Zachary Taylor — 12th President of the United States
12th President of the United States, Whig
Zachary Taylor
Term: Mar 4, 1849 – Jul 9, 1850
Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) was the twelfth president of the United States, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850, and had spent four decades as a career military officer before entering politics. He gained national recognition commanding U.S. forces in the Mexican–American War, particularly at the battles of Palo Alto and Buena Vista. Taylor died in office after approximately 16 months as president, with his cause of death attributed to acute gastroenteritis; he was succeeded by Vice President Millard Fillmore.
“Let us invoke a continuance of the same protecting care which has led us from small beginnings to the eminence we this day occupy, and let us seek to deserve that continuance by prudence and moderation in our councils, by well-directed attempts to assuage the bitterness which too often marks unavoidable differences of opinion…”