General Zachary Taylor, Mexican American War and War of 1812, President of the United States died suddenly in office after serving 16 months

Zachary Taylor, a general and national hero in the United States Army from the time of the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812, was elected the 12th U.S. President, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850.

Northerners and Southerners disputed sharply whether the territories wrested from Mexico should be opened to slavery, and some Southerners even threatened secession. Standing firm, Zachary Taylor was prepared to hold the Union together by armed force rather than by compromise.

Born in Virginia in 1784, he was taken as an infant to Kentucky and raised on a plantation. He was a career officer in the Army, but his talk was most often of cotton raising. His home was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he owned a plantation in Mississippi.

But Taylor did not defend slavery or southern sectionalism; 40 years in the Army made him a strong nationalist.

He spent a quarter of a century policing the frontiers against Indians. In the Mexican War he won major victories at Monterrey and Buena Vista.

President Polk, disturbed by General Taylor’s informal habits of command and perhaps his Whiggery as well, kept him in northern Mexico and sent an expedition under Gen. Winfield Scott to capture Mexico City. Taylor, incensed, thought that “the battle of Buena Vista opened the road to the city of Mexico and the halls of Montezuma, that others might revel in them.”

“Old Rough and Ready’s” homespun ways were political assets. His long military record would appeal to northerners; his ownership of 100 slaves would lure southern votes. He had not committed himself on troublesome issues. The Whigs nominated him to run against the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass, who favored letting the residents of territories decide for themselves whether they wanted slavery.

In protest against Taylor the slaveholder and Cass the advocate of “squatter sovereignty,” northerners who opposed extension of slavery into territories formed a Free Soil Party and nominated Martin Van Buren. In a close election, the Free Soilers pulled enough votes away from Cass to elect Taylor.

Although Taylor had subscribed to Whig principles of legislative leadership, he was not inclined to be a puppet of Whig leaders in Congress. He acted at times as though he were above parties and politics. As disheveled as always, Taylor tried to run his administration in the same rule-of-thumb fashion with which he had fought Indians.

Traditionally, people could decide whether they wanted slavery when they drew up new state constitutions. Therefore, to end the dispute over slavery in new areas, Taylor urged settlers in New Mexico and California to draft constitutions and apply for statehood, bypassing the territorial stage.

Southerners were furious, since neither state constitution was likely to permit slavery; Members of Congress were dismayed, since they felt the President was usurping their policy-making prerogatives. In addition, Taylor’s solution ignored several acute side issues: the northern dislike of the slave market operating in the District of Columbia; and the southern demands for a more stringent fugitive slave law.

In February 1850 President Taylor had held a stormy conference with southern leaders who threatened secession. He told them that if necessary to enforce the laws, he personally would lead the Army. Persons “taken in rebellion against the Union, he would hang … with less reluctance than he had hanged deserters and spies in Mexico.” He never wavered.

Then events took an unexpected turn. After participating in ceremonies at the Washington Monument on a blistering July 4, Taylor fell ill; within five days he was dead. After his death, the forces of compromise triumphed, but the war Taylor had been willing to face came 11 years later. In it, his only son Richard served as a general in the Confederate Army.

1. Nominated for the presidency by the Whig Party in convention in Philadelphia, with Millard Fillmore as the vice presidential candidate. Margaret Taylor personally opposed her husband’s presidential ambitions.
2. 1848, Nov. 7Supported by grassroots “Rough and Ready” political clubs, won electoral victory over Democrat Lewis Cass of Michigan and former president Martin Van Buren. Though a slaveholder invested in the agricultural economy of the South, held a strongly nationalist political and economic stance and opposed over-use of presidential veto power.Zachary Taylor, People’s Candidate for President. Lithograph, N. Currier, 1848. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-DIG-ds-00861.
3. 1848, Dec.Daughter Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Taylor (1824 -1909) wed aide Colonel William W. S. Bliss, who served under Taylor in Texas at the battle of Monterrey. Betty Bliss assumed many of the functions as social hostess at the White House during the Taylor presidency.
4. 1849, Feb. 23Met with President Polk at the White House, as president-elect.
5. 1849, Mar. 5Inaugurated as president of the United States. The inauguration was deferred one day, as the traditional March 4 date fell on a Sunday. Delivered address on East Portico of the U.S. Capitol.The Inauguration of President Zachary Taylor. William Croome, artist; engraving Philadelphia: Smith & Peters, 1849. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-DIG-pga-00307
6. 1849, June 15Former president James K. Polk died in Nashville, Tenn., just months after leaving office.
7. 1849, Aug.Cholera epidemic in Washington. Traveled to Pennsylvania.
8. 1849, Dec. 4First Annual Message to Congress. 
9. 1850, Jan. 23Address on newly acquired territories. Advocated statehood for California and New Mexico.
10. 1850Construction of a Nicaraguan canal discussed in Washington by representatives of the United States and Britain.
11. 1850Instructed son Richard Taylor (1826-1879) to purchase a new plantation, operated by nearly 100 enslaved persons, to add to the family wealth.
12. 1850, Mar. 4John C. Calhoun’s last speech prepared for the Senate addressed the issue of equilibrium between slave and free states, southern rights in regard to slavery, and the threat of disunion. Calhoun died March 31.
13. 1850, Mar. 7Daniel Webster gave his famous speech advocating Union over sectionalism and state loyalties. 
14. 1850, April 22Message regarding treaty with Great Britain.
15. 1850, July 4Spent an active day participating in Independence Day ceremonies in hot summer weather. Consumed ice water and fresh fruit upon return to the Executive Mansion. Fell ill with stomach symptoms that were initially not considered life threatening.
16. 1850, JulySigned Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with Britain, regarding expansion of U.S. commercial interests and a Central American canal.Death of Zachary Taylor. Lithograph, N. Currier, 1850. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-USZ62-5996
17. 1850, July 9After five days of increasingly severe intestinal pain, died in the night at the White House, attended to by grieving family members. Cause of death attributed to “cholera morbus.” Served as president for only sixteen months, and was the second president to die in office.
18. 1850, July 10Vice President Millard Fillmore became president of the United States.
19. 1850, July 12Taylor’s body lay in state for public viewing in the East Room of the White House.
20. 1850, July 13Formal funeral procession in Washington, organized by General Winfield Scott, witnessed by one hundred thousand people along the parade route. The hearse was followed by Taylor’s horse, Old Whitey, and his family members, military units, and ordinary citizens who joined the march.

1. EARLIER YEARS 1816 Reentered U.S. Army and commissioned as major in command of a regiment; remained involved in his plantation. 
2. 1816Commanded Fort Howard near present day Green Bay, Wisc.
3. 1818Returned to Louisville on furlough.
4. 1819Promoted to lieutenant colonel. Attended social event for President James Monroe and military officer and future president Andrew Jackson when the two visited Frankfort, Ky.
5. 1820Engaged in Eighth Infantry construction of Jackson Road in Louisiana. Family fell severely ill with malaria. Two youngest daughters, Octavia (1816-1820) and Margaret (1819-1820), died. Wife Margaret Taylor survived but experienced compromised health for the remainder of her life.
6. 1826, Jan. 27Last child, and only son, Richard Scott “Dick” Taylor (1826-1879), born at Springfield. Richard was educated in private schools in Kentucky and New England, and like his father, became a southern planter and military officer.
7. 1832Commanded regular troops at Fort Armstong, Rock Island, Ill. Had responsibility for temporary custody of Sac leader Black Hawk as prisoner of war after the defeated Indian leader surrendered at Prairie du Chien in August. Black Hawk was later transferred to the custody of General Winfield Scott.
8. 1835, JuneDisapproved a military life for his daughters and opposed the courtship of daughter Sarah Taylor and junior officer Jefferson Davis. Despite opposition, Sarah Taylor married Lieutenant Jefferson Davis at her aunt’s home near Louisville. 
9. 1835, Aug.On a trip South, son-in-law Jefferson Davis and daughter Sarah both contracted malaria, and Sarah died of the illness.Jefferson Davis. Photograph by Mathew Brady, c. 1858. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-DIG-ppmsca-23852
10. 1837Saw victory at Battle of Lake Okeechobee, Second Seminole War. Promoted to brevet brigadier general.
11. 1840, Apr.Granted leave and left Florida.
12. 1840Taylor family took up residence in Louisiana, near Baton Rouge. Owned slaveholding properties in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
13. 1841Critical of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, supported the Whig Party and the presidency of former commanding officer William Henry Harrison.
14. 1841-1844Commanded forts in present day Oklahoma (Fort Gibson) and Arkansas (Fort Smith).
15. 1845, AprilOrdered by President James K. Polk to command the Corps (Army) of Observation, Fort Jesup, Louisiana, on the Sabine River bordering Texas.
16. 1845, JulyArrived Corpus Christi, on Nueces River. Trained over 3,000 soldiers in the following months.
17. 1845Son Richard Taylor graduated from Yale College in Connecticut. He suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which interfered with hopes for a military career. Took charge of a Taylor family cotton plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi.
18. 1846, Mar.Army of Observation arrived at the Rio Grande, near what is today Brownsville, Texas.
19. 1846, April Mexican War began between Mexico and the United States.
20. 1846, MayPresident Polk met with cabinet regarding Mexico and planned war message to Congress. Both houses of Congress agreed that war was already in progress and authorized force.Zachary Taylor, Major General of the U.S. Army. Edward Williams Clay, artist; lithograph, F. Michelin, c. 1847. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-DIG-pga-03137
21. 1846, May 23News of Taylor’s victories in battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma reached Washington. Retained command of the Army on the Rio Grande.
22. 1846, Sept.Seized Monterrey and agreed to truce with Pedro de Ampudia. Allowed Ampudia’s forces to retreat without pursuit and agreed to suspension of hostilities (an armistice) pending further orders to be received from the respective governments. News reached Washington in October, to popular acclaim but the chagrin of President Polk.Storming of Monterey: Major General Zachary Taylor. Maurice Strakosch, piano Forte music; New York: William Hall & Son, 1848. Music Copyright Deposits, Library of Congress. Microfilm M 3106 M1.A12I vol. 22 Case Class
23. 1847, Feb.Victory at Battle of Buena Vista, near Monterrey, resulted in retreat of Mexican forces under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. High casualties included American lieutenant colonel Henry Clay, Jr., of Kentucky, the son of the prominent Whig statesman. Remained at Monterey with Army of Occupation in the months following, while General Winfield Scott, commander of U.S. troops, occupied Mexico City. Battle of Buena Vista. Lithograph, Currier & Ives, 1847. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. LC-USZC4-2957
24. 1847, Dec.Returned to the United States favored as a presidential candidate. Rejoined wife Margaret at Cypress Grove plantation near Baton Rouge, managed by overseers in his absence.

He died after only sixteen months in office, with a vague diagnosis of “food poisoning.” He had suffered five days of very high fever, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and a belly that was so incredibly painful that he wouldn’t let his doctors touch it. Some believed that he had been poisoned by people who were angered by his anti-slavery stance, village news.

United States of America,” by Frank Freidel  and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association.