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Zachary Taylor

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Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major general and becoming a national hero for his victories in the Mexican–American War. As a result, he won election to the White House despite his vague political beliefs. His top priority as president was to preserve the Union. He died 16 months into his term from a stomach disease. Taylor had the third-shortest presidential term in U.S. history. Taylor was born into a prominent family of plantation owners who moved westward from Virginia to Louisville, Kentucky, in his youth. He was the last president born before the Constitution of the United States was adopted. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1808 and made a name for himself as a captain in the War of 1812. He climbed the ranks of the military, establishing military forts along the Mississippi River and entering the Black Hawk War as a colonel in 1832. His success in the Second Seminole War attracted national attention and earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready". In 1845, during the annexation of Texas, President James K. Polk dispatched Taylor to the Rio Grande in anticipation of a battle with Mexico over the disputed Texas–Mexico border. The Mexican–American War broke out in April 1846, and Taylor defeated Mexican troops commanded by General Mariano Arista at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, driving Arista's troops out of Texas. Taylor then led his troops into Mexico, where they defeated Mexican troops commanded by Pedro de Ampudia at the Battle of Monterrey. Defying orders, Taylor led his troops further south and, though severely outnumbered, repelled Mexican forces under General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista, forcing a withdrawal but without a clear-cut victory. Taylor's troops were transferred to the command of Major General Winfield Scott, but Taylor retained his popularity. The Whig Party convinced a reluctant Taylor to lead its ticket in the 1848 presidential election, despite his unclear political tenets and lack of interest in politics. At the 1848 Whig National Convention, Taylor defeated Winfield Scott and former senator Henry Clay for the party's nomination. He won the general election alongside New York politician Millard Fillmore, defeating Democratic Party nominees Lewis Cass and William Orlando Butler, as well as a third-party effort led by former president Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams Sr. of the Free Soil Party. Taylor became the first president to be elected without having previously held political office. As president, he kept his distance from Congress and his Cabinet, even though partisan tensions threatened to divide the Union. Debate over the status of slavery in the Mexican Cession dominated the national political agenda and led to threats of secession from Southerners. Despite being a Southerner and a slaveholder himself, Taylor did not push for the expansion of slavery, and sought sectional harmony above all other concerns. To avoid the issue of slavery, he urged settlers in New Mexico and California to bypass the territorial stage and draft constitutions for statehood, setting the stage for the Compromise of 1850. Taylor died suddenly of a stomach disease on July 9, 1850, with his administration having accomplished little aside from the ratification of the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty and having made no progress on the most divisive issue in Congress and the nation: slavery. Vice President Fillmore assumed the presidency and served the remainder of his term. Historians and scholars have ranked Taylor in the bottom quartile of U.S. presidents, owing in part to his short term of office (16 months), though he has been described as "more a forgettable president than a failed one".

Infobox

Vice President
Millard Fillmore
Preceded by
Office established
Succeeded by
William Davenport
Appointed by
James K. Polk
Born
(1784-11-24)November 24, 1784Barboursville, Virginia, U.S.
Died
July 9, 1850(1850-07-09) (aged 65)Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
Political party
Whig
Spouse
mw- Margaret Smith (m. 1810)
Children
6, including Sarah, Mary, and Richard
Parent
mw- Richard Taylor (father)
Profession
Military officer
Awards
Congressional Gold Medal (3) Thanks of Congress
Branch/service
United States Army
Years of service
1808–1849
Rank
Major General
Commands
Army of Occupation
Battles/wars
mw- li War of 1812 Siege of Fort Harrison Battle of Credit Island Black Hawk War Second Seminole War Battle of Lake Okeechobee Mexican–American War Battle of Palo Alto Battle of Resaca de la Palma Battle of Monterrey Battle of Buena Vista
Parents
mw- Richard Taylor (father)Sarah Dabney Strother (mother)
Party
Whig

Tables

· Dates of rank
Insignia
Rank
Component
Date
1st Lieutenant
Regular Army
May 3, 1808
Captain
Regular Army
November 30, 1810
Brevet Major
Regular Army
September 5, 1812
Major
Regular Army
May 15, 1814
Lieutenant Colonel
Regular Army
April 20, 1819
Colonel
Regular Army
April 4, 1832
Brevet Brigadier-General
Regular Army
December 25, 1837
Brevet Major General
Regular Army
May 28, 1846
Major General
Regular Army
June 29, 1846
Judicial appointments[145] · Presidency (1849–1850) › Judicial appointments
Henry Boyce
1849
1849–1861
Henry Boyce
Court
W.D. La.
Name
Henry Boyce
Term
1849–1861
Thomas Drummond
1850
1850–1855
Thomas Drummond
Court
D. Ill.
Name
Thomas Drummond
Term
1850–1855
John Gayle
1849
1849–1859
John Gayle
Court
N.D. Ala.M.D. Ala.S.D. Ala.
Name
John Gayle
Term
1849–1859
Daniel Ringo
1849
1849–1851
Daniel Ringo
Court
D. Ark.
Name
Daniel Ringo
Term
1849–1851
Court
Name
Term
W.D. La.
Henry Boyce
1849–1861
D. Ill.
Thomas Drummond
1850–1855
Ala.M.D. Ala.S.D. Ala.
John Gayle
1849–1859
D. Ark.
Daniel Ringo
1849–1851

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  3. Folklore holds that David Rice Atchison, as president pro tempore of the Senate, unknowingly succeeded to the presidency
  4. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 21, 1849, confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, 1850, an
  5. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 21, 1849, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 10, 1850, and
  6. The Public Vault was built in 1835 to hold the remains of notables until either the grave site could be prepared, or tra
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