1800 - 1874
The life of Millard Fillmore, the tenth figure represented in
The Gallery of Illustrious Americans provided an "instructive lesson for the young men of America." The son of a farmer, Fillmore was apprenticed to a clothier before he studied law. Charles E. Lester, The Gallery's biographer, wrote that "In this Republic," Fillmore's life "shows how much can be achieved in the face of the sternest obstacles by intellectual power well directed." Fillmore rose in New York state politics through a close alliance with Thurlow Weed, William Seward , and the Whig party. In 1848, Fillmore's committment to Union and the politics of compromise won him the nomination as Vice President of the United States under Zachary Taylor. On July 9, 1850, the Taylor's sudden death called Fillmore to the presidency just as Northern and Southern interests were locked in bitter debate over the disposition of slavery in the country's western territories. Fillmore, with his conciliatory views, brought a brief period of harmony, but by year's end, his support for the Compromise of 1850, which vastly enlarged federal authority to aid the recapture of runaway slaves, soon became a powerful wedge, dividing the country, and preparing for war.
Francis D'Avignon (born circa 1814), after Mathew Brady
Lithograph, 1850
28.1 x 24.6 cm (11 1/16 x 9 11/16 inches)
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.