Zachary Taylor, the twelfth president

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Now it's “Old Rough and Ready” – Zachary Taylor

Before becoming the twelfth president, Taylor joined the military at age 22 and served in the War of 1812.

But it was only after more than 30 years of military service that Taylor gained national fame.

In 1846, President Polk sent Taylor to the disputed border with Mexico along the Rio Grande. There, threatened Mexican soldiers attacked Taylor's troops, provoking the Mexican-American War.

General Taylor led the army to decisive victories throughout the war, including at Monterrey in 1846 and Buena Vista in 1847.

Old Rough and Ready had established himself as an American hero and seemed to be the ideal candidate for the Whigs in the election of 1848.

His four-decade military career appealed to Northern voters, and his slave ownership appealed to Southern voters.

Taylor ran against Lewis Cass of the Democrats, but it was the candidacy of Martin Van Buren, a third party, that turned the election. Van Buren, running for Free Soil, was able to steal enough votes from Cass to tip the balance in Taylor's favor.

President Taylor gained a reputation for acting independently of party affiliation. He pushed for settlers in the New Mexico and California regions to seek statehood, angering Southerners who believed that neither state would allow the expansion of slavery.

When Southern leaders threatened secession in 1850, he responded in kind. President Taylor told them that he would lead the army himself if he had to enforce the laws, and that anyone captured in a rebellion against the Union would be hanged.

Taylor’s strong will kept the South in check – for a while.

On a sweltering Fourth of July that same year, President Taylor attended ceremonies while touring the construction of the Washington Monument. When he returned to the Executive Mansion, now the White House, he drank ice water and fresh fruit. Soon after, he became ill with stomach pains. At first, the illness was not thought to be life-threatening, but after five days of worsening intestinal pains, Taylor died of what scientists believe to be cholera.

Sixteen months after taking office, President Zachary Taylor, the second Chief Executive, died, and with him died what was possibly the last chance to prevent the looming civil war.

Zachary Taylor was President of the United States from 1849 to 1850.

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