He was the last member of the Whig Party to ever hold this position. A former U.S. representative from New York, Fillmore was elected the nation's 12th vice president in 1848, and succeeded to the presidency in July 1850 upon the death of President Zachary Taylor. A lively and informative new podcast for kids that the whole family will enjoy! Fillmore was the vice president at that time. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. When Fillmore took over the position, he replaced the entire cabinet. He took over the presidency when the incumbent president Zachary Taylor died from acute gastroenteritis.

Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States taking over the office when the incumbent president, Zachary Taylor, died due to stomach ailment, which is thought to be gastroenteritis. Fillmore, though personally opposed to slavery, supported the compromise as necessary to preserving the Union. He was the vice president under Zachary Taylor, and took over the office when Taylor died. Fillmore served in the military during the American Civil War and right through the war he opposed Abraham Lincoln. On February 13, 1874, Fillmore suffered a stroke, which was followed by a second stroke on February 26. Fillmore believed that Whig success at the polls heralded the rise of a truly national party that would occupy a middle ground between sectional extremists of both North and South. Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800 in a log cabin in Moravia, Cayuga County, which is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York City. Although this section of the compromise assuaged the South and had the effect of postponing the Civil War for 10 years, it also meant political death for Fillmore because of its extreme unpopularity in the North. Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States. He took over after the death of Zachary Taylor, who died of a stomach ailment. Fillmore was never elected president. Just before dying, he was fed some soup, after which he passed away. He served out Taylor's term, but did not get his party's nomination for re-election. Fillmore died in 1874 after suffering a stroke. Fillmore was an early champion of American commercial expansion in the Pacific, and in 1853 he sent a fleet of warships, under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, to Japan to force its shogunate government to alter its traditional isolationism and enter into trade and diplomatic relations with the United States. Millard Fillmore was born in extreme poverty in a log cabin on January 7, 1800, in Locke Township, New York. This was something that Taylor was anyway going to do as there cabinet was steeped in scandals.More... Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States taking over the office when the incumbent president, Zachary Taylor, died due to stomach ailment, which is thought to be gastroenteritis.More... Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States, holding office from 1850 until 1853.

He was admitted into the Bar in 1823, and started his own practice in 1825. When the Reconstruction Plan was instituted, he supported President Andrew Johnson. Mistakes That Millard Fillmore Made While He Was President. Mistakes That Millard Fillmore Made While He Was President. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
At the national Whig convention in 1848, Zachary Taylor, hero of the Mexican War (1846–48), was nominated for president and Fillmore for vice president, largely through Clay’s sponsorship. He also struggled to get an education. He received little formal education until he was 18, when he managed to obtain six consecutive months of schooling.

Fillmore was born in a log cabin to a poor family and was apprenticed to a wool carder at age 15. This outlook was embodied in Clay’s Compromise of 1850, which sought to appease both sides on the slavery issue. This article was most recently revised and updated by, presidency of the United States of America, vice president of the United States of America, Maps of World - Biography of Millard Fillmoret the 13th President of US, National Park Service - Biography of Millard Fillmore, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Millard Fillmore, The White House - Biography of Millard Fillmore, Millard Fillmore - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Millard Fillmore - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Charles Magill Conrad (from August 15, 1850), Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan (from August 15, 1850), Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (from September 16, 1850). At age 15, he was apprenticed to a cloth maker by his father to keep the family solvent. In 1834 he followed his political mentor, Thurlow Weed, to the Whigs and was soon recognized as an outstanding leader of the party’s Northern wing. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. At the age of 14, his father put him as an apprentice with a cloth maker. In 1858, some five years after the death of his wife Abigail, he married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Just before dying, he was fed some soup, after which he passed away. He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo where every year on January 7 a ceremony is held at his grave to honor and remember him. It was under him that Fillmore started studying law. He was the last member of the Whig Party to ever hold this position. He was the last Whig to hold this position. After he served out the rest of the term of Taylor, the Whigs did not nominate him for the next presidential election. Millard Fillmore, (born January 7, 1800, Locke township, New York, U.S.—died March 8, 1874, Buffalo, New York), 13th president of the United States (1850–53), whose insistence on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 alienated the North and led to the destruction of the Whig Party. Thereafter, he worked as a clerk for Judge Walter Wood in Montville, New York. Campaign banner for Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor and vice presidential running mate Millard Fillmore, 1848. Which U.S. president’s administration was marred by the Iran-Contra Affair? Fillmore has largely been remembered for his undecided stance on slavery and his failure to prevent growing sectional conflict from erupting into a full-blown civil war. Fillmore died on March 8, 1874 after suffering from a stroke. Nathaniel Fillmore Jr. Born April 19, 1771 Father Nathaniel Fillmore (1739-1814) (75 years) Mother Hepzibah Wood (1747-83) (36 years) Millard Fillmore, (born January 7, 1800, Locke township, New York, U.S.—died March 8, 1874, Buffalo, New York), 13th president of the United States (1850–53), whose insistence on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 alienated the North and led to the destruction of the Whig Party.
When the legislation was finally passed two months after Taylor’s death, the new President Fillmore felt obligated to respect the provision that required the federal government to aid in the capture and return of runaway slaves to their former owners (the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850), and he publicly announced that, if necessary, he would call upon the military to aid in the enforcement of this statute. He married his first wife, Abigail Powers (Abigail Fillmore), in 1826. - Mistakes that millard fillmore made while he was president. He died on March 8, 1874, at the age of 74. Fillmore then retired to Buffalo, where he became a leader in the city’s civic and cultural life. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.