Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was the 12th president of the United States from 1849 to his 1850. He was a second cousin to James Madison and was a general during the Mexican-American War. He was the first person elected to the presidency without any political experience.^[1]

Taylor was a general in the United States Army. He led an army during the Mexican-American War. He was selected by the Whigs to be their candidate because he was a famous general. He was the last president to own slaves while in office.^[2]

During his term, slavery was a big issue because the North wanted no expansion of slavery in the United States and wanted to stop newly-formed states from allowing slavery. The South believed that people in territories had the right to own slaves and threatened to leave the country, which eventually happened in 1860.

Taylor strongly opposed like the idea of the South leaving the United States. He threatened to use military force if that happened.

Taylor never voted until he was 62 years old since he had never been a resident of a particular location in the country long enough to register to vote.^[3]

Only 16 months into his presidency, Taylor died of cholera and his vice president, Millard Fillmore, became president and took his place.

The Compromise of 1850, a proposal of several laws to calm down the slavery issue by pleasing both the North and the South, was voted on in Congress shortly after his death. It was negotiated by Kentucky Senator Henry Clay, who was a distant cousin of both Taylor and Abraham Lincoln.

• Taylor's White House biography Archived 2008-12-14 at the Wayback Machine