Why did the Whigs present William Henry Harrison in a false image in 1840?

Answer 1

The Whigs wanted a candidate who might win the election. The competition was Martin Van Buren, who was Andrew Jackson's hand-picked successor. The Whig party had been formed mostly as an anti-Jackson party. They had become painfully aware of Jackson's appeal and saw Harrison as a Whig version of Jackson. Like Jackson, he was a hero of the War of 1812 as well as an Indiana fighter. Like Jackson, he had lived on the Western frontier and now lived in Ohio. (Unlike Jackson, he was from the old Virginia aristocracy. His father had signed the Declaration of Independence and been governor of Virginia, so the Whigs, to which most of the old establishment belonged, felt comfortable with Harrison. )

Answer 2

I think for the obvious reason that politicians sometimes distort the truth- they think it will help them win the election and do no great harm in the long run. Harrison really was an Indian fighter and he really had been lived in frontier Indiana. (No good reason to mention that he now lived in a mansion and that he was about as "blue-blood" as one can get in America, since his father has signed the Declaration of Independence and the first 6 president had all been guests at his home.)

Answer 3

He was a well known war hero, having won the Battle of Tippecanoe.