The
United States presidential election of 1840 was the 14th quadrennial
presidential election, held from Friday, October 30, to Wednesday, December 2, 1840. It saw
President Martin Van Buren fight for re-election during a time of great economic depression against a
Whig Party unified for the first time behind a single candidate: war hero
William Henry Harrison. Under these circumstances, the Whigs easily defeated Van Buren.