BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

OF

MILLARD FILLMORE.

JOHN FILLMORE, the great grandfather of MILLARD FILLMORE, and the common ancestor of all of that name in the United States, was of English origin, and was born about the year 1702, in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and feeling a strong propensity for a sea-faring life, at the age of about nineteen went on board a fishing vessel, which sailed from Boston. The vessel had been but a few days out when it was captured by a noted pirate-ship, commanded by Captain Phillips, and young Fillmore was kept as a prisoner. He remained on board the pirate-ship nine months, enduring every hardship which a strong constitution and firm spirit were capable of sustaining; and, though frequently threatened with instant death unless he would sign. the piratical articles of the vessel, he steadily refused until two others had been taken prisoners, who also refusing to join the crew, the three made an attack upon the pirates, and, after killing several, took the vessel and brought it safe into Boston harbor. The narrative of this adventure has been for many years in print, and details one of the most daring and successful exploits on record. The surviving pirates were tried and executed, and the heroic conduct of the captors was acknowledged by the British government. John Fillmore afterward settled in that part of the town of Norwich now called Franklin, in Connecticut, where he died.

His son, Nathaniel Fillmore, settled at an early day in Bennington, Vermont, then called the Hampshire grants, where he lived till his death, in 1814. He served in the French war, and was a true whig of the revolution, proving his devotion to his country's cause by gallantly fighting as a lieutenant under General Stark, in the battle of Bennington.

NATHANIEL FILLMORE, his son, and father of Millard, was born at Bennington on the 19th of April, 1771, and early in life removed to what is now called Summer Hill, Cayuga county, New York, where MILLARD was born, January 7th, 1800. Nathaniel was a farmer, and soon after lost all his property by a bad title to one of the military lots he had pur

chased. About the year 1802, he removed to the town of Sempronius (now Niles) in the same county, and resided there until 1819, when he removed to Erie county, where he still lives, cultivating a small farm with his own hands. He was a strong and uniform supporter of Jefferson, Madison, and Tompkins, and is now a firm whig.

sex.

His mother, Phebe Millard, the daughter of Doctor Abiathar Millard, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She was a woman of limited education, but of a very high order of intellect, united with a native grace and beauty, and exquisite sensibility, that distinguished her among her She died in 1831, and consequently did not live to enjoy what only a fond mother can appreciate the national reputation of her son. The narrow means of his father deprived Millard of any advantages of education beyond what were afforded by the imperfect and ill-taught common schools of the county. Books were scarce and dear, and at the age of fourteen, when more favored youths are far advanced in their classical studies, or enjoying in colleges the benefit of well-furnished libraries, young Fillmore had read but little except his common school-books and the Bible. At that period he was sent into the then wilds of Livingston county, to learn the clothier's trade. He remained there about four months, and was then placed with another person to pursue the same business and wool-carding in the town where his father lived. A small village library that was formed there, soon after, gave him the first means of acquiring general knowledge through books. He improved the opportunity thus offered; the appetite grew by what it fed upon. The thirst for knowledge soon became insatiate, and every leisure moment was spent in reading. Four years were passed in this way, working at his trade, and storing his mind, during such hours as he could command, with the contents of books of history, biography, and travels. At the age of nineteen he fortunately made an acquaintance with the late Walter Wood, Esq., whom many will remember as one of the most estimable citizens of Cayuga county. Judge Wood was a man of wealth and great business capacity he had an excellent law library, but did little professional business. He soon saw that under the rude exterior of the colthier's boy were powers that only required proper development to raise the possessor to high distinction and usefulness, and advised him to quit his trade and study law. In reply to the objection of a lack of education, means, and friends, to aid him in a course of professional studies, Judge Wood kindly offered to give him a place in his office, to advance money to defray his expenses, and wait until success in business should furnish the means of repayment. The offer was accepted. The apprentice boy bought his time, entered the office of Judge Wood, and for more than two years applied himself closely to business and study. He read law and general literature, and studied and practised surveying.

Fearing he should incur too large a debt to his benefactor, he taught

school for three months in the year, and acquired the means of partially supporting himself. In the fall of 1821, he removed to the county of Erie, and the next spring entered a law office in Buffalo. There he sustained himself by teaching, and continued his legal studies until the spring of 1823, when he was admitted to the Common Pleas, and being too diffi dent of his then untried powers to enter into competition with the older members of the bar in Buffalo, he removed to Aurora in that county, where he commenced the practice of law. In 1826, he was married to Abigail Powers, the youngest child of the Rev. Lemuel Powers, deceased, by whom he has two children, a son and a daughter. She is a lady of great worth, modest and unobtrusive in her deportment, and highly esteemed for her many virtues. Mrs. Fillmore is descended on the maternal side from Henry Leland, one of the early settlers of Massachusetts. In 1827, Mr. Fillmore was admitted as an attorney, and in 1829, as a counsellor, in the supreme court. Previous to this time his practice had been very limited, but his application to juridical studies had been constant and severe, and it is not to be doubted that during these few years of comparative seclusion he acquired that general knowledge of the fun. damental principles of the law which has mainly contributed in after-life to give him an elevated rank among the members of that liberal profession. His legal acquirements and skill as an advocate, soon attracted the attention of his professional brethren in Buffalo, and he was offered a highly-advantageous connection with an elder member of the bar in that city, which he accepted, and removed there in the spring of 1830, in which place he continued to reside until his election as comptroller, and removal to Albany, in the winter of 1847.

His first entrance into public life was in January, 1829, when he took his seat as a member of the assembly, from Erie county, to which office he was re-elected the two following years. The democratic party in those three sessions, as for many years before and after, held triumphant sway in both houses of the legislature, and but little opportunity was afforded a young member of the opposition to distinguish himself. But talent, integrity, and assiduous devotion to public business, will make a man felt and respected, even amid a body of opposing partisans; and Mr. Fillmore, although in a hopeless minority, so far as any question of a political or party bearing was involved, on all question of a general character soon won the confidence of the house in an unexampled degree. It was a common remark among the members, "If Fillmore says it is right, we will vote for it."

The most important measure of a general nature that came up during his service in the state legislature, was the bill to abolish imprisonment for debt. In behalf of that great and philanthropic measure, Mr. Fillmore took an active part, urging with unanswerable arguments its justice and expediency, and, as a member of the committee on the subject, aid

ing to perfect its details. That portion of the bill relating to the justices courts was draughted by him, the remainder being the work of the Hon. John C. Spencer. The bill, which was introduced by Silas M. Stilwell, of New York, met with a fierce, unrelenting opposition at every step of its progress, and to Millard Fillmore, with his then coadjutors, are the people indebted for expunging from the statute-book that relic of a barbarous age-imprisonment for debt.

He was elected to Congress in the fall of 1832, and took his seat in the stormy session immediately succeeding the removal of the deposites from the United States bank. In those days, the business of the house, and debates, were led by old and experienced members-new ones, unless they enjoyed a wide-spread and almost national reputation- rarely taking an active and conspicuous part. Little chance, therefore, was afforded Mr. Fillmore, a member of the opposition, young and unassuming, of displaying those qualities that so eminently fitted him for legislative usefulness. But the school was one admirably qualified more fully to develop and cultivate those powers which, under more favorable circumstances, have enabled him to render such varied and important services to his country. As he has ever done in all the stations he has filled, he discharged his duty with scrupulous fidelity, never omitting, on all proper occasions, any effort to advance the interests of his constituents and the country, and winning the respect and confidence of all.

At the close of his term of service he resumed the practice of his profession, which he pursued with distinguished reputation and success, until, yielding to the public voice, he consented to become a candidate, and was re-elected to Congress in the fall of 1836. In the 25th Congress Mr. Fillmore took a more active part than he did during his first term, and on the assembling of the next Congress, to which he was re-elected by a largely-increased majority, he was assigned a prominent place on what, next to that of ways and means, it was justly anticipated would become the most important committee of the house-that on elections It was in this Congress that the famous contested New Jersey case came up. It would swell this biographical sketch to too great a length to enter upon the details of that case, and it is the less necessary to do so, inasmuch as the circumstances attending it are given in the history of the administration of Van Buren, in another part of this work.

The prominent part which Mr. Fillmore took in that case, his patient investigation of all its complicated, minute details, the clear, convincing manner in which he set forth the facts, the lofty and indignant eloquence with which he denounced the meditated act, all strongly directed public attention to him as one of the ablest men of that Congress, distinguished as it was by the eminent ability and statesmanship of many of its members. The agitation in Congress of this New Jersey election case, and the currency measures adopted by the administration of Mr. Van Buren;

were among the causes which contributed to the overthrow of the democratic party and the triumph of the whigs in the presidential election of 1840, and the majority obtained by them of members elected to both houses in the 27th Congress.

On the assembling of the 27th Congress, to which Mr. Fillmore was re-elected by a majority larger than was ever before given in his district, he was placed at the head of the committee of ways and means. The duties of that station, always arduous and responsible, were at that time peculiarly so. A new administration had come into power, and found public affairs in a state of the greatest derangement. Accounts had been wrongly kept; peculation of every kind abounded in almost every department of the government; the revenue was inadequate to meet the ordinary expenses; the already large existing debt was rapidly swelling in magnitude; commerce and manufactures were depressed; the currency was deranged; banks were embarrassed; and general distress pervaded the community. To bring order out of disorder; to replenish the national treasury; to provide means that would enable the government to meet the demands against it, and to pay off the debt; to revive the industry of the country and restore its wonted prosperity-these were the tasks devolved upon the committee of ways and means. To increase their difficulties, the minority, composed of the defeated party, instead of aiding to repair the existing evils, uniformly opposed almost every measure brought forward for relief, and often their unavailing efforts were successfully aided by the executitve, Mr. Tyler. But with an energy and devotion to the public weal, worthy of all admiration, Mr. Fillmore applied himself to the task, and, sustained by a majority in Congress whose industry and zeal in the public service under peculiar embarrassments, has seldom been equalled, and never surpassed, he succeeded in its accomplishment.

The measures he brought forward, and sustained with matchless ability, speedily relieved the government from its embarrassment, and have fully justified the most sanguine expectations of their benign influence upon the country at large. A new and more accurate system of keeping accounts, rendering them clear and intelligible, was introduced. The favoritism and peculation, which had so long disgraced the departments and plundered the treasury, were checked by the requisition of contracts. The credit of the government was restored, ample means were provided for the exigencies of the public service, and the payment of the national debt incurred by the preceding administration. Commerce and manufactures revived, and prosperity and hope once more smiled upon the land. The labor of devising, explaining, and defending measures productive of such happy results, was thrown chiefly on Mr. Fillmore. He was ably sustained by his political friends in Congress; but on him, nevertheless, the main responsibility rested.

After his long and severe labors in the committee-room--labors suffi