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Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President

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Serving only two and a half years as president, it is not surprising that Millard Fillmore has been given short shrift among historians. This book helps history rediscover the importance of Fillmore's brief tenure. Fillmore assumed office with the country in turmoil over the question of extending slavery to the territories acquired after the war with Mexico. His predecessor, President Taylor, was presumably on an course which would have led to civil war in 1850. Fillmore carefully guided the country toward compromise and away from war. Although his enemies argue that there should be no compromise with slavery, Fillmore's prudent, but politically unpopular stance did preserve the union. Unfortunately, future presidents did not follow Fillmore's example and the country was split in two as a result of uncompromising sectionalism. This book is an excellent study of both President Fillmore and the rise and fall of the Whig Party. The book traces Fillmore's career along with the founding of the Whig party in New York as a protest again the secret organization of the Masonic Lodge, to the accession of a Whig president, to the party's degeneration into a nativist, secret organization of "Know-Nothings."

This book narrates the life of Millard Fillmore through the lens of Unionism and the formation of the many political parties in which he was involved (Antimasonic, Whig, American [aka Know-Nothing]) or to which he was opposed (Liberty, Free Soil, Republican). Fillmore's dedication to the Union, especially in passing and implementing the Compromise of 1850, is well told. This book also serves to explain the rise and fall of a number of lesser known American political parties.

The book is well-written--one of the better ones, perhaps the best, in this series of American political biographies. It was one of the last written. The author relies on letters to Fillmore as one of the main sources, since his own letters are mostly missing. Generally the author is fair and balanced, although he portrays the struggle between Fillmore and Thurlow Weed rather naively as the battle between Good and Evil. He also brushes over Fillmore's willingness to allow slavery to exist as the price for preserving the Union--an opinion that was common at the start of Fillmore's career but increasingly anathema by the end of it.

The review on the dust jacket, quoted on this item's Amazon page, written by Roy Nichols, is manifestly unfair to the book and to Fillmore. The author is not nearly so naive as Nichols makes him out to be, and Fillmore, while not a great president, was not nearly the mediocrity and indecisive man as Nichols portrays him. Read the book (it's worth it) but not the dust jacket!

Like many other students of history, I'm reading a biography of each president. Fillmore's life and the events of his day are laid out more clearly than any other author I've read so far. I learned (should I say 'understood') more from this reading than all the others. Highly recommended.

History has portrayed Millard Fillmore as a weak and pompous president; when instead 'he possessed extraordinary strength of character and an enviable tenacity of purpose --as well as an admirable personality.' The cause for this discrepancy is because most history books have been based on the reports of his enemies, most notably Thurlow Weed and William Seward. Fillmore, who assumed the presidency upon Zachary Taylor's unexpected death, rose above factional politics, allayed sectional strife by promoting the Compromise of 1850 and was a respectable, if at times indecisive, president.

I am currently reading a biography of every President in order. For Millard Fillmore the selection of Rayback's (amazon.com has spelling incrrect) one volume biography of our thirteenth President was an easy choice given the lack of alternatives and the positive reviews this book has received from other readers.

I am happy to say that I concur regarding the quality of this book. Rayback has written a comprehensive and interesting biography of Millard Fillmore that is a highly enjoyable read. Rayback get's the detail level just right and succeed's at painting a thorough portrait of Millard Fillmore's life, political career, and the times and issues in which he lived. The writing style is very readable and rarely does the book get dull.

The only criticism I have regarding this book is that it does seem to be slightly biased in favor of Fillmore and makes some assumptions regarding Fillmore's inner feelings and thoughts on certain events for which I am quite sure the author would be hard pressed to find definitive documentation. The book also portrays Fillmore as always being selfless, good intentioned and often a victim of his own magnaminity while his enemies (namely Thurlow Weed and William Seward) were motivated only by the pursuit of political power. My suspicion is the story is not quite as one sided as this but Rayback, in my opinion, does not adequately explain fully the motivations behind Weed's enmity towards Fillmore. My guess is Weed's abolitionism and sectionalism was at odds with Fillmore's more pragmatic opposition to slavery and conviction of the primacy of preserving the Union. With the hindsight of history I believe good points can be argued about both positions however Rayback defaults to Fillmore's point of view.

These criticisms aside, this is still a great biography and highly recommended.

An excellent biography of a little known President. I was pleasantly surprised to find a well written and articulated biography. I think Robert Raybach, did a thorough job in his research and it shows in the detail of his writing. Millard Fillmore, is a better President then some of those who proceeded him and who immediately followed after him. His integrity was beyond reproach and he was a self made man. He was a pragmatist where as his successor treated the white house as a waffle house instead of with the same courage as Millard Fillmore. I highly recommend this biography to anyone who wishes to become more familiar with the 13th President of the United States. This biography should be in every high school and college and university across the country.

Few American presidents have suffered from a more dismal historical reputation than Millard Fillmore. Succeeding to the presidency upon the death of Zachary Taylor in 1850, his years in office were characterized by the increasing failure of the political process to deal with the growing tensions over the issue of slavery. His greatest triumph as president, the shepherding of the Compromise of 1850 to passage, came to be seen in retrospect as a marker on the path leading to secession and civil war. Even his very name has come to be held against him - after all, what kind of name was Millard Fillmore for a president?

Yet even a president of Fillmore's poor standing is not without his defenders, and foremost among them is Robert Rayback. His biography of America's 13th president highlights a remarkable person and an unlikely path to the nation's highest political office. Born into a poor farming family in western New York, Fillmore became an attorney by reading the law. Moving to Buffalo, he prospered with the city and became a leading figure of the community, soon moving from a lucrative legal career into politics. An able state legislator and Congressman, his nomination for the vice presidency in 1848 nonetheless had to do more with the complex politics of his state than any acknowledgment of his national stature. When thrust into the presidency, however, Fillmore rose to the challenge, focusing on sectional peace and winning the esteem of southern Whigs for his defense of the institution of slavery against the increasing anti-slavery clamor of the north. Yet Rayback sees Fillmore's hesitation over seeking another term as costing him the Whig Party nomination in 1852, while an ill-advised run for the presidency four years later as the nominee of the nativist American (Know-Nothing) Party represented the climax of his career in politics, leaving him to serve a lengthy retirement engaged in a range of civic activities back in Buffalo

Rayback's biography is a well-written account of Fillmore's life and career, though one that is far too sympathetic to its subject. Throughout the book Rayback exaggerates Fillmore's opposition to slavery and downplays his staunch support for nativism. His Fillmore possesses no flaws, only virtues which are then exploited by unscrupulous and self-centered opponents who exploit his high-minded goals for their own selfish ends. Nowhere is this approach demonstrated more clearly than in his depiction of Fillmore's relationship with Thurlow Weed, the New York editor and political boss. Weed becomes the great villain in Rayback's account, reducing William H. Seward, Weed's associate and Fillmore's real political competitor, to the status of a mere puppet. Not only is Weed seen as the primary force behind Fillmore's political setbacks but also his poor historical reputation - all while Fillmore regularly takes the high road or turns the other cheek. Such partisanship ultimately proves counterproductive, as it undermines the overall value of his book by bringing into question Rayback's judgment of Fillmore's character and accomplishments, which distorts the president's role in American history. Readers seeking a more balanced analysis of Fillmore would be better off turning to Paul Finkelman's more recent Millard Fillmore: The American Presidents Series: The 13th President, 1850-1853 than this book, which is both defined and limited by its author's passionate defense of his subject.

Millard Fillmore, when he is remembered at all, usually gets a passing mention as one of the "caretaker" Presidents from the mid-1800's... an era characterized by a much weaker Executive Branch than we have today. Since he is one of two Presidents hailing from Buffalo, NY (the other being Grover Cleveland), I had some hopes that maybe I would discover some little-known nugget to make him more interesting. Sorry...history's meek judgement of him seems to be about right. He wasn't even elected; in a political compromise, his party (the now-defunct Whigs) made him the Vice Presidential candidate to Pres. Zachary Taylor. When Taylor died unexpectedly, Fillmore took office. After an uninspiring term in the White House, he didn't seek re-election, and by many accounts, it looks like he wouldn't have been re-elected anyhow. It seems odd, but may be an indication of his tepid appeal, that Fillmore - a President of the United States spent so much time and anguish fighting an arch-nemesis (Mr.Weed) who was little more than the editor of a regional Albany,NY newspaper.

Most of the 440 pages here comprise dry descriptions of the political maneuvering, party in-fighting, and administrative wrangling that pass for "highlights" of his tenure. Fillmore was an able political functionary, and a loyal Party Man to his beloved Whigs, but from what I can tell, he was completely lacking in passion or charisma.
To give the President his due, he spent a good deal of time trying to maintain the uneasy peace between Northern and Southern states. Even in the 1840's, "hot" issues (e.g. the slave-vs.-free status of California) were starting to escalate the North/South acrimony which would eventually culminate in the American Civil War.
On the global stage, the only tidbit of interest was that Fillmore sent Admiral Perry on his legendary errand to the Emperor of Japan. The appearance of Perry's imposing fleet of black, coal-fueled warships intimidated the Japanese to reverse their age-old policy of isolationism.. partly out of fear, but also out of admiration... the sophisticated design of Perry's ships impressed the Japanese, and fueled their ambitions to modernize. It was a seminal moment in Japanese history: the spiritual beginning of the Meiji Era, in which Japan transformed from an aloof kingdom to a major regional player in East Asia. The Japanese themselves recognize the significance of Perry's "visit", and in Enoshima (the little village on Tokyo Bay where Perry touched down) they still celebrate "Kurofune" ("black ship" [day:]) with fireworks and festival.

Books about Fillmore are few, so if you have some special interest in him, or in his role as a local figure in Buffalo, then by all means consider this book. If you are looking for a good read, a fascinating new perspective on history, or a tantilizing look at life in the mid 19th century... keep looking.

the name millard fillmore often is used as part of a joke. however this biography shows that this obscure president actually helped postpone the civil war and may have been one of our most effective presidents. the book also gives an interesting backround to the civil war and the beginnings of the republican party. it was a suprisingly good read .

Rayback sets up a promising premsie for the book. One in which the traditional view of Fillmore as a "weak and pompous president" is challenged and a more fully explored Whig party is presented. Rayback asserts that Fillmore's was truly a statesman and the popular view held is manipulated by his enemies, Thurlow Weed and William Seward. However, his arguments fall flat, the work comes across as a biased account of the presidency, and Fillmore, in my opinion, still comes across as a very weak leader.

What I think Raback does do successfully, however, is relate the circumstances that caused the disintegration of the Whig Party and ushered in the Republican Party. Additionally, Rayback does explore some interesting aspects of Fillmore's career: his role in the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the inner-party fighting between Fillmore and Weed, the exploration of a canal through Latin America, shortening travel between Asia and America, and what may be the turning point of separation of Church in State as we know it today. The reader can't help but understand a little more why we are marching towards the Civil War as well.

Rayback's writing style is descriptive and he certainly has a good command of the Enghlish languate. However, I felt each chapter was about 10 pages too long.

Overall, I think this contributes to our exercise of building our knowledge of American history but would not recommend this to the casual reader, as it took quite a bit of focus for me to finish.