Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor, born November 24, 1784, in Barboursville, Virginia, and died July 9, 1850, in office, served as the twelfth President of the United States beginning in 1849. Known as Old Rough and Ready, he was a career army officer who became a national hero for his victories in the Mexican-American War before his election, despite never having held elected office previously and having no clearly stated party platform. He fell suddenly ill in the summer of 1850 with a severe stomach ailment and died after a brief illness, only sixteen months into his term, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Millard Fillmore.