Millard Fillmore [Hardcover]

Robert J. Scarry (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786408693 | ISBN-13: 978-0786408696 | Publication Date: February 10, 2001

From the time he left office in 1853, thirteenth United States president Millard Fillmore has become increasingly shrouded in mystery and stereotyped by traditional anecdotes that have come to be accepted as fact. The real Millard Fillmore was not the weak and boring figurehead many Americans today believe he was. This account of Fillmore's life is drawn largely from the Fillmore family's personal papers, many of which have previously been suppressed, unavailable, or believed lost for decades. Covering Fillmore's life from his ancestry to his presidency, and finally to his death and descent into obscurity, this history presents Fillmore as his own letters do, and as his friends, family members, and contemporaries saw him, as a distinguished and honorable man who was also a strong and effective president. This comprehensive work includes a genealogy of the Fillmore family, a brief chronology of Fillmore's life and career, a bibliography, and an index. Photographs complement this carefully researched portrait of a wrongfully underrated American leader.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Scarry rescues Fillmore from relative obscurity with this meticulously researched review of the life of the thirteenth president of the U.S. Long underrated by scholars and unappreciated by presidential buffs, Fillmore is usually remembered for his advocacy of the Compromise of 1850 and his involvement in the controversial Know-Nothing Party. Utilizing Fillmore's personal papers and correspondence as the foundation for his investigation, the author paints a full-bodied portrait of a man and a president who was much more complex, energetic, and successful than most conventional histories would lead us to believe. This definitive life story will round out often-incomplete collections of presidential biographies. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Meticulously researched.... This definitive life story will round out often-incomplete collections of presidential biographies." --Booklist/RBB

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (February 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786408693
• ISBN-13: 978-0786408696
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent and Thorough Biography, March 12, 2001

By 

"mman33" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Millard Fillmore (Hardcover)

Historians have relegated Millard Fillmore to virtual obscurity. This biography, however, attempts to improve his image as a strong, effective, chief executive. The author traces Fillmore's lineage, childhood, law career, Congressional years, and presidency.

The author argues that Fillmore based his presidency on nationalism, Constitutional principles, and laissez-faire economy. Although opposed to slavery, Fillmore supported the Fugitive Slave Law as a compromise to avert Civil War. He supported the Compromise of 1850 that submitted California as a free state. To promote economic growth, he endorsed a moderate 20% tariff. He also appealed for the Transcontinental Railroad. According to the author, he strongly handled the Texas-New Mexico dispute. Fillmore advocated neutrality in foreign affairs with moderate diplomacy.

This book adroitly recognizes Millard Fillmore's accomplishments in an intelligent manner. The book has many interesting anecdotes and quotes that greatly embellish the narrative. For example, Fillmore's writings demonstrate an adherence to Constitutional principles, nationalism, and favorite foods, stand on slavery, and political ideology.

This book includes illustrations and thorough footnoting. The chronological format adds to my reading enjoyment. The appendix includes letters and notes at the end to supplement the text. An excellent bibliography gives the reader a list of books for further exploration. The book also includes a useful Millard Fillmore chronology about important dates and events. The lucid prose adds cogency in perhaps a too sympathetic biography.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reads more like a giant pamphlet than a biography, October 1, 2003

By 

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Millard Fillmore (Hardcover)

While I agree with the author that Millard Fillmore has been unjustly maligned by historians as a weak boring president, I found this biography to more of a disservice to Fillmore than anything else.

Detail in a biography is nice, but this book reads more like a giant pamphlet, with endless recitation of one tidbit after another, than a coherent, analytical biography. The paragraphs often seem to have nothing to do with each other; the author states a single fact, cites his source, and then moves on. The facts being stated sometimes seem to be more than the reader really needs:

"Fillmore wrote home about accidents. In 1838, a head-on collision of locomotives occurred on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad which prevented a passenger train arriving with mail. In 1841, a flood on the Susquehanna River carried away a steamboat to Chesapeake Bay. A rescue boat was sent for relief." (p. 123)

What usefulness such information serves in understanding Fillmore (other than the fact that he wrote letters to his family) is beyond me. Unfortunately, the book is full of such paragraphs.

When he is not inundating the reader with minutiae, Scarry tends to sound like a character witness in Fillmore's trial. He clearly reacts personally to what he perceives as negative attacks on Fillmores character, and indignantly leaps to Fillmore's defense. Since I don't find Fillmore to be a particularly controversial historical figure, I find this passion to be somewhat misplaced. It tends to detract from a sense of objectivity on the author's part.

When all is said and done, I guess you can say that this is informative a biography on Fillmore as the reader can expect to find. Being informative does not necessarily equate with being a good biography. For example, one could read Robert Remini's biography of Daniel Webster to get a contrast on how one can write about this time period. Fillmore is important to a certain degree, but I really don't think his importance merits a biography as exhaustive as this.

This is not a terrible biography, and it does fill a void regarding Fillmore. However, the author would be well-advised to remove much of the minutiae, which would cut the book's length in half. The tedious nature of the book means many readers may lose interest halfway through.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Millard Fillmore - Robert J. Scarry, January 9, 2002

By 

H K Schoonover (Hillsborough, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Millard Fillmore (Hardcover)

Robert Scarry was a retired history teacher and town and village historian for Moravia, New York. Scarry's own study of Fillmore spanded several decades. In this work, Mr. Scarry has probably created the definative work on our country's thirteenth president.

Robert Scarry has shown that much of what is commonly held to be true of Millard Fillmore is not. His earlier work (1965) on Fillmore was a small booklet that underwent several printings. Now, in his book, Millard Fillmore, Scarry has presented new material that stands even some of his earlier research on its head.

As a much-misunderstood figure in American history, Fillmore has both received blame for that which he should not be held to account for and not enough credit for the his overlooked or forgotten successes during his pre-civil war presidency.

Civil War period buffs and anyone intersted in the early days of our country and the presidentcy should get this book.