A Bucks history professor published his fourth biography on a former American president and led a discussion for students and community members.

In the Newtown campus’ Orangery on Oct. 11, Hendrick Booraem V displayed his newest book and led a discussion on the life and untimely death of the ninth president of the United States William Henry Harrison.

In Booraem’s latest biography, “A Child of the Revolution,” the author looks at the first 25 years of Harrison by dissecting his early life with the trademark eye for detail and completes understanding that is common in Booraem’s work.

Booraem has made a career of studying lesser known American president’s early years and writing about the events and culture that shaped their later endeavors. To date, Booraem has published four biographies on Harrison, Calvin Coolidge, James A. Garfield, and Andrew Jackson.

“Presidents like Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy have had dozens of good biographers,” said Booraem on his website in regards to why he picks obscure presidents for his subject matter. “From the standpoint of finding new facts and putting together a more accurate history of a man’s early life, there’s much more to be gained by studying the ones other biographers have ignored.”

Although this book is Booraem’s fourth published work, it was actually the first biography he penned. In fact, the manuscript had been in his possession for 30 years before reaching publication.

Booraem chuckled when recalling working on his first biography with no grant, writing during his free time as a substitute teacher right out of college.

At the discussion, Booraem showcased the extensive knowledge of history, which is the subject that he teaches in his lectures every semester as a Bucks professor. His memory bank houses not only figures, dates and historical milestones but intricate details of the time period and the culture.

“Everything in a person’s life, down to food and clothing, has some influence on his development,” said Booraem on his passion for detailed historical reporting. “Besides, as someone said, ‘the past is a foreign country,’ more different than most readers are aware. It’s important to go into detail to make readers realize how different the American past was, and to do it in vivid detail so that they can share the subject’s experience.”

This message is reflected directly in Booraem’s classroom and in his writing.