Taylor, Zachary 1784-1850
12th President of the USA

Born in Montebello, Virginia, he entered the army in 1808. In 1812 he held Fort Harrison on the Wabash against Indians, and in 1832 fought with Black Hawk. In 1836, now colonel, he was ordered to Florida, and in 1837 defeated the Seminoles at Okeechobee Swamp, becoming brigadier-general. In 1840 he was placed in command of the army in the southwest. When Texas was annexed in 1845 he gathered 4,000 regulars, marched to the Rio Grande, and erected Fort Brown opposite Matamoros. In September he captured Monterey. After seven weeks' vain waiting for reinforcements the march was resumed. Victoria was occupied, but the line of communication was too long for the small force, and President James K Polk's Democratic administration, fearing his growing fame, crippled him by witholding reinforcements. Taylor was falling back to Monterey when his regulars were taken from him to form part of a new expedition under General Winfield Scott. Santa Anna, the Mexican general, overtook his 5,000 volunteers near the pass of Buena Vista, but Taylor, on 22 February 1847, won a major victory against the 21,000-strong Mexican force, inflicting heavy losses. Emerging from the war a hero, he was given the Whig presidential nomination, and in 1849 he became President. The main issues of his presidency were the status of the new territories and the extension of slavery there, but he died only 16 months after taking office. He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.