Millard Fillmore is considered one of the least known presidents of the United States. Some scholars also rate him as one of the least effective. Fillmore, a little-known politician from Buffalo, N.Y., was thrust into the presidency on the death of Zachary Taylor. Perhaps he would laugh at how people depict him. He seems not to have taken himself too seriously in his lifetime. Peter Boller tells two interesting anecdotes about Fillmore. Right after he became president, he was concerned the presidential carriage looked dilapidated. A White House attendant, named Edward, took him to see a nice carriage that was being sold at a bargain price because it was used. Fillmore said, “How would it do, Edward, for the president of the United States to ride around in a second-hand carriage?” Edward replied, “But sure, your Excellency is only a second-hand president.” When Fillmore went to visit Oxford University, they offered him an honorary degree. Fillmore declined, saying, “I have not the advantage of a classical education, and no man should, in my judgment, accept a degree he cannot read.”
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