13. Millard Fillmore

“His Accidency”

Video

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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

Millard Fillmore, American Candidate for President of the United States, woodcut proof by Baker & Godwin c.1856 (Image: Library of Congress)

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.

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© 2021 Periodic Presidents, PJ and Jamie Creek