Zachary Taylor

Major General Zachary Taylor
Daguerreotype of Zachary Taylor
12th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
Vice President	Millard Fillmore
Preceded by	James K. Polk
Succeeded by	Millard Fillmore
Personal details
Born	(1784-11-24)November 24, 1784 Barboursville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 9, 1850(1850-07-09) (aged 65) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Margaret Smith (m. 1810)
Children	6, including Sarah Knox, Mary Elizabeth, and Richard Scott
Profession	Major general
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1808–1849
Rank	Major general
Commands	Army of Occupation
Battles/wars	War of 1812  • Siege of Fort Harrison Black Hawk War Second Seminole War  • Battle of Lake Okeechobee Mexican–American War  • Battle of Palo Alto  • Battle of Resaca de la Palma  • Battle of Monterrey  • Battle of Buena Vista

Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was the 12th President of the United States, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850. Before his presidency, Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major general.

Taylor's status as a national hero as a result of his victories in the Mexican-American War won him election to the White House despite his vague political beliefs. His top priority as president was preserving the Union, but he died 16 months into his term, before making any progress on the status of slavery, which had been inflaming tensions in Congress. He remains the only President to come from Louisiana.

Taylor was born into a prominent family of planters who migrated westward from Virginia to Kentucky in his youth. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1808 and made a name for himself as a captain in the War of 1812. He climbed the ranks establishing military forts along the Mississippi River and entered the Black Hawk War as a colonel in 1832. His success in the Second Seminole War attracted national attention and earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready".

In 1845, as the annexation of Texas was underway, President James K. Polk dispatched Taylor to the Rio Grande area in anticipation of a potential battle with Mexico over the disputed Texas–Mexico border. The Mexican–American War broke out in April 1846. In May, Taylor defeated Mexican troops commanded by General Mariano Arista at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and managed to drive his troops out of Texas. Taylor subsequently led his troops into Mexico, where they once again defeated Mexican troops commanded by Pedro de Ampudia at the Battle of Monterrey in September. Taylor subsequently defied orders by moving his troops further south, where, despite being severely outnumbered, he dealt a crushing blow to Mexican forces under Antonio López de Santa Anna in February 1847 at the Battle of Buena Vista. After this, most of Taylor's troops were transferred to the command of Major General Winfield Scott, but Taylor's popularity remained significant.