Title: Oil Portrait of Millard Fillmore

Description: Millard Fillmore stepped into the Presidency after the death of Zachary Taylor. President Fillmore battled to keep the Union whole amidst sectional disputes over slavery and tariffs by supporting the compromise of 1850, which admitted California as a free state, banned the slave trade in Washington DC, and passed a strict Fugitive Slave Law. Constantly working, he kept his office open seven days a week. In the White House he installed an updated heating system, remodeled the bathrooms, painted frescoes on the ceilings, replaced the wallpaper, and added new artwork. Fillmore is shown pointing at the Constitution to emphasize union at a time when several Southern States threatened to secede.

Date: 1857

Creator: George P. A. Healy

Credit: White House Historical Association (White House Collection)