Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States

Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800, in Locke Township, New York. He was the son of an impoverished farming family. He attended a small school in New Hope, and later, became a lawyer. He obtained a clerkship under a local judge, and four years later, was admitted to the New York Bar.

Millard Fillmore

Fillmore grew up in poverty in New York and eventually went on to study law. His education was minimal, but he rose from poverty to become a prominent lawyer and politician in Buffalo. He initially belonged to the Anti-Masonic Party, but later switched to the Whig Party. He was elected to the New York State legislature as a representative in 1832 and became the state’s comptroller. In 1848, he was elected to be Zachary Taylor’s vice president.

Fillmore served as President from 1850 to 1853. He was the last President who was not affiliated with either major party. He rose from poverty to wealth and exemplified the American dream. Born in Locke township, New York, Millard Fillmore was elected vice president in 1848 and became president after Zachary Taylor’s death. During his time in office, the Compromise of 1850 ended the Civil War, and opened Japan to trade.

A Whig from New York, Fillmore opposed slavery and signed the Fugitive Slave Law. He tried to use the Compromise to unify Whigs but was ultimately unsuccessful in this effort. As a result, antislavery Whigs refused to support his candidacy for President in 1852.

Fillmore’s political career paved the way for the two-party system. The Whigs were not cohesive enough to protect the rights of the slaves, and the Know-Nothings and Anti-Masonics were too extreme. Fillmore, however, was able to work out a compromise that allowed him to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, which he supported.

Fillmore came from a humble background in a poor, rural New York community. His father arranged for him to attend law school in Montville. He studied under Judge Walter Wood. After graduating, he gained a clerkship with a Buffalo law firm. In 1823, he joined the New York state bar. Fillmore then settled in East Aurora, New York, and built a home.

During his time as vice president, Fillmore leaned toward compromise legislation. While President Taylor strongly opposed slavery, Fillmore supported a compromise bill that favored slavery. He also supported Henry Clay’s omnibus bill, which paved the way for the Compromise in 1850. This law, later renamed the Fugitive Slave Act, a federal law that made it illegal to support the slavery trade in free territories.

Fillmore’s first run for president failed, and he subsequently joined the Know-Nothing Party. This party was anti-Catholic and anti-Slavery. However, he never sought public office again, instead choosing to be a civic leader in Buffalo. In 1858, he married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh. His wife died five years later.

Fillmore joined Senator Stephen Douglas and Henry Clay in supporting the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise addressed slavery in newly-acquired territories, as well as the border of Texas and Mexico. It also included the admission of California as a free state. Additionally, it gave the free states of Arizona and New Mexico the right to determine the extent of slavery in their territories. Furthermore, Fillmore also put federal officers at the disposal of slaveholders.

Fillmore’s second term was unsuccessful, largely due to the divisions in American politics at the time. His support for the Fugitive Slave Act and refusal to back the Cuba expedition angered the northern Whigs, and the southern Whigs rebuffed him. In 1856, Fillmore ran as a third-party candidate, winning eight electoral votes.