Category US Presidents

After the death of Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore became the president of the United States.

Fillmore had a hard childhood; he was born into a poor family in New York and his education did not last for more than a year. As a child, he had to work every day in the farms to earn a living. Later in his teenage, he went on to become a cloth maker. Though he had little formal schooling, he rose from poverty by diligent study to become a successful attorney.

He had served in the New York state government before being elected as Taylor’s vice president in 1848. He was also a U.S. Congressman for years.

As the vice president, Fillmore was largely ignored by Taylor. But, after the death of Taylor in July 1850, Fillmore became the president. Upon becoming the president, Fillmore supported laws to let California enter the Union as a free state. Fillmore ran unsuccessfully for president again in 1856.

He then gave up politics and died on March 8, 1874.

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Zachary Taylor was neither a politician, nor had he worked with the government. He didn’t even vote in the elections. But the public adored him. Wonder why? Zachary Taylor was a war hero. He was a general and national hero in the United States Army from the time of the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812. Taylor thought that it was a strange idea when his name came up for the presidential candidacy.

Taylor was a soldier at heart; he fought in the War of 1812 and in many battles against Indian tribes. But it was his success in battles against Mexico that gained him popularity and elevated him to the status of a hero. The Whigs saw a possibility in Taylor’s popularity and that is why he was nominated.

Taylor gained the nomination on the fourth ballot at the Whig Party convention in 1848. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass and went on to become the 12th president of America, something which he did not imagine, even in the wildest of dreams.

As the president, Taylor’s top priority was to preserve the Union. He was criticized for not making any progress on the most divisive issue in Congress, slavery. Taylor’s service was brief; he died sixteen months into his term. His vice-president Fillmore served the remainder of his term. Historians and scholars have ranked Taylor in the bottom quartile of U.S. presidents. This is of course partly due to his short term of office.

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James K. Polk was the 11th president of the United States. He was notable in many ways. Often called the ‘dark horse’, James K. Polk was the last strong president until the Civil War.

Polk entered politics as a young lawyer. He wanted Texas to be part of the Union. His views on Texas made him popular and paved his way to presidential candidacy. The annexation of Texas as a state however, resulted in a two-year war with Mexico.

November 7, 1844 was indeed a remarkable day in the history of the U.S. For the first time, the election for president was held on the same day across America. Needless to say, it was Polk’s day.

Polk was a strong leader and his tenure was marked by territorial gains as well as administrative innovations. The country expanded westward and a new department, the Department of the Interior, was created.

Polk established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He also authorized the setting up of the Smithsonian Institution, a national foundation for all areas of science.

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John Tyler had to take over the position of the president in one of the most unexpected turn of events, after the death of Harrison. Tyler served as the vice president under Harrison. He is also the first vice president to succeed to the presidency after the death of his predecessor.

Born in Virginia, Tyler grew up believing that the Constitution was of supreme importance. He was popular as a U.S. Congressman, governor and senator, and this was the reason he was chosen to run for the position of the vice president. Though loved as vice president, no one expected Tyler to become the president of the country.

Being the president was not easy for Tyler. The first ever impeachment resolution against a president was introduced in the House of Representatives when Tyler vetoed a tariff bill. A committee headed by Representative John Quincy Adams reported that the president had misused the veto power. However, the resolution failed.

He was rejected by the Democrats and Whigs alike because he refused allegiance to the programme of party leader Andrew Jackson. After this, Tyler functioned as a political independent.

Letitia Christian Tyler, Tyler’s wife was the first president’s wife to die in the White House. She died in 1842. After Letitia’s death, he married again, thus becoming the first president to marry while in office. This happened in 1844.

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William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of America was famous for many things. He was 68 at the time of his swearing-in ceremony and the oldest president to be elected at the time. His campaign slogan, ‘Tippecanoe and Tyler Too’ is known as one of the most famous campaign slogans in American history.

William Henry Harrison served the shortest tenure as the president in the history of the United Stated and was the first to die in the office. Harrison could barely make it for a month; he died on the 32nd day of his tenure. Harrison was born in Virginia like many other American presidents. He wanted to become a doctor, but had to leave his studies halfway after his father’s death.

He later joined the army to earn a living. He became interested in politics during his time in the army. What brought him to the national limelight was the Indian campaign that he won while serving as the territorial commander.

This led to his contesting in the 1840 elections, taking office in March 1841. Despite the cold weather, Harrison gave a long speech outdoors. Within a month, he was affected with a cold that developed into pneumonia. He died on 4th April, 1841.

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Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of America was called Little Magician by the people. He certainly did not make a rabbit vanish, but he was a friendly, cheerful person who knew how to work with people and how to get things done.

As a young lawyer, Martin showed an active interest in politics and law. By 1827, Martin Van Buren had emerged as a principal northern leader. President Andrew Jackson appointed him as the Secretary of State.

Van Buren was chosen for the position of vice president during Jackson’s second term. He was elected as president in 1836 with Jackson’s support.

Shortly after Martin Van Buren was sworn in as president, the country was in the midst of turmoil. It was 1837; the banks all over the country started failing. Many people lost their jobs. For about five years, the United States was affected by the worst depression so far in its history.

People started blaming Van Buren for the bad times. Though he tried his best to get the country back on its feet, he failed. He finally left office in 1841 after many attempts to save the country.

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