Collection Summary
Millard Fillmore Papers
1839-1925
1839-1870
1839-1925
1839-1870
MSS20537
Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874
35 items
1 container
0.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
United States president, vice president,
and representative, and lawyer and educator. Chiefly correspondence of Fillmore relating
to slavery; the Compromise of 1850; the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850; John Brown's raid on
Harpers Ferry; the Whig Party; congressional politics; Fillmore's daughter, Mary Abigail
Fillmore; and a detailed index to the Millard Fillmore Papers in the Buffalo and Erie
County Historical Society (now the Buffalo History Museum), Buffalo, New York.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1782-1858.
Brown, John, 1800-1859.
Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850.
Fendall, Philip Richard, 1794-1868--Correspondence.
Fillmore, Mary Abigail, 1832-1854--Correspondence.
Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874.
Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841.
Haven, Solomon G. (Solomon George), 1810-1861--Correspondence.
Marshall, Humphrey, 1812-1872--Correspondence.
Organizations
United States. Congress.
United States. Fugitive slave law (1850)
Whig Party (U.S.)
Subjects
Antislavery movements--United States.
Compromise of 1850.
Fugitive slaves--United States.
Slavery--United States.
Places
Harpers Ferry (W. Va.)--History--John Brown's Raid, 1859.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--Politics and government--19th century.
Titles
Millard Fillmore Papers at the Library of Congress
Occupations
Educators.
Lawyers.
Presidents--United States.
Representatives, U.S. Congress--New York (State)
Vice-Presidents--United States.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Millard Fillmore were acquired by gift, purchase, and transfer during the
years 1909-2022.
Processing History
The papers of Millard Fillmore were arranged and described by Wilhelmena B. Curry in
1981. An addition was processed by Karen Linn Femia in 2014 and the finding aid created
by Michelle Krowl in 2016. An addition was processed and the finding aid revised by Nate
Scheible in 2023.
Related Material
The most noteworthy related collection in the Manuscript Division is the microfilm
edition of the Millard Fillmore Papers, 1809-1874 (see [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm81056788]), held
by the Buffalo History Museum in New York. An index to the papers is available within
this collection and online through the website of the Buffalo History Museum (see [https://issuu.com/tbhm/docs/fillmorepapershighres]). A more detailed listing of
related collections and resources at the Library of Congress and other institutions is
available online at [https://www.loc.gov/collections/millard-fillmore-papers/about-this-collection/related-resources].
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Millard Fillmore is governed by
the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Millard Fillmore are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact
the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and
advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Online Content
The papers of Millard Fillmore are available on the Library of Congress website at [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000050]. To promote
preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the online edition
as available.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Millard Fillmore Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1800, Jan. 7
Born, Locke (now Summerhill), Cayuga County, N.Y., to Nathaniel Fillmore and
Phoebe Millard Fillmore
1818
Taught school, Scott, N.Y.
1818
1821
Studied law under Judge Walter Wood, Montville, N.Y.
1821
Moved to Aurora, N.Y.
1822
Clerked at law firm of Asa Rice and Joseph Clary, and taught school, Buffalo,
N.Y.
1823
Admitted to practice law by the Court of Common Pleas, Buffalo, N.Y.
1823
1830
Practiced law, East Aurora, N.Y.
1826
Married Abigail Powers (1798-1853), daughter of Lemuel Powers and Abigail
Newland, Moravia, N.Y.
1828
Birth of son Millard Powers Fillmore, Aurora, N.Y. (died 1889)
1828
Elected to the New York State Assembly as Anti-Masonic Party candidate; served
three one-year terms
1830
Formed law partnership with Joseph Clary, and moved to Buffalo, N.Y.
1832
Birth of daughter Mary Abigail (“Abbie”) Fillmore, Buffalo, N.Y. (died
1854)
1833
1835
Served in the United States House of Representatives
1834
Formed law firm of Fillmore & Hall with Nathan K. Hall
1836
Formed law firm of Fillmore, Hall & Haven with Solomon G. Haven
1837
1843
Served in the United States House of Representatives; declined to be
renominated in 1842
1844
Defeated in New York gubernatorial election
1846
1874
Chancellor, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
1848
1849
Comptroller of the State of New York; resigned Feb. 1849
1849
Inaugurated vice president of the United States
1850
Sworn in as president of the United States following death of Zachary Taylor,
July 9, 1850
1852
Failed to win nomination of Whig Party as presidential candidate
1853, Mar. 30
Death of wife Abigail at City Hotel, Washington, D.C.
1854
Tour of southern and western United States
1855
1856
Tour of Europe; attended International Exposition, Paris, France
1856
Defeated in presidential election as the American Party candidate
1858
Married Caroline Carmichael McIntosh (1813-1881), daughter of Charles
Carmichael and Tempe W. Blachly, Albany, N.Y.
1862
Chairman, Buffalo Committee of Public Defense, Buffalo, N.Y.
1862
1867
President, Buffalo Historical Society, Buffalo, N.Y.
1866
Second tour of Europe
1870
President, Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, N.Y.
1874, Mar. 8
Died, Buffalo, N.Y.; interred Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Millard Fillmore span the years 1839-1925, with the bulk of the material
concentrated in the period 1839-1870. Fillmore’s correspondents during this time include
Philip Ricard Fendall, George Folsom, Solomon G. Haven, and Humphrey Marshall, and the
subject matter focuses primarily on political issues such as slavery, the Compromise of
1850, the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1959, the
Whig Party, and congressional politics. The correspondence also includes several letters
from Fillmore’s daughter Mary Abigail Fillmore to Susan E. Johnson, and an 1854 obituary
notice for Fillmore's daughter. The remainder of the papers consists of a detailed index
compiled in 1925 to volumes 1-44 of the Millard Fillmore Papers in the Buffalo and Erie
County Historical Society (now the Buffalo History Museum), Buffalo, N.Y.
Arrangement of the Collection
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Correspondence
1839-1848
1839-1848
Digital content available
1848-1852
(reproductions)
1848-1852
(reproductions)
Digital content available
1849-1853
1849-1853
Digital content available
1853-1859
1853-1859
Digital content available
1859-1870, undated
1859-1870
Digital content available
Correspondence (2014 addition)
1840 ,
1845
1840
1845
Digital content available
Correspondence (2023 addition)
1852
1852
Index to letters in the Buffalo and Erie County,
N.Y., Historical Society, 1925
1925
Vols. 1-12
Folder 1 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 2 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 3 of 3
Digital content available
Vols. 13-26
Folder 1 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 2 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 3 of 3
Digital content available
Vols. 27-44
Folder 1 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 2 of 3
Digital content available
Folder 3 of 3
Digital content available