Millard Fillmore
Born: January 7th, 1800
Died: March 8th, 1874
Term of Office: 1850-1853
In posting these guys in order of their birthdays in the calendar year, this fellow comes up first. There's not a lot of exciting stuff to impart in his regard or in his caricature. When doing caricatures, the person doing the thing (I really hesitate using the term 'artist,' at least in my regard) looks for features that stand out; something -- nose ears, chin, or forehead -- that can really be exaggerated.
In the case of this guy, the words 'bland' and 'normal' come to mind. Look him up in Google images, if you don't believe me.
I mentioned this to a good friend and complained that this illustration wasn't really being too successful as far as a caricature was concerned... I didn't think I had come up with any recognizable feature that would let someone instantly recognize him. My pal quickly countered with, "Well, does anyone really know what Millard Fillmore looked like? I mean, without looking him up? So what's there to worry about?"
And I had to agree with him.
Anyway, I've promised to give notes on these guys, so here are a few on this 13th President...
He's one of five who were never elected to the office, succeeding Zach Taylor, who succumbed to some bad food at the 1850 Fourth of July picnic. Fillmore probably single-handedly killed the Whig Party (he was the last Whig President) with his support of the Fugitive Slave Act, which required the federal government's aid in the capture and return of escaped/runaway slaves. In regard to international policy, he was a proponent of commercial expansion in the Pacific, sending Commodore Perry to Japan to pursue trade with that, at the time, isolated country.
Next up, the 37th ("I'm not a crook") President.
Peace to all.
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