When we discuss any list of the greatest U.S. Presidents of all time, it is unlikely that Millard Fillmore will be part of the conversation. While there are certainly several Presidents who accomplish more than the man who would become the 13th President of the United States, particularly in terms of their actual time as President, the major accomplishments of Millard Fillmore should not be discarded. When it comes to Millard Fillmore major achievements, there are several things worth noting.
1. He Battled Extreme Poverty To Get To Power.
In certain regards, Millard Fillmore is a true American success story. He rose from extreme poverty to become President of the United States. By the age of fourteen, his father desired to have his son Millard achieve more than that of the life of a farmer. As a result, he had him become a cloth dresser apprentice.
2. He Worked Very Hard To Educate Himself.
Fillmore received very little in the way of former schooling. Nonetheless, from a young age, to the time he began to display an interest in the law, and indeed, for the rest of his life, Fillmore worked tirelessly to give himself the best education he possibly could.
3. He Became Vice President.
Although Fillmore is one of the Presidents to hold the distinction of holding the office of U.S. President without actually running for it, he did have to become Vice President of his own talent. Although he was a surprise choice for the Vice President under Zachary Taylor, Fillmore was nonetheless given this distinction for the Election of 1848. Prior to this, he was elected to the New York State legislature in 1828 through the Anti-Masonic ticket.
4. He Worked To Reduce Tension Between The North And South.
There is no question that Millard Fillmore became Vice President, and then President, during a difficult period in the history of the nation. Although Fillmore himself personally opposed slavery, he believed that preserving the wholeness of the Union was something that should be emphasized above everything else. He supported the idea that New Mexico and Utah should be allowed to decide the issue of slavery on their own. Although slavery was not banned in Washington D.C., Fillmore did manage to get the slave trade banned.
5. He Founded The First Permanent White House Library.
Although it is true that history has not been kind to Millard Fillmore, he and his wife did found the first permanent White House library.