 "Zachary Taylor’s official presidential portrait. Image courtesy: whitehousehistory.org")
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of profiles taking a closer look at US presidents ahead of the 2024 presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Zachary Taylor, the 12th President of the United States, was a military hero before entering the presidency.
Known as “Old Rough and Ready” for his rugged demeanour and battlefield successes, Taylor’s brief time in office was marked by the rising tensions over slavery, which he opposed expanding into the newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War.
His unexpected death in 1850 left unresolved issues that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.
Taylor in the military
Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia. He came from a prominent family with ties to the early American colonies.
His father, Richard Taylor, served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In 1785, the family moved to Kentucky, where Taylor was raised on a plantation.
Taylor entered the US Army in 1808 as a first lieutenant and quickly distinguished himself in a military career that spanned more than four decades.
He served in several conflicts, including the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and the Second Seminole War. Taylor’s military career was marked by his leadership and tactical skill, earning him promotions and the respect of his peers.
Taylor’s national fame, however, came during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), where he led American forces to victory in several key battles, including the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Buena Vista.
His success in the war made him a national hero and laid the foundation for his eventual run for the presidency.
Taylor wins the election
Despite having no prior political experience, Taylor was nominated as the Whig Party’s candidate for president in 1848. His military reputation and status as a national hero helped him win the election, defeating Democrat Lewis Cass and former US President Martin Van Buren, who ran as a candidate for the Free Soil Party.
Taylor was a reluctant politician, but his status as a political outsider appealed to many voters. He avoided taking clear positions on controversial issues during the campaign, particularly slavery, which was increasingly dividing the country.
This allowed him to win support from both Northern and Southern voters.
Taylor in the White House
Zachary Taylor took office on March 4, 1849, during a period of intense debate over the status of slavery in the newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War.
Although Taylor was a slaveholder himself, he opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories. He believed that the settlers in these regions should decide whether to allow slavery, a stance that angered many Southern leaders.
One of the key challenges of Taylor’s presidency was addressing the issue of California’s admission to the Union. In 1849, California, spurred by the Gold Rush, sought to enter the Union as a free state.
Taylor supported California’s admission as a free state without forcing the issue of slavery into the debate, despite strong opposition from Southern politicians who feared losing political power if more free states were admitted.
Taylor’s refusal to support a compromise that would appease both Northern and Southern factions placed him at odds with many in Congress, particularly Southern leaders like Senator John C Calhoun.
Taylor threatened to use military force to keep Southern states in the Union if they attempted secession, a stance that foreshadowed the eventual Civil War.
Taylor’s death during term
Zachary Taylor’s presidency was cut short when he fell ill after attending a Fourth of July celebration in 1850. He died on July 9, 1850, just 16 months into his term, making him one of the shortest-serving US presidents.
Taylor’s death came at a critical moment in the nation’s history, as the debate over slavery and sectionalism was reaching a boiling point.
Following his death, US Vice President Millard Fillmore assumed the presidency and supported the Compromise of 1850, a package of bills that aimed to ease tensions between free and slave states.
While the compromise temporarily calmed sectional tensions, it also delayed the inevitable conflict that would erupt into the Civil War.
Taylor’s family & legacy
Taylor’s legacy is often viewed through the lens of his military career rather than his brief presidency.
As a soldier, Taylor was widely respected for his leadership and tactical acumen.
As president, he is remembered for his firm stance against the expansion of slavery, despite the fact that he did not live to see the outcome of the debate that would define the nation’s future.
Zachary Taylor was married to Margaret Mackall Smith, and the couple had six children, including their daughter Sarah Knox Taylor, who briefly married future Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Despite his Southern roots and ownership of slaves, Taylor’s opposition to the spread of slavery into new territories was a defining aspect of his political views.