Millard Fillmore
January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States. Born in a log cabin. Mostly self-educated. Became a lawyer. He was basically Abraham Lincoln lite. Well, not exactly. Fillmore was sort of haphazardly elected as Vice-President in 1848 and assumed the Presidency when Zachary Taylor ate some bad cherries in July of 1850. He was the last member of the Whig party to hold the office.
His most notable achievement while in office was passing the Compromise of 1850, which staved off tensions over slavery for a little while and made nobody happy. Fillmore, himself, believed slavery to be “a great evil” but insisted it was one that the Federal government had no sway over. He was not re-elected to a second term. Because he had no estate or land with which to retire, and after losing his wife and daughter to illness, Fillmore busied himself by running for President again in 1856 under the brand new Know Nothing party. He lost. He stayed active in public life, but stayed away from getting too involved, especially as the Civil War loomed. He blamed President Buchanan’s inaction and eventually supported Lincoln’s call to preserve the union, but did not support Lincoln himself. He publicly supported President Johnson’s Reconstruction plans. He opened an art gallery. He suffered two strokes in 1874. He’s now buried a stone’s throw from funk icon, Rick James.
Burial
Forest Lawn Cemetery – Buffalo NY
Specific Location
Enter the large cemetery’s main gate from the southeast and continue straight-ish until you reach a small bridge that crosses a stream. Cross the bridge and then take the 2nd left. The highly visible Fillmore plot is up the hill on your left.
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