Famous People Who Died In 1841

The ninth president of the US, William Henry Harrison died 31 days into his presidential term, becoming the shortest-serving US president ever. His demise caused a brief constitutional crisis pertaining to the succession to the presidency. Subsequently, Vice President John Tyler became the new president, setting an important precedent in terms of transfer of the presidency in such situations.

One of the most significant Russian romantic authors of the Golden Age of Russian Poetry, Mikhail Lermontov is remembered for his iconic novel A Hero of Our Time. His initial poems, such as Prisoner of the Caucasus, were highly Byronic. His writings laid the foundation for the Russian psychological novel.

Part of the Scottish royal Bruce family, Thomas Bruce, became the 7th Earl of Elgin at age 5. He later joined the army and became a Lieutenant General. A classical art lover, he later became famous for his collection of Greek marble sculptures, mainly acquired from the Parthenon in Athens.

An explorer at heart, Alexander Burnes joined the East India Company army at 16. Proficient in languages such as Hindi and Urdu, he later explored places such as the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan, and penned the autobiography Travels into Bokhara. He also earned the knighthood for his explorations.

Swiss botanist Augustin Pyrame de Candolle excelled in literature and poetry in school but later focused on botany. He is remembered for establishing scientific standards and classification for plant genera. Known for his Théorie élémentaire de la botanique, he later lent his name to several plant species and genera.

Japanese painter and scholar Watanabe Kazan, a statesman member of the samurai class, is best-remembered for creating character-revealing portraits and for forming a distinct style incorporating elements of Japanese and European art. His two private essays, which were critical of the stringent anti-foreigner policy of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, led to his exile, house arrest and eventual ritual suicide (seppuku).

Catholic nun Catherine McAuley is best remembered as the founder of the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Orphaned as a child, she was raised by Protestant foster parents and later built The House of Mercy, catering to orphans and homeless women, with her inheritance. Her congregation focuses on education of the poor.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian painter, city planner, and architect. One of the most important architects of Germany, Schinkel designed both neogothic and neoclassical buildings. Apart from designing buildings, Karl Friedrich Schinkel also designed stage sets and furniture.

Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz is remembered as the first author from Poland to have studied English literature minutely and also translated the works of various English authors, such as John Dryden and John Milton. His 3-volume Jan of Tęczyn brought the genre of the historical novel to Poland.

Francis Leggatt Chantrey was an English sculptor who produced several statues and busts of notable figures during the Regency era. One of the most popular portrait sculptors of his time, Chantrey's best-remembered works include the statues of King George III, King George IV, and George Washington. Chantrey has displayed his works at prestigious exhibitions, such as the Royal Academy.

With one year of formal schooling, George Green was entirely self-taught until the age of forty, when he entered Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. By then, he had published his first book, propagating what are now known as Green’s theorem and Green’s functions. A fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, he also established Green's identities, Green's law, and Green's matrix.

Tyrone Power was a patriarch of one of the most well-known Irish acting families and the great-grandfather of romantic matinee idol Tyrone Power III. He ran away to take up acting at age 14 and later popularized the stage Irishman stock character with his performance as Looney Mactwolter in The Wag of Windsor.

Roman Catholic philosopher Franz Xaver von Baader followed in his doctor father’s footsteps to study medicine initially but soon switched to mining engineering. He later deviated permanently to politics and religion. Rejecting Western philosophy, he propagated the Scholastic school and penned his thoughts in journals and short essays, using mystical symbols.

Born to a poet, literati painter and poet Tani Bunchō was initially trained in the Kanō school of art. After learning the Hoku-ga, Nan-ga, and Yamato-e traditions, he established the Nanboku gōitsu school of art, stressing on Western principles. His works mostly consisted of landscapes and portraits.

The daughter of renowned Genevan scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Albertine Necker de Saussure conducted experiments and maintained journals in her childhood. Following her marriage to a university lecturer, she remained a strong supporter of women’s education and even penned notes for her husband’s lectures. She is remembered for her iconic work l'Education Progressive.