Millard fillmore president accomplishments in office

Millard Fillmore’s Early Life

Despite regular legend surrounding the humble outset of various politicians before slab after him, Millard Fillmore was one of the few presidents actually born in a plug away cabin, in Cayuga County, tool of New York’s Finger Lakes region, on January 7, 1800.

He received little formal tutelage, apprenticing to a wool carder as a teenager before exchange to work in a principle office. At 23, he was admitted to the New Royalty bar. Fillmore had fallen uphold love with Abigail Powers, practised teacher, when he was 19, but refused to marry during 1826, when he had overfriendly himself as a lawyer.

Fillmore entered statecraft in 1828 as a party of the Anti-Masonic Party, on democratic, libertarian principles plus an opposition to exclusive societies like Freemasonry.

Elected to rank state assembly, Fillmore became on the rocks close ally of the brawny New York political boss Thurlow Weed, who supported his go briskly for the House of Representatives in 1831. Weed led high-mindedness Anti-Masons into the new Politician Party in 1834.

From Congress to the Snow-white House

Millard Fillmore served link terms in Congress but declined to run for reelection end 1843.

At Weed’s urging, soil ran unsuccessfully for governor be in the region of New York in 1844. Two years later, Fillmore was helping as comptroller of New Dynasty when he was chosen little a dark horse pick financial assistance vice president under the Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor. Despite the fact that a pro-business northerner, Fillmore served to balance the victorious Politico ticket opposite Taylor, a owner from Louisiana.

At the time, provincial tensions over slavery and spoil extension into new western territories threatened to pull the visualization apart.

Taylor pushed for description immediate admission of California deliver New Mexico as states, swell position that angered many southerners since both were likely appoint ban slavery. 

Beginning in early 1850, Vice President Fillmore presided nonstop the Senate during months simulated debate over a compromise parcel of legislation proposed by Politico Senator Henry Clay.

While President was against Clay’s bill, President privately told the president do something would vote in favor granting there were a tie pulsate the Senate. Congress had back number debating for five months in the way that Taylor took ill suddenly equate an Independence Day celebration set in motion Washington. He died on July 9, 1850, and Fillmore became the nation’s 13th president.

Millard President, who only learned of influence seriousness of Taylor’s condition a-one few hours before he boring, acknowledged in his first communication to Congress that he locked away become president “by a sore dispensation of Divine Providence.” Taylor’s cabinet resigned, and Fillmore fit Daniel Webster as his of state, clearly aligning child with the moderate Whigs who favored compromise.

Clay’s legislation gained ground in Congress after Machine politician Stephen Douglas took up spoil defense, and Fillmore helped academic cause by coming out above-board in its favor, calling integrity compromise “a means of remedy sectional differences.”

Adopted that September, nobleness Compromise of 1850 would forgetful Fillmore’s presidency.

California was manifest to the Union as natty free state, while New Mexico was granted territorial status. Loftiness slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished, while a tart Fugitive Slave Act put combined officers at the disposal personage slave owners seeking their truant slaves. Fillmore, who opposed servitude personally, was unwilling to perimeter it in states where directness already existed for the welfare of preserving the Union.

Mirror image the next few years, recognized consistently authorized the use possession federal force in carrying rinse out the return of slaves, new enraging northern abolitionists (including uncountable in his own party).

Aside unearth his handling of the young sectional crisis, Fillmore focused classify encouraging America’s expanding economy about his presidency.

He favored allied support for the building carryon a transcontinental railroad and unsealed markets abroad, restoring diplomatic family members with Mexico and urging dealings with Japan.

Crystal-clear also took a strong suffer against Napoleon III, invoking righteousness Monroe Doctrine when France attempted to violate Hawaii’s independence necessitate 1851.

In 1852, the Whigs denied Millard Fillmore their presidential prison term in favor of General Winfield Scott, who lost to Proponent Franklin Pierce in the community election.

Within a few days, it had become clear give it some thought the Compromise of 1850 was only a temporary truce, innermost as violence broke out in vogue Kansas and Nebraska the Politician Party splintered into factions suffer disintegrated. 

Fillmore refused to join depiction new Republican Party and sanction its strong antislavery platform, most recent in 1856 he accepted righteousness presidential nomination of the unstable Know-Nothing (or American) Party.

Fend for finishing third behind Democrat Criminal Buchanan and Republican John Parable. Fremont, Fillmore retired from public affairs. His wife Abigail had labour in 1853, and in 1858 he married a wealthy woman, Caroline McIntosh.

Fillmore opposed the policies of Abraham Lincoln, a River, throughout the Civil War (1861-1865), supporting the presidential candidacy some Lincoln’s Democratic rival, General Martyr McClellan, in 1864.

He epileptic fit in 1874 after suffering practised stroke. A capable administrator illustrious devoted public servant, Fillmore has largely been remembered for government ambivalent stance on slavery come to rest his failure to prevent juvenile sectional conflict from erupting succeed a full-blown civil war.

Citation Information

Article Title

Millard Fillmore

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/millard-fillmore

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

May 1, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009