Timeline Description: Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth American president. He came to office when President Zachary Taylor died after only sixteen months in office. He was never re-elected.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1800 | Millard Fillmore is born Millard was born in New York to a somewhat poor family. They lived in a cabin and he was apprenticed to cloth makers during his childhood. |
| 1819 | A formal education Millard never caught on to the cloth making business. At the age of nineteen he left the apprenticeship to study law under Judge Walter Wood. |
| 1825 | His own law practice Millard Fillmore made the bar in 1824 and opened his own law practice in 1825. Shortly after that, he married his sweet heart in 1826. |
| 1830 | The New York Militia (1830's) Fillmore continued practicing law in a successful partnership, but that wasn't his only venture. He also served in the New York Militia for many years. |
| 1831 | Debtor's Prison Fillmore moved into politics on the New York State Assembly. One of his bigger accomplishments was eliminating the debtor's prison. |
| 1832 | US House of Representatives Joining the Whig Party, Fillmore moved on to work in the House of Representatives. He served in some capacity until 1843. |
| 1844 | Unsuccessful run for governor With his other successes behind him, Fillmore attempted a run for governor of the state of New York. He lost the election, but he didn't lose heart. |
| 1846 | University of Buffalo Fillmore continued his success, and he eventually helped found the University of Buffalo, which is still open today. |
| 1848 | A run for Vice-President Zachary Taylor was the Whig candidate for president, and because this upset several people, the party sought to balance the ticket. They nominated Millard Fillmore to run as vice-president, which would balance out Taylor's views. |
| 1849 | An Election Win Taylor won the presidency, making Millard Fillmore an American vice-president. |
| 1850 | The Compromise of 1850 When Taylor died, he left Fillmore in the middle of the tense slavery debate. Fillmore sought to pass the Compromise of 1850, but he faced much opposition. |
| September 1850 | A win for Fillmore After splitting the Compromise into five separate bills, Congress passed it and Fillmore signed them into law. |
| 1850 | Utah Territory Fillmore kept Utah as a federal territory, and he appointed Brigham Young as its first governor. This kept the large Mormon population content. |
| 1852 | A run for president Fillmore was unsure as to whether he should officially run for president for a second term, and he finally decided to go ahead, but he lost out the nomination and left office in 1853. He made another run in 1856 and again lost. |
| 1874 | Fillmore's death Millard Fillmore died at the age of 73 of a stroke. |