“His Accidency”
Presidential Basics
- Full name: Millard Fillmore
- Years in office: 1850-1853
- Political party: Whig (during Presidency); Know-Nothing Party (from 1854)
- Vice president: None (following Taylor’s death)
- Age at inauguration: 50
- Nicknames: “His Accidency,” “The American Louis Philippe”
Random Trivia
- Know-Nothings: Fillmore joined the Know-Nothing party for the 1856 election.
Birth & Death
- Birthday: January 7, 1800
- Birthplace: Locke, New York
- Death date: March 8, 1874
- Place of death: Buffalo, New York
- Place of burial: Forest Lawn Cemetery – Buffalo, New York
- Last words: “The nourishment is palatable.”
Family
- Father: Nathaniel Fillmore (1771–1863); Farmer
- Mother: Phoebe Millard Fillmore (1781–1831)
- First wife: Abigail Powers (1798–1853)
- First marriage: February 5, 1826 in New York
- Second wife: Caroline Carmichael McIntosh (1813–1881)
- Second marriage: February 10, 1858 in New York
- Kids (from first wife): Two
- Millard Powers (1828–1889)
- Mary Abigail (1832–1854)
- Home: East Aurora, New York
Other Facts
- Height: 5’9″
- Eye color: Blue
- Ancestry: English
- Religion: Unitarian
- Born in a log cabin: Yes
- Owned enslaved people: No
- Freemason: No
Education
- Early education: Public schools
- College degree: No
- Studied law in Cayuga County and Buffalo, New York
Career
- Military Service: Yes
- Lawyer: Yes
- Lawyer (1823–)
- New York Assembly (1828–1831)
- U.S. House of Representatives (1833–1835, 1837–1845)
- Chancellor of University of Buffalo (1846–1847)
- Comptroller of New York State (1847)
- Served in the New York Militia during the Mexican War (1847–1848)
- Vice President Taylor administration (1849–1850)
- Thirteenth president (1850–1853)
- Chancellor of the University of Buffalo
Writings
- Millard Fillmore Papers
Elections
- Millard Fillmore was never elected to the presidency.
Spotlight Event
Campaign Poster
This is a woodcut proof from the 1856 election. After leaving the White House in 1853, Millard Fillmore ran again for president as the nominee for the newly-formed Know-Nothing Party. Fillmore won 22% of the popular vote, but just one state. The election went to James Buchanan.
Links
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