July 10, 2023 – Millard Fillmore

After a week-long hiatus, the Wiki Corner is back!
It was on this day in 1850 that Millard Fillmore was sworn in as our 13th President, upon the death of President Zachary Taylor. Fillmore served from 1850 to 1853 and was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party. After John Tyler, he was the second president to succeed the office without being elected to it. The only other presidents never elected to office were Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, and Gerald Ford.
Fillmore has a somewhat local connection. He was born in Moravia, in the Finger Lakes area. He rose from poverty with diligent study and became a lawyer in Buffalo. He was elected to the New York Assembly, and the House of Representatives, and was the first to be directly elected Comptroller of New York. As Vice President, Taylor largely ignored him and left him out of the decision-making process.
Fillmore didn’t have a vice president for the entirety of his term. Originally, the Constitution didn’t include a provision for replacing VPs. That was changed in 1967 when the 25th Amendment was ratified, allowing the President to appoint a vice president with approval from Congress.
History has not been kind to Millard Fillmore. Today he’s considered to be one of the worst presidents in our history, due to his handling of major political issues like slavery. But he and his wife, Abigail, did establish the first White House library. Fillmore also reportedly helped fight a fire that broke out at the Library of Congress in 1851.
In retirement, Fillmore helped found the University of Buffalo. You can still see his house in East Aurora and a replica log cabin at his birthplace in Moravia. Fillmore Glen State Park was named after him, as he was born about 5 miles from the park. Learn more here.