Abigail Fillmore
A Legacy of Literacy Awareness
Many historians consider Millard Fillmore to be a "bad" president. This label stems primarily from Fillmore's policies regarding the slavery issue. Mrs. Fillmore, however, is remembered fondly for one thing: She brought her love of reading with her to the White House. In so doing, Abigail Fillmore increased public awareness of the necessity of literacy. This is significant in that many Americans in the 19th century were afflicted with varying degrees of illiteracy.
Lifelong LearningAbigail Powers was born on March 13, 1798, in Saratoga County, New York. Her parents, Reverend Lemuel Powers and Abigail (Newland) Powers, encouraged her love of books. Reverend Powers, who died when his daughter was two years old, had been a Baptist minister, and young Abigail was given complete access to her late father's library. The widowed Mrs. Powers moved her children to Cayuga County, New York, where the cost of living was much lower. Mrs. Powers educated daughter Abigail at home. As a result of this education, the future First Lady became a teacher at age 16 at a local one-room school. In her spare time, Abigail created and ran Cayuga County's first lending library.
A Woman Ahead of Her Time
Due to her impoverished background, Abigail had to work to support herself. One of her library's patrons was a young man named Millard Fillmore. Millard scraped together money he had earned while working in a textile mill in order to borrow books from Ms. Powers' library. When Millard was 17, he enrolled at the New Hope Academy. His teacher was none other than the library's proprietor, 19-year-old Ms. Abigail Powers. Millard instantly fell in love with her, but the situation was awkward and Millard could barely pay his tuition. Despite her male student and admirer's difficulties, Abigail encouraged Millard to better himself and eventually became his fiancee. The couple's engagement would last for seven years. Self-sufficient Abigail's career was extremely important to her. They finally married on February 5, 1826. The Fillmores had two children. Their son, Millard Powers, was born in 1828, and daughter Mary Abigail followed in 1832.
Unexpected Road to the White HouseEarly into the marriage, Millard established a successful law practice in East Aurora, New York. Within three years, he became a counselor to the New York State Supreme Court. In 1828, Millard ran for the state legislature and won. He later served as state comptroller. Then, in 1848, the Whig Party asked Millard to be their candidate, Zachary Taylor's, running mate. The Taylor-Fillmore ticket won the November election. When President Taylor died suddenly in July 1850, Millard assumed the presidency.
Mrs. Fillmore's Legacy
The Fillmore White House lasted for only two unremarkable years. While her husband is a forgotten president, Abigail can be considered a successful First Lady in that she established the First White House library and encouraged literacy awareness during her short tenure. This legacy would grow years later, when Mary Todd Lincoln added more books to Abigail's collection. Sadly, Abigail did not live long enough to see her goal fully actualized. She died at age 55 on March 30, 1853, at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. The cause of death was pneumonia brought on by a cold that stemmed from Abigail's intolerance of Washington's climate. Had she survived, Abigail would have undoubtedly become an ardent crusader for the cause she cared so passionately about.
Source:
Harris, Bill. The First Ladies Fact Book, p. 193-200. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2005.
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