FILLMORE
KILSUN
signed the portfolio of the navy the same year to
acceiit the nomination of vice-president on the
Wliig national ticket with Gen. Winfield Scott
as President, and John P. Kennedy of Maryland
succeeded to the navy department; and Post-
master-General Hall resigned in 1852 to accept
the judgeship of the U.S. court for the northern
district of New York, and was succeeded in tlie
post-office department by Samuel D. Hubbard of
Connecticut. President Fillmore defended New
Mexico from invasion by promptly sending a mil-
itary force to the Jlexican border. Before sign-
ing the compromise measures passed by congress,
including the fugitive slave act, he submitted
them to the attorney-general to determine their
constitutionality, and to his entire cabinet for
unanimous approval, notwithstanding which cau-
tion he was afterward severely criticised for his
act, and his administi'ation failed to receive the
support of a large portion of his party in the
north. The majority in both houses of congress
being opposed to him, his recommendations re-
ceived scant attention and many of them failed
of adoption. In spite of this opposition he gave
to the country cheaper postage, an enlarged and
beautified national capitol and the benefit of a
THE wHlte ri°";t
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new market with Japan. In dealing with foreign
powers he maintained the principle of non-inter-
vention, applying it equally to Cuba and Hungary
without obtaining disfavor with the struggling
peoples anxious to throw off the yokes of Spain
and Austria. In his last message to congress Dec.
6, 18.')'3, he regarded the advice of his cabinet by
suppressing the portion in which he recommended
a scheme of gi-adual emancijiation, African colo-
nization and full compensation to owners of
slaves, the members of his cabinet fearing that
such recommendations would precipitate civil
war. He retired from the presidency March 4.
18.53, leaving the country at peace with all other
nations and prosperous in all lines of trade and
commerce. The Whig national convention of
1853 approved the i)olicy of his administration by
a vote of 227 against 60. and he was a candidate
for nomination as President, but when the ballot
was taken he received only twenty votes from
the free states. He was nominated bv the Amer-
ican party for President in 1856 while he was
absent in Europe, but the canvass as it proceeded
narrowed down to a contest between the Demo-
cratic and Republican parties, and the respective
friends of each party, seeing no hope of electing
Mr. Fillmore, divided their electoral vote, Mary-
land alone remaining loyal by giving him its
eight electoral votes. He received however 21.57
per cent of the popular vote, Fremont receiving
33.09 per cent, and Buchanan 45.34 per cent, his
exact vote being 874,538 against 1,341,264 for
Fremont and 1,838,169 for Buchanan. He was
married Feb. 5, 1826,
to Abigail, daughter
of the Rev. Lemuel
Powers. She was
born March 13, 1798,
and died March 23,
1853. Their only
daughter. Mary Abi-
gail, born March 27,
1830, died July 26,
18.54; and their only
son, Millard Powers,
born April 25, 1828,
became a lawyer,
was clerk of the U.S. .
court in Buffalo and ^^.^^^ d^2?^^z^^ died there, Nov. 15, /
1859. Mr. Fillmore visited Europe in 1855 and was the recipient of attention from the (|ueen, the British cabinet, Najjoleon HI. and the pope of Rome. He declined the proffered degree of D.C.L. from the University of Oxford. He established the Buffalo historiciil society and was chancellor of the University of Buffalo; member of the Buffalo historical society, and corres|iond- ing honorary member of the New England his- toric, genealogical society, and was prominent in all public functions of that city. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hobart college in 1850. He was married in 1866 to Mrs. Caroline (Carmicbael) Mcintosh, widow of Ezekiel C. Mcintosh of Albany, and daughter of Charles and Tempe AVickham (Blackly) Carmichael of Morristown, N.J., and with her visited Europe. After his return he passed his life in retirement at his home in Buffalo. Mrs. Fillmore died in Buffalo, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1881. See Irving Cham- berlain's Bi(i{iraphy of JMiUrtrd Fillmore (1856). He died in Buffalo, N.Y., March 8, 1874.
FILSON, John, historian, was born in East Fallowtield. Chester count}'. I'a.. i)robably in 1747; son of Davison Filson, who died in 1776; and grand.son of John Filson, who died in 1751. Little is known of his early life except that he lived on the farm ov^Tied by his father an<l grand- father ; was instructed bv the Rev, Samuel Fin- ley, afterward president of the College of Ne\F
