A prominent American politician became the last US president from the Whig party, which collapsed shortly after the end of his term in the country's top post. Millard Fillmore became the 13th head of state after the unexpected death of his predecessor. In the history of the United States, he remains the man who signed the odious Fugitive Slave Act (1850), which caused outrage among pro-slavery supporters.
Early years
Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800 in Summerhill (New York), in the family of a poor farmer. From childhood, he was very fond of reading, retaining this hobby for the rest of his life. Abigail Power met his future wife while still at school, where she worked as his teacher.
The family lived in poverty, and Millard had to start working early. At first, the boy studied tailoring, and from the age of fifteen he worked at a cloth factory. AllIn his free time, the guy attended self-education and reading books. Thanks to the sponsorship of several we althy people at the age of 19, he managed to continue his education at New Hope School and receive a law degree in Buffalo, the second largest city in New York state.
Start in employment
In 1823, after receiving a law degree, he was admitted to the practice of law. A few years later, Millard Fillmore meets local politician T. Weed, who convinces him to join the anti-Masonic movement, which lasted a very short time. The young lawyer became actively interested in politics, was a supporter of John Quincy Adams, who became the sixth president of the United States.
In 1829 Millard Fillmore's political career began. At the age of 24, he was elected to the state legislature. For the next three years he lived in Buffalo. In 1832, the young politician participated in the organization of the Whig party in western New York, which consolidated the forces that opposed the first American president, Andrew Jackson. In the same year, Fillmore was elected from the new party to the US Congress.
Legislative activity
During two electoral terms (1833-1835 and 1837-1843) served in the US Congress. In the legislature, he de alt with issues of foreign and domestic policy. Millard Fillmore was the author of the Customs Act, which went into effect in early 1842, despite the fact that US President John Tyler twice returned it toparliament. As a member of the Whig party, Fillmore stood out for his great inclination to compromise and moderation on major political issues. After serving in Congress, Millard Fillmore ran for governor of New York in 1844, but lost to his Democratic rival.
In 1848, the Whig Party nominated him for Vice President of the United States. Millard Fillmore enjoyed the great support of party leader Henry Clay, and only because of this he became the running mate of Zachary Taylor, the Whig presidential candidate. They did not even know each other and first met during the election campaign.
Head of State
As Vice President of the United States, Millard Fillmore did not show himself in any way, as he was almost completely removed from power. The presidential administration ignored him almost completely, even when appointing officials in the state of New York.
After the unexpected death of Zachary Taylor from a disease of the digestive system, Fillmore took the country's highest government post. Millard Fillmore became the thirteenth president of the United States on July 9, 1850. Unlike his predecessor, he supported the adoption of the Clay Compromise, according to which, in exchange for the admission of California to the United States, southerners (slave owners) received a law that allowed slaves to be caught even in states where slavery was abolished. This exchange largely ruined Fillmore's later political career, as it fell out with most of his fellow party members and did not reconcile with the Democrats. He also supported the principle of the sovereignty of peoples, which gave the states the right to prohibit or allow slavery.
In foreign policy, Millard Fillmore was also inclined to compromise, opposing the desire of the southerners to start a war with the Spaniards for the rich plantations of Cuba. His achievements include the fact that thanks to his efforts, US-Japanese trade relations were established.
Recent years
Winfield Scott became the candidate of the Whig party in the next presidential election, and only in 1855 did the small Know-Nothing Party, created on the basis of one of the fragments of the Whig party, put forward his candidacy. In the election, Fillmore suffered a crushing defeat, out of 296 electors in the final ballot, only 8 voted for him.
In later years, he was involved in urban politics in Buffalo, where, with the onset of the Civil War, he organized a veteran regiment to recruit recruits and bury dead soldiers. He retired from military service with the rank of major. Fillmore died March 8, 1874 from a stroke.
