
Why did Millard Fillmore not run for President?
Millard Fillmore remained loyal to Henry Clay heading into the Whig nominating convention, but the presidency would elude Clay yet again. Southern proslavery forces in the party mistrusted his compromise policies. Meanwhile, the recent Mexican War had made heroes of two generals, Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.
Who was the running mate of William Fillmore?
The Know Nothing convention chose Andrew Jackson Donelson of Kentucky to be Fillmore's running mate, the nephew by marriage and once a ward of President Jackson.
What happened to Millard Fillmore in the 1852 election?
In 1852, the Whigs denied Millard Fillmore their presidential nomination in favor of General Winfield Scott, who lost to Democrat Franklin Pierce in the general election.
What did Millard Fillmore do as vice president?
Four years later, Fillmore was serving as comptroller of New York when he was chosen as a dark horse pick for vice president under the Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor. As a pro-business northerner, Fillmore served to balance the victorious Whig ticket opposite Taylor, a slaveholder from Louisiana.

Who did Millard Fillmore defeat?
As a result, he lost the 1852 presidential nomination to General Winfield Scott. In 1856, he accepted the nomination for president from the National-American Party (also known as the Know-Nothing Party.) While he was handily defeated, Fillmore captured more than 20% of the popular vote and won the state of Maryland.
Who won the election of 1848?
The 1848 United States presidential election was the 16th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1848. In the aftermath of the Mexican–American War, General Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party defeated Senator Lewis Cass of the Democratic Party.
Who was Millard Fillmore opponents?
He was a rival for the state party leadership with the editor Thurlow Weed and Weed's protégé, William H. Seward. Throughout his career, Fillmore declared slavery an evil but that it was beyond the powers of the federal government.
What happened during Fillmore's presidency?
On September 18, 1850, President Millard Fillmore signed into law the Fugitive Slave Act, which enacted strict provisions for returning runaway slaves to their owners.
Who were the candidates of 1848?
Presidential Election of 1848: A Resource GuidePolitical PartyPresidential NomineeElectoral CollegeWhigZachary Taylor163DemocraticLewis Cass127Free SoilMartin Van Buren0
Who was elected President in 1849?
Zachary Taylor, a general and national hero in the United States Army from the time of the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812, was elected the 12th U.S. President, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850.
Who won the presidential election of 1852?
The 1852 United States presidential election was the 17th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1852. Democrat Franklin Pierce, a former senator from New Hampshire, defeated Whig nominee General Winfield Scott.
Who won the election in 1856?
The 1856 United States presidential election was the 18th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1856. In a three-way election, Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican nominee John C. Frémont and Know Nothing nominee and former President Millard Fillmore.
Has a third party candidate ever won the U.S. presidency?
In the 59 presidential elections since 1788, third party or independent candidates have won at least 5.0% of the vote or garnered electoral votes 12 times (21%); this does not count George Washington, who was elected as an independent in 1788–1789 and 1792, but who largely supported Federalist policies and was ...
Did the Fillmore support slavery?
Though Fillmore personally opposed slavery, he saw the Compromise as necessary to preserving the Union and enforced its strong Fugitive Slave Act during his presidency. This stance alienated Fillmore from voters in the North, and in 1852 he failed to gain the Whig nomination.
Why was Fillmore only President for 3 years?
Fillmore was the second president to succeed to the office without being elected to it, after John Tyler. He was the last Whig president. His presidency ended after losing the Whig nomination at the 1852 Whig National Convention. Fillmore was succeeded by Democrat Franklin Pierce.
Why was Fillmore a good President?
But his accomplishments, while not great, were nonetheless substantial. In addition to the fine legislative engineering that passed the compromise, Fillmore also conducted a disciplined, principled foreign policy. He handled flash points in Cuba, Hawaii, Eastern Europe, and Central America very well.
Who won the election of 1848 quizlet?
Terms in this set (21) Tell about the Presidential Candidates of the 1848 election. It was won by Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party he ran against former President Martin Van Buren of the Free Soil Party and Lewis Cass of the Democratic Party.
What were the results of the 1948 election?
Defying these predictions, Truman won the election with 303 electoral votes to Dewey's 189. Truman also won 49.6% of the popular vote compared to Dewey's 45.1%, while the third party candidacies of Thurmond and Wallace each won less than 3% of the popular vote, with Thurmond carrying four southern states.
Who could vote in France in 1848?
The 1848 general election held on 23 and 24 April 1848 elected the Constituent Assembly of the new Republic. Over 9 million French citizens were eligible to vote in the first French election since 1792 held under male universal suffrage.
Who won the election of 1844?
On November 5, 1844, Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig Party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United States. The American Presidency Project Web site presents election results from the 1844 presidential election.
When did Fillmore and Weed meet?
All pretense at friendship between Fillmore and Weed vanished in November 1849 when they happened to meet in New York City and exchanged accusations. From a Peter F. Rothermel engraving: Vice President Fillmore (upper right) presides over the Compromise debates as Henry Clay takes the floor of the Old Senate Chamber.
What did Fillmore support in the 1850 compromise?
Fillmore, unlike Taylor, supported Henry Clay 's Omnibus Bill, which was the basis of the 1850 Compromise. Upon becoming president in July 1850, Fillmore dismissed Taylor's cabinet and pushed Congress to pass the compromise. The Fugitive Slave Act, expediting the return of escaped slaves to those who claimed ownership, was a controversial part of the compromise. Fillmore felt duty-bound to enforce it despite its damage to the popularity of both him and the Whig Party, which was torn between its Northern and Southern factions. In foreign policy, Fillmore supported U.S. Navy expeditions to open trade in Japan, opposed French designs on Hawaii, and was embarrassed by Narciso López 's filibuster expeditions to Cuba. Fillmore sought the Whig nomination to a full term in 1852 but was passed over by the Whigs in favor of Winfield Scott .
Where did Nathaniel Fillmore and Phoebe Millard live?
Nathaniel Fillmore and Phoebe Millard moved from Vermont in 1799 and sought better opportunities than were available on Nathaniel's stony farm, but the title to their Cayuga County land proved defective, and the Fillmore family moved to nearby Sempronius, where they leased land as tenant farmers, and Nathaniel occasionally taught school. The historian Tyler Anbinder described Fillmore's childhood as "one of hard work, frequent privation, and virtually no formal schooling."
Where was Millard Fillmore born?
Early life and career. Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800, in a log cabin, on a farm in what is now Moravia, Cayuga County, in the Finger Lakes region of New York . His parents were Phoebe Millard and Nathaniel Fillmore, and he was the second of eight children and the oldest son.
What did Dorothea Dix write to Fillmore?
In August 1850, the social reformer Dorothea Dix wrote to Fillmore to urge support of her proposal in Congress for land grants to finance asylums for the impoverished mentally ill. Though her proposal did not pass, both became friends, met in person, and continued to correspond well after Fillmore's presidency.
How many votes did Buchanan get?
On election day, Buchanan won with 1,836,072 votes (45.3%) and 174 electoral votes to Frémont's 1,342,345 votes (33.1%) and 114 electoral votes. Fillmore and Donelson finished third by winning 873,053 votes (21.6%) and carrying the state of Maryland and its eight electoral votes.
When was Fillmore sworn in as Vice President?
Further information: Compromise of 1850. Fillmore in 1849 . Fillmore was sworn in as vice president on March 5, 1849, in the Senate Chamber. Since March 4 (which was then Inauguration Day) fell on a Sunday, the swearing-in was postponed to the following day.
When did Fillmore join the political party?
Use this in-depth quiz to make every day Presidents’ Day by testing your knowledge of U.S. presidents and first ladies. Fillmore entered politics in 1828 as a member of the democratic and libertarian Anti-Masonic Movement and Anti-Masonic Party.
Who was Fillmore married to?
In 1858, some five years after the death of his wife Abigail, he married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.
How old was Fillmore when he was apprenticed to a wool carder?
Fillmore was born in a log cabin to a poor family and was apprenticed to a wool carder at age 15. He received little formal education until he was 18, when he managed to obtain six consecutive months of schooling.
Who was the Whig candidate for president in 1848?
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. Campaign banner for Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor and vice presidential running mate Millard Fillmore, 1848.
Who was the Whig who ran on the Know Nothing ticket?
United States presidential election of 1856. Whig and former president Millard Fillmore, who ran on the Know-Nothing ticket, garnered only 8 electoral votes.…. Abigail Fillmore. …lady (1850–53), the wife of Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the United States.…. Fugitive Slave Acts.
Who was the Whig candidate in 1852?
In 1852 Fillmore was one of three presidential candidates of a divided Whig Party in its last national election, which it lost. He ran again in 1856 as the candidate of the Know-Nothing party (also known as the American Party), finishing third behind Democrat James Buchanan and Republican John C. Frémont.
Who was Thurlow Weed's mentor?
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. Following three terms in the New York state assembly (1829–32), he was elected to Congress (1833–35, 1837–43), where he became a devoted follower of Senator Henry Clay.
What party did Fillmore join?
As the Whig Party disintegrated in the 1850’s, Fillmore refused to join the Republican Party; but, instead, in 1856 accepted the nomination for President of the Know Nothing, or American, Party. Throughout the Civil War he opposed President Lincoln and during Reconstruction supported President Johnson. He died in 1874.
What did Millard Fillmore demonstrate?
In his rise from a log cabin to wealth and the White House, Millard Fillmore demonstrated that through methodical industry and some competence an uninspiring man could make the American dream come true. Born in the Finger Lakes country of New York in 1800, Fillmore as a youth endured the privations of frontier life.
Why did the Northern Whigs refuse to forgive Fillmore?
Some of the more militant northern Whigs remained irreconcilable, refusing to forgive Fillmore for having signed the Fugitive Slave Act. They helped deprive him of the Presidential nomination in 1852.
When did Millard Fillmore die?
He died in 1874. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Michael Beschloss and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2009 by the White House Historical Association. Learn more about Millard Fillmore’s spouse, Abigail Powers Fillmore.
Who presided over the Senate during the months of nerve-wracking debates over the Compromise of 1850?
Fillmore presided over the Senate during the months of nerve-wracking debates over the Compromise of 1850. He made no public comment on the merits of the compromise proposals, but a few days before President Taylor’s death, he intimated to him that if there should be a tie vote on Henry Clay’s bill, he would vote in favor of it.
Who was the secretary of state for the compromise?
Taylor’s Cabinet resigned and President Fillmore at once appointed Daniel Webster to be Secretary of State, thus proclaiming his alliance with the moderate Whigs who favored the Compromise.
Who was Millard Fillmore loyal to?
Millard Fillmore remained loyal to Henry Clay heading into the Whig nominating convention, but the presidency would elude Clay yet again. Southern proslavery forces in the party mistrusted his compromise policies. Meanwhile, the recent Mexican War had made heroes of two generals, Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Both were courted by the Whigs.
Why did the abolitionists dislike Fillmore?
Fillmore was disliked by abolitionists for enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law. Webster was aged and unwell. Southern Whigs disliked Scott, who had served as President Jackson's personal emissary in 1832 when Jackson threatened to use federal troops in South Carolina in a tariff and secession dispute.
What did Fillmore do at the Fourth of July?
At a Fourth of July celebration in 1850 on the White House lawn, the President sought relief from the oppressive heat and humidity by gulping iced beverages and a large bowl of cherries.
What party opposed slavery expansion?
Both major parties—the Whigs and the Democrats —avoided a platform statement on the contentious slavery-extension issue in order to preserve their national unity. But the issue hung over the campaign like a great, low cloud. The United States had made massive territorial gains in the wake of the Mexican War, and an argument raged over whether slavery should be allowed in these new territories. The Wilmot Proviso, which would have forbidden it, had been defeated in the Senate two years earlier. A third party added to the turbulence. A coalition of abolitionists, "Barn Burners," Conscience Whigs, and others had formed the Free-Soil Party led by former President Martin Van Buren.
What was Taylor's nickname?
Their nicknames spoke of the contrast in their styles: Taylor, an unsophisticated man of little education who had never voted, was called "Old Rough and Ready"; Scott, refined and pompous, "Old Fuss and Feathers.".
Who led the Whigs in the early voting?
The Whigs opened their convention in Baltimore in mid-June of 1852. Fillmore led in the early balloting. Webster's cause was quickly seen as hopeless, and if he had given the President his delegates, Fillmore would have ended the argument quickly.
Who was the illiterate frontier colonel in the Whigs?
Daniel Webster was offered the spot but refused, growling that Taylor was nothing but "an illiterate frontier colonel.". A New York ally of Millard Fillmore's brought up his name, and the Whigs selected him as their candidate.
What party did Millard Fillmore belong to?
As the Whig Party disintegrated, Millard Fillmore refused to join the emerging Republican Party. Instead, he ran for the presidency as a member of the American Party, which was affiliated with the Know-Nothing movement. Officially retired from politics, he criticized President James Buchanan for not taking immediate action when South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, but opposed President Lincoln's unconditional policies toward the South during the Civil War. He later supported President Andrew Johnson's more conciliatory approach during Reconstruction.
What did Millard Fillmore do?
In 1819, Millard Fillmore got a job as a clerk with a local judge, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1823. Fillmore joined the Anti-Masonic Party as a young lawyer, and his political career subsequently began. In 1828, he ran for the New York State Assembly and won, serving three terms before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1832. During this time, Fillmore supported the protective tariff and eliminating the enslaved people trade between the states. He eventually joined the Whig Party through his association with party boss Thurlow Weed, who would later help Abraham Lincoln become president.
What did Millard Fillmore do to help the Hawaiian Islands?
In foreign policy, President Millard Fillmore dispatched Commodore Perry to "open" Japan to western trade and worked to keep the Hawaiian Islands out of European hands. He also refused to back an invasion of Cuba by adventurous Southerners who wanted to expand slavery into the Caribbean.
What did Fillmore do in 1828?
In 1828, he ran for the New York State Assembly and won, serving three terms before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1832. During this time, Fillmore supported the protective tariff and eliminating the enslaved people trade between the states.
Who was the Whig Party boss?
He eventually joined the Whig Party through his association with party boss Thurlow Weed, who would later help Abraham Lincoln become president. In 1843, Millard Fillmore attempted to strengthen his position in New York: He resigned from the House, thereafter making an unsuccessful run for the New York governorship.
Who signed the compromise of 1850?
Taylor's entire cabinet resigned, and Millard Fillmore sided with Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas for a series of bills that would become the Compromise of 1850. While the Compromise of 1850 passed and was signed by Fillmore, it turned out to only prolong the split in the Union.
Did Zachary Taylor and Milliard Fillmore meet?
Zachary Taylor and Milliard Fillmore won a bitterly fought election, but could not have been more different in backgrounds and political positions. The two did not even meet until after the election, and, when they did finally meet, they didn't hit it off well.
Why was Fillmore conflicted over the compromise?
Fillmore was conflicted over parts of the Compromise, especially because his personal experiences . But as he told Daniel Webster in a letter, he felt it was his constitutional duty to enforce the law.
Why did Fillmore send troops to the South?
Fillmore also sent government troops to the South to act against rumors of a secession by South Carolina. Pro-slavery forces were also unhappy that slavery had been barred in California.
What was Fillmore's constitutional duty?
It became clear very quickly that Fillmore believed his constitutional duty was to preserve the union through what became known as the Compromise of 1850. Fillmore worked with a rising Senator, Stephen Douglas, from the rival Democratic Party on a package of laws that admitted California as a free state, but granted some important concessions to pro-slavery forces.
What was Fillmore's political position?
He got his political start as an Anti-Mason. Fillmore was elected to the New York state legislature in 1828 on the Anti-Masonic ticket, which, as its name suggests, strongly opposed Freemasonry.
What percentage of the popular vote did Fillmore and Taylor get?
With the Democrats split over the issue of slavery—some had left to form the anti-slavery Free Soil Party—Taylor and Fillmore took the White House with 47 percent of the popular vote. During Fillmore’s time as vice president, the Taylor administration largely left him out of the decision-making process.
What did Fillmore apprentice with?
But he soon returned home after allegedly suffering severe mistreatment. Fillmore next apprenticed with the owners of a textile mill.
What did Fillmore say about the North?
Upon defeating the rebel army, Fillmore asserted that the North should extend to the Confederacy “every act of clemency and kindness in our power.”. Unsurprisingly, he then backed Andrew Johnson’s more mild approach to Reconstruction rather than that of the so-called Radical Republicans. 10.
Who was the last Whig president?
Get the facts on the last Whig president. Author: Jesse Greenspan. 1. Fillmore rose up out of extreme poverty. Born in a log cabin, Fillmore spent much of his youth clearing land and raising crops on the 130-acre farm that his father leased in New York’s Finger Lakes region. At age 14, his father, hoping to steer him away from farm life, ...
Which amendment allows the president to appoint a VP subject to the approval of the U.S.?
This situation is unlikely to repeat itself, however, as the 25th Amendment , ratified in 1967, allows the president to appoint a VP subject to the approval of the U.S. Congress. 5. Fillmore attempted to reduce tensions between the North and South.
Did Fillmore have a vice president?
Fillmore did not have a vice president. Since the Constitution did not originally include a provision for replacing dead or departed vice presidents, the office has been vacant for about 38 of its 225 years. Fillmore, along with Tyler, Johnson and Arthur, had no second-in-command for the entirety of their terms.

Overview
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853, the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Upstate New York, Fillmore was elected as the 12th vice president in 1848, and succeeded to the presidency in July 1850 upon the deat…
Early life and career
Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800, in a log cabin, on a farm in what is now Moravia, Cayuga County, in the Finger Lakes region of New York. His parents were Phoebe Millard and Nathaniel Fillmore, and he was the second of eight children and the oldest son.
Nathaniel Fillmore was the son of Nathaniel Fillmore Sr. (1739–1814), a nativ…
Buffalo politician
Other members of the Fillmore family were active in politics and government in addition to Nathaniel's service as a justice of the peace. Millard then also became interested in politics, and the rise of the Anti-Masonic Party in the late 1820s provided his initial attraction and entry.
Many Anti-Masons were opposed to the presidential candidacy of General And…
Representative
In 1832, Fillmore ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives. The Anti-Masonic presidential candidate, William Wirt, a former attorney general, won only Vermont, and President Jackson easily gained re-election. At the time, Congress convened its annual session in December and so Fillmore had to wait more than a year after his election to take his seat. Fillmore, Weed, and others realized that opposition to Masonry was too narrow a foundation to build a national p…
National figure
Out of office, Fillmore continued his law practice and made long-neglected repairs to his Buffalo home. He remained a major political figure and led the committee of notables that welcomed John Quincy Adams to Buffalo. The former president expressed his regret at Fillmore's absence from the halls of Congress. Some urged Fillmore to run for vice president with Clay, the consen…
Election of 1848
President Polk had pledged not to seek a second term, and with gains in Congress during the 1846 election cycle, the Whigs were hopeful of taking the White House in 1848. The party's perennial candidates, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, both wanted the nomination and amassed support from congressional colleagues. Many rank-and-file Whigs backed the Mexican War hero, General Z…
Vice presidency (1849–1850)
Fillmore was sworn in as vice president on March 5, 1849, in the Senate Chamber. Since March 4 (which was then Inauguration Day) fell on a Sunday, the swearing-in was postponed to the following day. Fillmore took the oath from Chief Justice Roger B. Taney and, in turn, swore in the senators beginning their terms, including Seward, who had been elected by the New York legislature in F…
Presidency (1850–1853)
July 4, 1850 was a very hot day in Washington, and President Taylor, who attended the Fourth of July ceremonies to lay the cornerstone of the Washington Monument, refreshed himself, likely with cold milk and cherries. What he consumed likely gave him gastroenteritis, and he died on July 9. Taylor, nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready," had gained a reputation for toughness thro…