#12 Zachary Taylor- The Reluctant President

#12 Zachary Taylor- The Reluctant President

Taylor enlisted in the Army in 1806 and was commissioned first lieutenant of the infantry in 1808. He served for almost 40 years, going through the War of 1812, Blackhawk War (1832) and the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) where he reached the rank of brigadier general, eventually advancing to major general in 1846 for the Mexican-American War, where he was most known for disobeying President Polk’s orders and taking his diminished army south for the Battle of Buena Vista where he won a victory even though he and his men were outnumbered 4-1. “Old Rough and Ready”, as his soldiers called him, was put on the ballot in 1848 for the fame he received as general and national hero.

1849;

• Zachary Taylor becomes 12th President of the United States at the age of 64. Millard Filmore was his Vice President.
• James K. Polk is laid to rest in Nashville, TN

POLK’S TOMB

1850; President Taylor dies of cholera morbus and is buried in Louisville, KY

GENERAL TAYLOR’S TOMB

Though Taylor had a short Presidency, his legacy stood tall from his acts as General. His last few months in Presidency were filled with debates over the possible expansion of slavery in the territories won in the Mexican war. While the Compromise of 1850 was being discussed by Congress, Taylor stood firm against it, prepared to hold the Union together by force, rather than compromise.

Famous quotes;

“For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory…”

“It eminently becomes a government like our own, founded on the morality and intelligence of its citizens and upheld by their affections, to exhaust every resort of honorable diplomacy before appealing to arms.”