Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/105

 FILLMORE

KILSUN

signed the portfolio of the navy the same year to acceiit the nomination of vice-president on the Wliig national ticket with Gen. Winfield Scott as President, and John P. Kennedy of Maryland succeeded to the navy department; and Post- master-General Hall resigned in 1852 to accept the judgeship of the U.S. court for the northern district of New York, and was succeeded in tlie post-office department by Samuel D. Hubbard of Connecticut. President Fillmore defended New Mexico from invasion by promptly sending a mil- itary force to the Jlexican border. Before sign- ing the compromise measures passed by congress, including the fugitive slave act, he submitted them to the attorney-general to determine their constitutionality, and to his entire cabinet for unanimous approval, notwithstanding which cau- tion he was afterward severely criticised for his act, and his administi'ation failed to receive the support of a large portion of his party in the north. The majority in both houses of congress being opposed to him, his recommendations re- ceived scant attention and many of them failed of adoption. In spite of this opposition he gave to the country cheaper postage, an enlarged and beautified national capitol and the benefit of a

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new market with Japan. In dealing with foreign powers he maintained the principle of non-inter- vention, applying it equally to Cuba and Hungary without obtaining disfavor with the struggling peoples anxious to throw off the yokes of Spain and Austria. In his last message to congress Dec. 6, 18.')'3, he regarded the advice of his cabinet by suppressing the portion in which he recommended a scheme of gi-adual emancijiation, African colo- nization and full compensation to owners of slaves, the members of his cabinet fearing that such recommendations would precipitate civil war. He retired from the presidency March 4. 18.53, leaving the country at peace with all other nations and prosperous in all lines of trade and commerce. The Whig national convention of 1853 approved the i)olicy of his administration by a vote of 227 against 60. and he was a candidate for nomination as President, but when the ballot was taken he received only twenty votes from the free states. He was nominated bv the Amer-

ican party for President in 1856 while he was absent in Europe, but the canvass as it proceeded narrowed down to a contest between the Demo- cratic and Republican parties, and the respective friends of each party, seeing no hope of electing Mr. Fillmore, divided their electoral vote, Mary- land alone remaining loyal by giving him its eight electoral votes. He received however 21.57 per cent of the popular vote, Fremont receiving 33.09 per cent, and Buchanan 45.34 per cent, his exact vote being 874,538 against 1,341,264 for Fremont and 1,838,169 for Buchanan. He was married Feb. 5, 1826, to Abigail, daughter of the Rev. Lemuel Powers. She was born March 13, 1798, and died March 23, 1853. Their only daughter. Mary Abi- gail, born March 27, 1830, died July 26, 18.54; and their only son, Millard Powers, born April 25, 1828, became a lawyer, was clerk of the U.S..

court in Buffalo and ^^.^^^ d^2?^^z^^ died there, Nov. 15, /

1859. Mr. Fillmore visited Europe in 1855 and was the recipient of attention from the (|ueen, the British cabinet, Najjoleon HI. and the pope of Rome. He declined the proffered degree of D.C.L. from the University of Oxford. He established the Buffalo historiciil society and was chancellor of the University of Buffalo; member of the Buffalo historical society, and corres|iond- ing honorary member of the New England his- toric, genealogical society, and was prominent in all public functions of that city. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hobart college in 1850. He was married in 1866 to Mrs. Caroline (Carmicbael) Mcintosh, widow of Ezekiel C. Mcintosh of Albany, and daughter of Charles and Tempe AVickham (Blackly) Carmichael of Morristown, N.J., and with her visited Europe. After his return he passed his life in retirement at his home in Buffalo. Mrs. Fillmore died in Buffalo, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1881. See Irving Cham- berlain's Bi(i{iraphy of JMiUrtrd Fillmore (1856). He died in Buffalo, N.Y., March 8, 1874.

FILSON, John, historian, was born in East Fallowtield. Chester count}'. I'a.. i)robably in 1747; son of Davison Filson, who died in 1776; and grand.son of John Filson, who died in 1751. Little is known of his early life except that he lived on the farm ov^Tied by his father an<l grand- father ; was instructed bv the Rev, Samuel Fin- ley, afterward president of the College of Ne\F