The Obscure Presidents: Millard Fillmore-Part 3 (Post-Presidency)
After completing his term as President of the United States, Millard Fillmore's wife Abigail, who had been unwell for several years, died March 30, 1853, less than one month after he left office. She had outside for hours on Franklin Pierce's cold, wet inauguration day, and caught pneumonia. Not long afterward, Fillmore's daughter, Mary, only twenty-two-years-old, died of cholera. Fillmore was devastated by these two great losses.
A grieving Fillmore left the United States for a tour of Europe in 1855, where he met Queen Victoria. According to one anecdote, she is said to have described him as the handsomest man she had ever seen, though this may be apocryphal. While touring Europe in 1855, Fillmore was offered an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) degree by the University of Oxford. But a modest Fillmore turned down the honor. He said that he had neither the "literary nor scientific attainment" to justify the degree and explained that he "lacked the benefit of a classical education" and could not, therefore, understand the Latin text of the diploma. He said, "No man should accept a degree he cannot read."
When Fillmore returned home, the Whig Party had broken up over slavery issues and over the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854. Most former northern Whigs joined the new Republican Party. Many conservative and southern Whigs by had joined the American Party, an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic group. Outsiders called them the "Know-Nothing Party" because when a member was asked about the group's activities, he was supposed to reply, "I know nothing." Fillmore was not personally anti-Catholic. In fact his daughter Mary had attended a Catholic boarding school for girls for a year and Fillmore had contributed to the construction of St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo. But the American Party was the only alternative for non-Democrats who were not anti-slavery.
The American Party nominated Fillmore as their candidate for President in the 1856 election. Fillmore was out of the country when the nomination came and according to some historians he had not been consulted about running. But he accepted the nomination, claiming that the American Party was the "only hope of forming a truly national party, which shall ignore this constant and distracting agitation of slavery." Fillmore was formally selected by the American Party and his running mate was Andrew Jackson Donelson, nephew of former president Andrew Jackson. James Buchanan and John C. Breckinridge were the Democrat ticket and candidates, and John C. Fremont and William L. Dayton were the Republican pairing. Buchanan won the election with 1,836,072 votes (45.3%) and 174 electoral votes (19 states). The Republican ticket received 1,342,345 votes (33.1%) and 114 electoral votes (11 states). Fillmore and Donelson finished third, with 873,053 votes (21.6%) and carrying the state of Maryland and its 8 electoral votes.
Prior to his time in the White House, Fillmore had been one of the founders of the University at Buffalo. The school was chartered by an act of the New York State Legislature on May 11, 1846, and was at first a medical school. Fillmore was the first Chancellor, a position he continued to hold as Vice President and as President. After leaving office, Fillmore returned to Buffalo and continued to serve as chancellor of the school.
On February 10, 1858, Fillmore married Caroline McIntosh, a wealthy widow. The couple purchased a large home in Buffalo, New York and as a local power couple, they were famous for their lavish hospitality in their home, until Mrs. Fillmore's health began to decline in the 1860s. Fillmore was an important member of Buffalo society. He helped to found the Buffalo Historical Society (now the Buffalo History Museum) in 1862 and served as its first president.
In the election of 1860, Fillmore supported Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell. He was critical of President James Buchanan for not immediately taking military action when South Carolina seceded. He voiced his opposition to secession, and supported the Union in the war effort, although he was also critical of many of the war policies of President Abraham Lincoln, such as the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. At 61 years of age when the war began, Fillmore commanded the Union Continentals, a corps of home guards of men over the age of 45 from the upstate New York area. The Continentals trained to defend the Buffalo area in the event of a Confederate attack. They performed military drill and ceremonial functions at parades, funerals, and other events. The Union Continentals later guarded Lincoln's funeral train in Buffalo. They continued operations after the war, and Fillmore remained active with them almost until his death. In the 1864 election Fillmore supported Democratic candidate George B. McClellan for the presidency, believing that the Democratic Party's plan for immediate cessation of fighting and allowing the seceded states to return with slavery intact was the best possibility for restoring the Union. He also kept up a correspondence with Franklin Pierce, and the two former presidents shared the opinion that Lincoln had overstepped his authority.
After news of Lincoln's assassination reached Buffalo, a crowd gather outside his house, angry at Fillmore for his past criticism of the slain president and his failure to decorate his home in black bunting, a customary sign of mourning at the time. They spattered his house with ink. Fillmore spoke to the group and asked for their understanding. He explained that he was at the bedside of his ill wife, and did not know of Lincoln's death. This explanation satisfied the crowd, and they soon left. After the war, Fillmore maintained his conservative outlook. He supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies, and opposed the policies of the Radical Republicans.
Millard Fillmore died at 11:10 pm on March 8, 1874, from the aftereffects of a stroke. According to some accounts, his last words were alleged to be, "the nourishment is palatable", a reference to some soup he was being served.
On January 7 each year, a ceremony is held at his grave site in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. There aren't many good biographies about Millard Fillmore. Probably the best is Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President by Robert J. Rayback. Fillmore's biography in the American Presidents Series is written by Paul Finkelman. And if you want to enjoy some great fiction, a faux biography of Fillmore, written in a Monty Pythonesque style, is The Remarkable Millard Fillmore: The Unbelievable Life of a Forgotten President by George Pendle, reviewed here.
There are a number of reasons why Millard Fillmore has fallen into the ranks of the obscure presidents (except in the Buffalo area). He only held the office for just over two years, and he was never elected to the presidency. He was at the helm when the Whig Party imploded. As a devoted compromiser, he gave everyone reason to dislike him for one reason or another. With the passage of time, his support for slaveholders rights (and his willingness to compromise on that issue) has only served to tarnish his reputation as the concept of one human "owning" another human being of a different skin color has become more and more repulsive. But Fillmore did have many admirable qualities. He was dedicated to keeping the union together, even if his version of the union tolerated slavery. He saw that as preferable to secession or civil war. He was devoted to his community, he believed in the value of education and worked towards its advancement. He was strong and principled on the international stage, using diplomacy and the threat of force at the appropriate times and in the correct measures. He was never indecisive and he was also not the kind of leader who took the nation's political temperature before deciding how he would respond to an issue.
Maybe Millard deserves more respect than history has given to him
Tomorrow: John Tyler.
A grieving Fillmore left the United States for a tour of Europe in 1855, where he met Queen Victoria. According to one anecdote, she is said to have described him as the handsomest man she had ever seen, though this may be apocryphal. While touring Europe in 1855, Fillmore was offered an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) degree by the University of Oxford. But a modest Fillmore turned down the honor. He said that he had neither the "literary nor scientific attainment" to justify the degree and explained that he "lacked the benefit of a classical education" and could not, therefore, understand the Latin text of the diploma. He said, "No man should accept a degree he cannot read."
When Fillmore returned home, the Whig Party had broken up over slavery issues and over the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854. Most former northern Whigs joined the new Republican Party. Many conservative and southern Whigs by had joined the American Party, an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic group. Outsiders called them the "Know-Nothing Party" because when a member was asked about the group's activities, he was supposed to reply, "I know nothing." Fillmore was not personally anti-Catholic. In fact his daughter Mary had attended a Catholic boarding school for girls for a year and Fillmore had contributed to the construction of St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo. But the American Party was the only alternative for non-Democrats who were not anti-slavery.
The American Party nominated Fillmore as their candidate for President in the 1856 election. Fillmore was out of the country when the nomination came and according to some historians he had not been consulted about running. But he accepted the nomination, claiming that the American Party was the "only hope of forming a truly national party, which shall ignore this constant and distracting agitation of slavery." Fillmore was formally selected by the American Party and his running mate was Andrew Jackson Donelson, nephew of former president Andrew Jackson. James Buchanan and John C. Breckinridge were the Democrat ticket and candidates, and John C. Fremont and William L. Dayton were the Republican pairing. Buchanan won the election with 1,836,072 votes (45.3%) and 174 electoral votes (19 states). The Republican ticket received 1,342,345 votes (33.1%) and 114 electoral votes (11 states). Fillmore and Donelson finished third, with 873,053 votes (21.6%) and carrying the state of Maryland and its 8 electoral votes.
Prior to his time in the White House, Fillmore had been one of the founders of the University at Buffalo. The school was chartered by an act of the New York State Legislature on May 11, 1846, and was at first a medical school. Fillmore was the first Chancellor, a position he continued to hold as Vice President and as President. After leaving office, Fillmore returned to Buffalo and continued to serve as chancellor of the school.
On February 10, 1858, Fillmore married Caroline McIntosh, a wealthy widow. The couple purchased a large home in Buffalo, New York and as a local power couple, they were famous for their lavish hospitality in their home, until Mrs. Fillmore's health began to decline in the 1860s. Fillmore was an important member of Buffalo society. He helped to found the Buffalo Historical Society (now the Buffalo History Museum) in 1862 and served as its first president.
In the election of 1860, Fillmore supported Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell. He was critical of President James Buchanan for not immediately taking military action when South Carolina seceded. He voiced his opposition to secession, and supported the Union in the war effort, although he was also critical of many of the war policies of President Abraham Lincoln, such as the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. At 61 years of age when the war began, Fillmore commanded the Union Continentals, a corps of home guards of men over the age of 45 from the upstate New York area. The Continentals trained to defend the Buffalo area in the event of a Confederate attack. They performed military drill and ceremonial functions at parades, funerals, and other events. The Union Continentals later guarded Lincoln's funeral train in Buffalo. They continued operations after the war, and Fillmore remained active with them almost until his death. In the 1864 election Fillmore supported Democratic candidate George B. McClellan for the presidency, believing that the Democratic Party's plan for immediate cessation of fighting and allowing the seceded states to return with slavery intact was the best possibility for restoring the Union. He also kept up a correspondence with Franklin Pierce, and the two former presidents shared the opinion that Lincoln had overstepped his authority.
After news of Lincoln's assassination reached Buffalo, a crowd gather outside his house, angry at Fillmore for his past criticism of the slain president and his failure to decorate his home in black bunting, a customary sign of mourning at the time. They spattered his house with ink. Fillmore spoke to the group and asked for their understanding. He explained that he was at the bedside of his ill wife, and did not know of Lincoln's death. This explanation satisfied the crowd, and they soon left. After the war, Fillmore maintained his conservative outlook. He supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies, and opposed the policies of the Radical Republicans.
Millard Fillmore died at 11:10 pm on March 8, 1874, from the aftereffects of a stroke. According to some accounts, his last words were alleged to be, "the nourishment is palatable", a reference to some soup he was being served.
On January 7 each year, a ceremony is held at his grave site in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. There aren't many good biographies about Millard Fillmore. Probably the best is Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President by Robert J. Rayback. Fillmore's biography in the American Presidents Series is written by Paul Finkelman. And if you want to enjoy some great fiction, a faux biography of Fillmore, written in a Monty Pythonesque style, is The Remarkable Millard Fillmore: The Unbelievable Life of a Forgotten President by George Pendle, reviewed here.
There are a number of reasons why Millard Fillmore has fallen into the ranks of the obscure presidents (except in the Buffalo area). He only held the office for just over two years, and he was never elected to the presidency. He was at the helm when the Whig Party imploded. As a devoted compromiser, he gave everyone reason to dislike him for one reason or another. With the passage of time, his support for slaveholders rights (and his willingness to compromise on that issue) has only served to tarnish his reputation as the concept of one human "owning" another human being of a different skin color has become more and more repulsive. But Fillmore did have many admirable qualities. He was dedicated to keeping the union together, even if his version of the union tolerated slavery. He saw that as preferable to secession or civil war. He was devoted to his community, he believed in the value of education and worked towards its advancement. He was strong and principled on the international stage, using diplomacy and the threat of force at the appropriate times and in the correct measures. He was never indecisive and he was also not the kind of leader who took the nation's political temperature before deciding how he would respond to an issue.
Maybe Millard deserves more respect than history has given to him
Tomorrow: John Tyler.