political pamphlet.
Pages: Complete 40 pages (including the title page and the final English Whig resolution page with signatures).
Text Block: Stitched binding remains intact. Clean, highly legible text throughout with light, age-appropriate toning/foxing expected of 1830s–1840s paper stock. Margins intact without loss to text.
Please review all high-resolution photos carefully to evaluate condition for your collection.
Combined shipping available
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