- Political Affiliation:
- Know-Nothing party
- Whig Party
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Abigail Fillmore
- On the Web:
- The American Presidency Project - Millard Fillmore (Nov. 07, 2026)
Millard Fillmore
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Who was Millard Fillmore?
Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) was the 13th president of the United States (1850–53). As Vice President, he became president upon Zachary Taylor's death in July 1850.
Born into poverty, Fillmore entered politics in 1828 and later became a leader in the Whig Party. As president, Fillmore supported the Compromise of 1850 to balance the interests of the North and South on the issue of slavery. Though personally opposed to slavery, he insisted on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a decision that was extremely unpopular in the North and contributed to the destruction of the Whig Party.
Fillmore also advanced American commercial expansion in the Pacific, sending Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan. This led to the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, which opened Japan to trade with the U.S. and the West.
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When did Millard Fillmore serve as President of the United States?
Millard Fillmore served as the 13th president of the United States from 1850 to 1853. He initially held the office of vice president in 1848 and ascended to the presidency upon the death of President Zachary Taylor in July 1850. Fillmore's presidency was notably marked by his support for the Compromise of 1850, aimed at resolving the divisive issue of slavery. Despite his personal opposition to slavery, Fillmore believed that preserving the Union was paramount.
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How did Millard Fillmore become president?
Millard Fillmore became the 13th president of the United States following the death of President Zachary Taylor in July 1850. Fillmore had been elected vice president in 1848, and he assumed the presidency upon Taylor's death. Fillmore, though personally opposed to slavery, supported the Compromise of 1850 as necessary to preserving the Union.
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What important law did Millard Fillmore sign during his presidency?
During his presidency, Millard Fillmore signed into law the Compromise of 1850, a series of measures intended to resolve slavery issues and prevent the dissolution of the Union. Though Fillmore was personally against slavery, he supported the compromise to preserve the Union.
Key components of the Compromise of 1850:
* California was admitted as a free state.
* The boundary of Texas was fixed along its current lines.
* The territories of New Mexico and Utah were established without mention of slavery.
* The slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia.
* Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring the federal government to help capture and return runaway slaves.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Fillmore's actions affect the issue of slavery in the United States?
Millard Fillmore supported the Compromise of 1850 to maintain a balance between free and slave states and satisfy pro- and antislavery forces. Though personally against slavery, he felt obligated to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 to preserve the Union, even offering military aid for capturing runaway slaves.
Fillmore's actions assuaged the South and postponed the Civil War for ten years, but they also made him extremely unpopular in the North and led to political downfall. The Fugitive Slave Act's enforcement angered many moderate antislavery elements in the North, increasing sectional hostility.
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What did Millard Fillmore do after leaving the presidency, and how is he remembered today?
After his presidency, Millard Fillmore ran for president again in 1856 as the Know-Nothing party candidate but finished third. He then retired to Buffalo, New York, becoming a leader in the city’s civic and cultural life.
Fillmore's legacy is tied to his support for the Compromise of 1850, especially the Fugitive Slave Act, which made him unpopular in the North. Despite his personal opposition to slavery, he believed in preserving the Union, even if it meant enforcing the controversial act. His actions had the effect of postponing the Civil War for 10 years. He also pushed for American commercial expansion in the Pacific, sending Matthew C. Perry to Japan, leading to the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854 and Japan's modernization.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Millard Fillmore (born January 7, 1800, Locke township, New York, U.S.—died March 8, 1874, Buffalo, New York) was the 13th president of the United States (1850–53), whose insistence on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 alienated the North and led to the destruction of the Whig Party. Elected vice president in 1848, he became chief executive on the death of President Zachary Taylor (July 1850).
Early life and career
Fillmore was born in a log cabin to a poor family and was apprenticed to a wool carder at age 15. He received little formal education until he was 18, when he managed to obtain six consecutive months of schooling. Shortly afterward he secured his release from apprenticeship and started work in a law office, and in 1823 he was admitted to the bar. He married his first wife, Abigail Powers (Abigail Fillmore), in 1826.
Fillmore entered politics in 1828 as a member of the democratic and libertarian Anti-Masonic Movement and Anti-Masonic Party. In 1834 he followed his political mentor, Thurlow Weed, to the Whigs and was soon recognized as an outstanding leader of the party’s Northern wing. Following three terms in the New York state assembly (1829–32), he was elected to Congress (1833–35, 1837–43), where he became a devoted follower of Senator Henry Clay. Losing the New York gubernatorial election in 1844, he was easily elected the first state comptroller three years later. At the national Whig convention in 1848, Zachary Taylor, hero of the Mexican War (1846–48), was nominated for president and Fillmore for vice president, largely through Clay’s sponsorship.
At a glance: the Fillmore presidency
Presidency
Fillmore believed that Whig success at the polls heralded the rise of a truly national party that would occupy a middle ground between sectional extremists of both North and South. This outlook was embodied in Clay’s Compromise of 1850, which sought to appease both sides on the slavery issue. Fillmore, though personally opposed to slavery, supported the compromise as necessary to preserving the Union. When the legislation was finally passed two months after Taylor’s death, the new President Fillmore felt obligated to respect the provision that required the federal government to aid in the capture and return of runaway slaves to their former owners (the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850), and he publicly announced that, if necessary, he would call upon the military to aid in the enforcement of this statute. Although this section of the compromise assuaged the South and had the effect of postponing the Civil War for 10 years, it also meant political death for Fillmore because of its extreme unpopularity in the North.
Fillmore was an early champion of American commercial expansion in the Pacific, and in 1853 he sent a fleet of warships, under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, to Japan to force its shogunate government to alter its traditional isolationism and enter into trade and diplomatic relations with the United States. The resulting Treaty of Kanagawa (1854) led to similar agreements between Japan and other Western powers and marked the beginning of Japan’s transformation into a modern state.
In 1852 Fillmore was one of three presidential candidates of a divided Whig Party in its last national election, which it lost. He ran again in 1856 as the candidate of the Know-Nothing party (also known as the American Party), finishing third behind Democrat James Buchanan and Republican John C. Frémont. Fillmore then retired to Buffalo, where he became a leader in the city’s civic and cultural life. In 1858, some five years after the death of his wife Abigail, he married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh.
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Cabinet of President Millard Fillmore
The table provides a list of cabinet members in the administration of President Millard Fillmore.
| July 10, 1850–March 3, 1853 | |
|---|---|
| State | Daniel Webster |
| Edward Everett (from November 6, 1852) | |
| Treasury | Thomas Corwin |
| War | George Washington Crawford |
| Charles Magill Conrad (from August 15, 1850) | |
| Navy | William Alexander Graham |
| John P. Kennedy (from July 26, 1852) | |
| Attorney General | Reverdy Johnson |
| John Jordan Crittenden (from August 14, 1850) | |
| Interior | Thomas Ewing |
| Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan (from August 15, 1850) | |
| Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (from September 16, 1850) | |