Millard Fillmore
In the middle of the 19th century, the Whigs dominated American politics. However, their run of good fortune was to come to an end with the presidency of Millard Fillmore. One of the country’s lesser-known leaders, he ultimately failed to even win the support of his own party. That said, however, though his term in office was brief, Fillmore has been credited with making a few bold moves and even with changing the course of US history for the better.
Unlike many Presidents, Fillmore was not born into a political family. Instead, he was born in 1800 into poverty. His parents scraped a living as tenant farmers in New York State, though, through hard work and determination, young Millard made it through law school. Before long, he was making a name for himself in the Buffalo area and, in 1828, he was elected to the New York Assembly. Just four years later, he was in the House of Representatives, where he tied his flag to the Whig Party mast.
By 1848, Fillmore’s star had risen sufficiently high for him to receive the Vice Presidential nomination as the running mate for Zachary Taylor. The two men were far from political perfect matches – in fact, Taylor hardly ever spoke to his number two – but they won the election and Fillmore was sworn into the second-highest office in the land in March 1849. Just 15 months later, history came knocking. President Taylor died suddenly, Fillmore stepped into the top job.
According to most accounts, Fillmore’s presidency lacked a consistent vision, and the man himself certainly lacked leadership. Though he opposed slavery on a moral level, he didn’t see it as the government’s place to interfere here. Moreover, in choosing to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, he has been judged to have been on the wrong side of history. In the end, he only served half a term; though he wanted to run again, his Whig colleagues refused to back him. He returned to his native Buffalo and dedicated himself to civic matters. He died in March 1874.