Millard Fillmore's Life

Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800 in Locke, New York. He spent most of his early life on a farm and attended a local school. He was eager to improve his education and jumped at the chance to study law with County Judge Walter Wood as an apprentice at age 19. In 1823 Fillmore passed the bar exam and began his law practice in East Aurora, New York. Millard Fillmore married Abigail Powers and they had two children. The family moved to Buffalo where Fillmore was a very successful lawyer. In 1828 he was elected to the state legislature. In 1832 Fillmore was elected the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for ten years. In 1842 he ran for Governor of New York, but lost. Fillmore was elected Vice President under Zachary Taylor and he was sworn in as President on July 10, 1850 when Zachary Taylor died unexpectedly. During his administration the first practical fire engine was developed in Ohio.  There was a lot of tension between the North and the South over slavery. Many slaves were fleeing to the North. He addressed the slavery issue through the compromise of 1850 and signed the Fugitive Slave Law. Fillmore tried to prevent the Civil War by urging the northern and southern states to agree on a settlement.  He was not nominated for a second term because neither expansionist nor slaveholders were pleased by his policies. He returned to Buffalo, New York; 26 days later Abigail died. Fillmore ran again for President in 1856 but lost unsuccessfully. He married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh; together they did not have any children. He participated in many civic activties in his community until his death on March 8, 1874. Note: Millard Fillmore was President from 1850 through 1853 and since he was completing Taylor's term, there was no Vice President.