Probably a copy plate, possibly from an original by Jesse Whitehurst (1820-1875); see Pfister 1978, pp 317-18, nos. 85D, 85e
Biography: Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) worked his way up through the Whig Party, and in 1848 was selected as Zachary Taylor's running mate. It was thought that the self-made candidate from New York would complement Taylor, a slave-holding military man from the South, but instead Taylor opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories, while Filmore threw in with the Compromisers. When Taylor died in office in 1850, Fillmore became president and announced his support for the Compromise of 1850; he also signed the Fugitive Slave Act. In 1856, he was the presidential candidate of the Know Nothing (or American) Party, but lost the election. Throughout the Civil War, Fillmore opposed President Lincoln and during Reconstruction supported President Johnson.
