Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/104

 FILLMORE

FILLMORE

up a tract of military land, and built the log cabin in which Millard, the second son, was born. The title to the property proving defective, he removed to Sempi'onius, afterward Niles. Cayuga county, and took a perpetual lease of 130 acres of land covered with timber. As the boy grew up he worked on the farm nine months of each year and the remaining three months attended the primitive school of the neighborhood. Until he was nineteen years old the only books to which he had access were the Bible and a collection of hymns. When fourteen yeai-s old he was appren- ticed on trial for a few months to a wool-carder and cloth-dresser at Sparta, N.Y., his father de- termining to give him a trade rather than have him adopt the hard life of the farmer. In the fulling-mill he exjierienced all the ills that in those daj's fell to the lot of the apprentice in the power of an unjust master. He escaped cor- poral punishment on one occasion by defending his manhood with an uplifted axe, and on the day his time of apprenticeship ended he took his few belongings in a bundle and travelled on foot and alone one hundred miles to his home, the most of the distance through dense forests, following paths marked by blazed trees. In 1815 he was apprenticed to a Mr. Cheney, a wool-carder. He purchased a small English dictionary, his only text-book, and diligently studied it while at the carding machine. In 1819 he purchased one j'ear of his time, and began to study law in the office of Judge Wood of Montville, N.Y., working in the office, garden and house to pay his board. He also taught school in the winter, studied and practised land surveying, and in 1823 was ad- mitted to the court of common pleas as an attor- ney, before he had completed the prescribed law course. He be,gan practice at East Aurora, N. Y., then the home of his parents. He was admitted as an attorney of the supreme court of the state in 1827 and as a coimsellor in 1829. He removed to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1830 and practised law in partnership with Nathan K. Hall and Solomon G. Haven. They continued in business together until 1847 and were retained on most of the im- portant causes that were tried in the Erie cormty courts. He was elected to the state assembly from Erie county in 1828-29-30 and 1831, and while in that body drafted and advocated the bill for the abolition of impi-isonment for debt, passed in 1831. He was a representative in the 23d con- gress, 1838-35, and in the 25th, 26th and 27th con- gresses. 1837-43, declining renomination in 1843. He was chairtnan of the ways and means com- mittee in the 27th congi-ess. the duties of that committee at that time including also those of the subsequently created committee on appropri- ations. He was largely responsible for the tariff bill of 1842, and aided Mor.se to get through con-

gress his appropriation to build the first telegraph line. In the Whig national convention of 1844 he was a candidate for the vice-presidential nomi- nation and received the support of the delegates from several western states, besides his own del- egation. At the election in November he was defeated in the gubernatorial contest by Silas Wright, and in 1847 he was elected comptroller of the state. In the Whig national convention of 1848 he was nominated for vice-president on the second ballot, Abbott Lawrence of Massachu- setts leading on the first, when the southern states rallied to Fillmore. Gen. Zachary Taylor

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had been nominated for President, and at the succeeding election the ticket received 163 of the 290 electoral votes, and a plurality of 139,557 of the popular votes. Mr Fillmore resigned as comptroller in February, 1849, and on March 4, 1850, was inaugurated Vice-President of the United States. As president of the senate he gave universal satisfaction and his impartial rulings were never questioned during the seven months of stormy debate over the " Omnibiis bill " of Henry Clay. President Taylor died, July 9, 1850. and Mr. Fillmore was inaugurated President of the United States at noon, July 10, 1850, being sworn in before both houses of congress assembled in the hall of representatives, by Chief Justice Crouch of the circuit court of the District of Columbia. The official family of President Tay- lor promptly resigned, and President Fillmore made Daniel Webster of Massachusetts secretary of state; Thomas Corwin of Ohio secretary of the treasury ; William A. Graham of North Caro- lina secretary of the navy ; Charles M. Conrad of Louisiana secretary of war: James A. Pierce of Maryland secretary of the interior; John J. Crit- tenden of Kentucky attorney -general: and Nathan K. Hall of New York postmaster-general. Changes occurred in bis cabinet. Secretary Pierce being succeedeil by Thomas 51. T. JIcKennan of Pennsylvania to the interior department, and he in turn by Alexander H. H. Stuart of Virginia in 1850; Dan-el Webster died Oct. 24, 18.52. and Edward Everett of Massachusetts succeeded him as secretarv of state; William A. Graham re-