Easton Press Millard Fillmore books
Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President - Robert J. Rayback - 1988
President Millard Fillmore biography
Fillmore, Millard (1800-74), American statesman and thirteenth President of the United States, born in Locke, N.Y. After working on his parent's farm and as an apprentice to a fuller and clothier, he studied law in Buffalo and was admitted to the bar in 1823. As a candidate of the anti-Masonic Party, Fillmore was elected to the N.Y. State legislature in 1828. Two years later he began the practice of law in Buffalo, where he subsequently became a founder and the first president of the Buffalo Historical Society.In 1832, as a follower of Henry Clay and as an opponent of the politics of President Andrew Jackson, Millard Fillmore was elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1833 to 1835 and again as a Whig, from 1837 to 1843. During his last term he was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and was the author of the Tariff Act of 1842 which considerably lowered customs duties. In Congress he also opposed the admission of Texas to the Union as a slave State and advocated prohibition of interstate slave trade and proscription of slavery in the District of Columbia.In 1844 Millard Fillmore was the unsuccessful Whig candidate for governor of N.Y. State; three years later he was elected State comptroller. In 1848 the Whig Party nominated Fillmore as the running mate of Presidential candidate Zachary Taylor; the Whig ticket won and Fillmore was opposed to the strong antislavery measures of Northern Whig leaders in the Senate and to the stern measures projected by President Taylor to cope with secessionist threats and defiance of his authority emanating from Southern spokesman. Millard Fillmore thus found himself in an embarrassing position, from which he was extricated by the sudden death of President Taylor on July 9, 1850.
On the following day Millard Fillmore was sworn in as the thirteenth President of the United States; although his Cabinet was headed by Daniel Webster as secretary of state, Henry Clay, who was not in the cabinet, continued to exert great influence over President Fillmore. During Fillmore's administration the Second Fugitive Slave Law was enacted, alienating much Northern support from the Administration; the slave was prohibited in the District of Columbia; California was admitted as a Free State; and New Mexico was established as a Federal Territory. Two notable events in the realm of international relations took place in Fillmore's administration. One was the expression of United States policy by Secretary Webster in 1852, through a communication to the Austrian government known as the Hulsemann letter, affirming U.S. sympathy with democratic revolutions against foreign oppression. The other was the negotiation of a treaty with Japan in 1854, opening that country to foreign trade.Largely because of Northern antipathy Fillmore failed to win the Whig Party's nomination for President in 1852. Four years later he became the Presidential nominee of theKnow-Nothings of America Party and his candidacy was later supported by the Whigs. In the election however, Fillmore carried the electoral vote of only one State, Maryland. Thereafter he retired from public affairs.
Millard Fillmore - Biography of a President
Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, emerges from the shadows of history through the meticulous biography crafted by Robert J. Rayback. In Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President, Rayback delves into the life of a man often overlooked in the annals of American presidency, yet whose tenure marked a critical period in the nation's development. Rayback begins by tracing Fillmore's humble beginnings in the rural town of Locke, New York, where he was born on January 7, 1800. Despite facing early familial hardships and limited access to formal education, Fillmore displayed a keen intellect and a strong work ethic, which would shape his character and propel him into the political arena.
Fillmore's entry into politics was marked by his involvement in the Anti-Masonic Party, where he quickly rose through the ranks, serving in various local and state offices before gaining national prominence. It was during his tenure as a member of the Whig Party that Fillmore's political career reached its zenith. Rayback meticulously examines Fillmore's ascent to the presidency, highlighting his role as Zachary Taylor's Vice President and his subsequent accession to the highest office following Taylor's sudden death in 1850. As President, Fillmore navigated the turbulent waters of mid-19th century America, grappling with issues such as slavery, westward expansion, and the growing tensions between North and South.
Rayback's biography provides valuable insights into Fillmore's presidency, shedding light on his efforts to preserve the Union and maintain peace amidst the storm of sectional strife. From his support of the Compromise of 1850 to his controversial enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, Fillmore's decisions reflected his commitment to upholding the Constitution and averting the specter of civil war. However, Rayback does not shy away from critiquing Fillmore's presidency, acknowledging his shortcomings and failures, particularly his inability to prevent the deepening divisions that would eventually erupt into the Civil War. Yet, despite the mixed legacy that Fillmore left behind, Rayback's biography offers a nuanced portrait of a man who, in the face of immense challenges, strove to govern with integrity and pragmatism.
In Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President, Robert J. Rayback masterfully brings to life the complex figure of Millard Fillmore, providing readers with a comprehensive and insightful exploration of a pivotal era in American history through the lens of one of its lesser-known leaders.
Millard Fillmore quotes
"May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not."
"The man who can look upon a crisis without being willing to offer himself upon the altar of his country is not for public trust."
"Let us remember that revolutions do not always establish freedom. Our own free institutions were not the offspring of our Revolution. They existed before."
"The nourishment of confidence is diligence and honesty."
"The apparently aimless wanderings of the human mind may, in fact, be the indispensable conditions of the fertilization of ideas."
"The man who can look upon a crisis without being willing to offer himself upon the altar of his country is not for public trust."
"May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not."
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