Zachary Taylor
- Submitted by: headoftheclass
- Views: 1020
- Category: History
- Date Submitted: 01/29/2010 01:37 AM
- Pages: 3
- Report this Essay
Zachary Taylor: The Twelfth President (1849–1850)
Taylor was in the army for forty years
Taylor’s men called him “Old Rough and Ready”
Taylor died of cholera while still in office
Zachary Taylor was one of the few presidents who did not have a law degree, and he was never elected to an office before running for the presidency as a Whig in 1848. In fact, Taylor was a career army officer and war hero who had lived nearly his entire life on the frontier. He didn’t even vote in an election until after he’d turned sixty-two years old!
Early Days
Taylor was born in Virginia but moved with his family to the frontier near Louisville, Kentucky, when he was less than a year old. Taylor grew up on the frontier, where his father was a very successful farmer who acquired millions of acres of land before his death in 1829.
Do you like to swim? If so, you have something in common with young Zachary Taylor. He was a very strong swimmer, and at one point in his teens he swam across the Ohio River and back without stopping!
Professional Career before Becoming President
Zachary Taylor did not get much of an education before entering the United States Army. He was in the army for forty years (1808–1848) before running for president in 1848. Taylor fought in Indian actions such as the Blackhawk War of 1832, and also in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Taylor was sloppy in his dress but well liked by those who served with and under him in the army. The men under Taylor’s command called him “Old Rough and Ready.”
Taylor commanded an entire army of his own during the Mexican War and was the hero of the battle of Buena Vista. Taylor’s leadership during the war made him famous throughout the United States. The Whig Party, looking to regain the White House from the Democrats, nominated Taylor for the presidency in 1848 despite his lack of political experience. Taylor won in a landslide.
Taylor’s Presidency
President Taylor was...
Taylor was in the army for forty years
Taylor’s men called him “Old Rough and Ready”
Taylor died of cholera while still in office
Zachary Taylor was one of the few presidents who did not have a law degree, and he was never elected to an office before running for the presidency as a Whig in 1848. In fact, Taylor was a career army officer and war hero who had lived nearly his entire life on the frontier. He didn’t even vote in an election until after he’d turned sixty-two years old!
Early Days
Taylor was born in Virginia but moved with his family to the frontier near Louisville, Kentucky, when he was less than a year old. Taylor grew up on the frontier, where his father was a very successful farmer who acquired millions of acres of land before his death in 1829.
Do you like to swim? If so, you have something in common with young Zachary Taylor. He was a very strong swimmer, and at one point in his teens he swam across the Ohio River and back without stopping!
Professional Career before Becoming President
Zachary Taylor did not get much of an education before entering the United States Army. He was in the army for forty years (1808–1848) before running for president in 1848. Taylor fought in Indian actions such as the Blackhawk War of 1832, and also in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Taylor was sloppy in his dress but well liked by those who served with and under him in the army. The men under Taylor’s command called him “Old Rough and Ready.”
Taylor commanded an entire army of his own during the Mexican War and was the hero of the battle of Buena Vista. Taylor’s leadership during the war made him famous throughout the United States. The Whig Party, looking to regain the White House from the Democrats, nominated Taylor for the presidency in 1848 despite his lack of political experience. Taylor won in a landslide.
Taylor’s Presidency
President Taylor was...