Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States of America. He served part of one term (1850-1853) after President Zachary Taylor died while in office.
Nickname: The American Louis Philippe
Quote: “God knows that I detest slavery, but it is an existing evil, for which we are not responsible, and we must endure it.” “Where is the true-hearted American whose cheek does not tingle with shame to see our highest and most courted foreign missions filled by men of foreign birth to the exclusion of the native-born?”
I read “Millard Fillmore” by Paul Finkelman.
- was born on January 7th, 1800 to Nathaniel and Phoebe Fillmore in New York
- Millard was his mother’s maiden name
- grew up in relative poverty
- was apprenticed for four years as a wool carder and cloth dresser
- met his wife, Abigail, at school in 1819 – she was a teacher
- was apprenticed to a county judge, Walter Wood for two years, before Fillmore took a freelance job representing someone and was let go
- announced his engagement at age 18 to Abigail, who was 20
- was admitted to the bar (to practice law) at age 23
- was very focused on outward appearances and wanted to to have a popular public image, he felt inferior b/c of his background
- was open about being anti-mason, anti-Catholic, anti-abolitionist, and anti-immigrant
- married Abigail in February 1826
- Abigail Fillmore was the only First Lady before the twentieth century to work outside the home after her marriage
- Fillmore was a great believer in conspiracy theories of all sorts
- in 1828, he was elected to the New York state legislature and served three consecutive terms
- was considered a protegé of Daniel Webster
- was elected chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in 1840
- ran for the Whig nomination for Vice President in 1844, but lost to Henry Clay
- then ran for governor of New York and lost to Silas Wright
- was nominated and elected as state comptroller of New York and closed his law office
- pushed for a federal program to improve river and harbor development
- was elected Chancellor of the University of Buffalo
- for most of the time he was Vice President under Zachary Taylor, he lived alone at the Willard Hotel, his wife remaining in Buffalo
- tended to have direct opposite views from President Taylor on the big issues such as statehood for California, the spread of slavery to the west, and the expansion of Texas
- was snubbed when President Taylor took Fillmore’s hated political rival, William Henry Seward, to be his closest confidant and adviser
- openly stated on one occasion that he would vote against the President’s wishes if there was a chance for him to be the tie-breaking vote on a bill
- allied himself with Daniel Webster and Henry Clay
- supported the Compromise of 1850, which allowed over 400,000 square miles of territory in the west to be declared as slavery-allowing territory
- was sworn in as President on July 10, 1850, after the death of President Taylor
- fired every single one of Taylor’s cabinet the day he took office, mainly out of spite – and was the only “accidental” President to do so
- had trouble finding men to replace the ones he fired because of his party (Whigs) and because of his petulant attitude
- gave Texas the right to define their own territorial boundaries and invade New Mexico, even if Congress said otherwise and he himself declared otherwise
- firmly supported the Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed southern slave owners to travel up North to re-claim their runaway slaves (and sometimes free African Americans as well)
- established a mint in San Francisco to stimulate the economy and aid those who found gold in getting it circulating in the economy
- was the first President to propose a trans-continental railroad
- he and his wife started the White House library
- sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry on a mission to Japan to begin foreign relations with them – previously, all westerners were considered criminals when they landed in Japan
- protected Hawaii from being annexed by Napoleon
- failed to stop a man named Lopez from recruiting an army and trying to invade and conquer Cuba; Lopez was killed by the Spanish in Cuba, most of his expedition’s party members were executed or captured and sent to Spain, he then ransomed them and brought them home
- amended the Fugitive Slave – barring African Americans from defending themselves at their own hearing/trial
- became infuriated with Chicago and Boston when their city councils nullified the Fugitive Slave Act
- authorized the use of Federal troops to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act (the Marines)
- blamed the disharmony that came from the FSA on other politicians and the public in the North who refused to enforce it
- was more concerned about his home state’s local politicians undermining him than he was about his own stand alienating him from the entire country
- was only the fourth “Northern” President elected (Adams, Adams, and Van Buren) all the rest were from the South
- was the first solidly middle-class President
- instructed for the formation of the Washington Territory (it was part of the Oregon Territory previously)
- after an African American man escaped while being tried under the FSA, the next trial of a black man under the Act was tried in a courthouse surrounded by nearly 500 special deputies and and ringed with anchor chain so that no one could mob it
- personally demanded prosecution of four white people and 36 African Americans who participated in a riot that resulted in the escape of a fugitive slave, they were all charged with treason, by his request, in the largest treason trial in the history of the US
- despite the fact that he and Daniel Webster were cronies, they blocked each other from receiving the Whig nomination for the Presidency in 1852 just by running against each other and refusing to back down or communicate; this was especially ridiculous considering Webster was part of Fillmore’s cabinet and it was frowned upon for a current cabinet member to challenge a current President with their own campaign
- his wife, Abigail, died on March 30, 1853 – less than a month after Fillmore left office – supposedly from a cold she caught attending Franklin Pierce’s inauguration
- in 1854, Fillmore’s daughter, Mary Abigail, died
- when he visited Queen Victoria of England, she reportedly thought him “the handsomest man she had ever met”
- despite his deep dislike for Catholics, he agreed to meet the Pope in 1855 (as long as he didn’t have to kneel or kiss the Pope’s ring)
- after the downfall of the Whig party, Fillmore joined the American Party (or Know-Nothing Party) which was strongly anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant; he ran as their Presidential nominee in 1856
- when he lost the election, he returned to Buffalo and married Caroline Carmichael, a wealthy widow
- organized a home guard of elderly men in Buffalo during the Civil War and raised $25,000 to aid wounded soldiers
- after giving a speech denouncing the War and President Lincoln, he was regarded by his neighbors as a “Copperhead”, someone who lived in the North but sympathized with the Confederacy
- founded the Buffalo Historical Society
- died on March 8, 1874 of a stroke, and was buried in Buffalo
<— Zachary Taylor Franklin Pierce —>
Post title taken from Jonathan Coulton’s song “The Presidents”
Zachary Taylor:
He was the 12th President of the United States of America and served part of one term – from 1849 until his death in 1850.
Nickname: Old Rough and Ready
Quote: “The idea that I should become President seems to me too visionary to require a serious answer. It has never entered my head, nor is it likely to enter the head of any sane person.”
I read the book “Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old West” by K. Jack Bauer. Yes, Jack Bauer.
- born on November 24, 1784 on his father’s cousin’s plantation in Virginia – the plantation was named Montebello
- grew up on a 400 acre farm outside Louisville, KY
- did terrible in his first school years
- was commissioned into the army on May 3, 1808
- his older brother was killed fighting Native Americans
- he married Margaret Mackall Smith on June 21, 1810; she was from Maryland
- he worked as a part-time land surveyor
- served in the military under W.H. Harrison, but he missed the battle of Tippecanoe
- successfully led 40 men, only 16 of them healthy, to repel 450 Native American warriors from attacking Fort Harrison; the only building lost was their blockhouse
- refused a military position in New York and returned to Louisville to farm
- then rejoined the military in 1816
- was head of a regiment who built a road from Tennessee to Louisiana
- his 2 youngest daughters died in 1820 from a fever
- he owned several Louisiana plantations
- in 1828, his family moved to Fort Snelling, Minnesota
- his daughter, Sarah Knox, married Jefferson Davis without her father’s consent. She died three months later.
- when he was the commanding officer, any man needing punishment would receive a “wooling” – grabbed by both ears and being shaken
- was given the responsibility of driving the Seminoles out of Florida, where he was given the nickname “Old Rough and Ready” because of his willingness to stay alongside his troops in the same conditions
- he came up with the “squares” program – a fighting tactic used in the Mexican War, in the Philippines and Vietnam
- was a semi-successful real estate investor
- was a big supporter of soil conservation and crop rotation
- put in command of the army asked to hold the line against a Mexican invasion across the Rio Grande
- he offered Mexican separatist forces aid in making an independent North Mexican Republic (obviously, that didn’t work out)
- gained control of the northern bank of the Rio Grande river for the United States as the national boundary
- while in a standoff with Mexican forces, the Mexican troops would send their women to bathe naked in the river and then use sharpshooters to try and take out any American forces who tried to join the women
- the leader of the Mexican forces offered sanctuary, and a homestead of 320 acres of land to any American troops who would desert
- after taking the Mexican town of Matamoros, Taylor made a point to treat the enemy wounded and spent several hundred dollars from his own pocket to provide supplies for that purpose
- was promoted to Major General by President Polk on May 30, 1846
- left Mexico in October 1847
- when approached by the Whig party for candidacy for their Presidential nomination, he had never voted
- was staunchly supported by Abraham Lincoln
- began suffering from rheumatism in 1848
- was reluctant to take the Whig nomination because he wanted to be a President “independent of party”
- didn’t do any campaign canvassing because he didn’t care if he won or not, he was also still on active military duty
- his youngest daughter married William Bliss in 1848 – he was called “Perfect Bliss” by the Taylor family
- the 1848 election was the first election in which the entire nation went to the polls on the same day – November 7
- a cholera outbreak in New York and New Orleans began in December of 1848 and lasted through the next August; over 5,000 people died in New York
- one of the first days of national Thanksgiving and prayer was declared by Taylor for August 3, 1849
- Taylor was struck with dysentery during a tour of the country, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion
- he attended the laying the cornerstone of the Washington monument in 1850
- threatened any states who seceded from the Union with a trade embargo, and blockaded harbors
- had the editor of a major newspaper fired when he refused to print an article attacking Taylor’s nemesis, Henry Clay
- contracted some digestive infection on July 5, 1850
- predicted his own death by saying on July 7th “in two days I shall be a dead man.”
- died soon after 10:30 pm on July 9th, 1850
- Fillmore declared six months of official mourning in government offices in response to the President’s death
- Taylor was not buried until November 1st, since his wife requested his body be buried in the family cemetery outside Louisville
- one of the few early presidents to die a rich man (over $3 million when adjusted to 1980′s inflation – the time this book was written)
- his papers and personal items of value were stored at one of his plantations until it was sacked during the Civil War in 1863. Very little has been recovered.
<— James Polk Millard Fillmore –>
Post title taken from Jonathan Coulton’s Song “The Presidents”.
This is the book that should have received all the frenzied attention that Twilight has gotten. The vampires in it are terrifying, obviously unhuman – not sparkly and swoony. Constantine is written alien-like (and rightly so). Sunshine herself is strong, interesting and sufficiently sarcastic to make this book well-balanced. Sometimes you’re frightened for her, other times, she’s making you laugh with her inner monologue. McKinley does a fantastic job of communicating to us that the relationship between Sunshine and Constantine is an anomaly, the world they live in is very dangerous and there are creatures on both sides who would see them used for their own means. Throughout the entire story, I was desperately hoping for an ending that was somewhat resolved (unlike McKinley’s Pegasus books) and was pretty convinced I wasn’t going to get one.
I’d love to see more books set in this universe. I know McKinley has stated she’s done with Sunshine and Constantine’s story, but I sincerely hope there are more stories to be offered up out of this rich world of magic, vampires, weres, and a section of the police force dedicated to the protection of humanity against Others.
Also, a recipe book? Because I really want to know what Bitter Chocolate Death and those famous cinnamon rolls taste like. The entire book had my mouth watering whenever I read a section set in Charlie’s or as Sunshine was baking.
“Sunshine” was written by Robin McKinley and published in 2004.
My husband recommended this book for me, and generally I trust his recommendations. And this book was certainly fabulous for most of my reading experience. I very much enjoyed the world Stackpole created for us to immerse ourselves in – the masks were an interesting and enriching part of the story. But I felt like I couldn’t really get close to any of the characters. I wanted to, but they felt formal and distant. Tarrant a little less than the others, obviously.
My biggest problem with this book was the ending. Stackpole led us into this fantastic geographical area, set up the bones for an amazing plot, and then had the main character lose consciousness. Then, the author gilded over what could have been a chance for great character and plot development and simply ended the book. Maybe this was because this book is meant to be a prequel to another series, but it was completely frustrating to myself as a reader and soured my desire to read the next book in the series.
“The Dark Glory War” is a prequel to the DragonCrown War Cycle and was written by Michael Stackpole. It was published in 2000.
“The boy had been crouched so long that his legs had fallen asleep beneath him – but he dared not move now. For here, in a small clearing in the frostbitten forest, were the creatures he had waited so long to see. The creatures he’d been sent to kill. He bit down on his lip to keep his teeth from chattering, and aimed his father’s flintlock rifle exactly as he’d been taught. The body, he remembered, The body, not the neck. Quietly, carefully he pulled the hammer back and pointed the barrel at his target, a large male who’d fallen behind the others. Decades later, the boy would recall what happened next.”
This is the newest (or at least when I read it, it was) in the popular strain of horror mashups that have been coming out the last few years. This isn’t so much a mash-up as it is a fictional retelling of the story of President Abraham Lincoln. The general flow of his life (leaving his father on terrible terms, being handy with an axe, working on a riverboat up and down the Mississippi) is the same, but with the introduction of vampires. His mother was killed by one and since his early childhood, Lincoln has sworn to hunt and kill vampires wherever he finds them. He’s aided in his mission by a friendly but unorthodox vampire who will send him names of blood drinkers that need to be slain for the good of the country. Along the road to the Presidency, Lincoln comes to have a personal interest in eradicating slavery from the land of the United States – vampires are using it to gain power in the political machine of the US government.
This book is fantastic. Not only is it written by the same author as “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” so it has a quirky sense of humor, but he weaves the story of President Lincoln into a story including himself as the author. It helps you to keep in mind that this story is a fiction – which may be hard to do because it is so well written. It follows the journals of Lincoln as they have been kept by a society for the preservation of the truth about what really happened in the Civil War and the years preceding it as it pertained to vampires. Also, Grahame-Smith has included helpful “historically accurate” photographs of points during Lincoln’s life which prove the existence of vampires.
While not necessarily a good biography on Lincoln to read for a school project, it most certainly is interesting and entertaining. I’m not going to count this as my presidential bio for Lincoln, but I wouldn’t mind owning this book just for the sake of owning a great book. If you like vampire books (without the glitter and the romance) and you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book as a good read. And I’m anticipating reading whatever Grahame-Smith puts on the shelves next.
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” was written by Seth Grahame-Smith and published in 2010.
