About the Man

Does anyone remember Millard Fillmore? He’s likely the most forgotten president in US history, and just one of the many pre-Civil War presidents who failed to face the succession problem.
Fillmore didn’t accomplish all that much during his time in office. He was much more pliant than Zachary Taylor, but that only made him a timid leaner rather than the strong, upright leader that the country needed. To his credit, he attempted to swiftly answer the rising tensions within the country, but there were almost too many problems for one man to handle. The bleeding was not only in the the Kansas territory, South Carolina was preparing for war, there was trouble in Texas and New Mexico, and all of it was over the slavery issue.In the end, his tepid nature regarding slavery was his undoing. He wanted slavery done away with, but wouldn’t touch it in the states where it had a foothold. Therefore he passed the Fugitive Slave Bill, sending runaway slaves back to the masters.

Despite all this negativity, I believe Fillmore did in fact hold the office of president to the best of his ability. Thrown into the position by the surprising death of Taylor, Fillmore held unswervingly to the Constitution, upholding it at all costs and with great humility doing what was in the publics best interest. The same can not be said of his successors and even though he was forgotten, he in fact is not the worst president America has had.

After leaving office, Fillmore enjoyed generally sound health until his death on March 8th 1874. His most lasting quote is “An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.”

I think he looks like Jimmy Johnson.

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