1. Resume
   1. 1808 - 1849: Military Service
      1. Major general
      2. Wars
         1. War of 1812
         2. Black Hawk War
         3. Second Seminole War
         4. Mexican-American War
   2. 1849 - 1850: 12th President of the United States
2. Chronology
   1. 1784
      1. Born on a plantation in Orange County, Virginia
   2. 1808
      1. Joined the U.S. Army, receiving a commission as a first lieutenant of the Seventh Infantry Regiment
   3. 1810
      1. Two years after being commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Army, he married Margaret Mackall Smith in Louisville
      2. They had six children together
   4. 1811
      1. Called to the Indiana Territory, where he assumed control of Fort Knox after the commadant fled
   5. 1812
      1. Successfully defended Fort Harrison in Indiana Territory from an attack by Indians under the command of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh
   6. 1819
      1. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and dined with President James Monroe
   7. 1826
      1. Called to Washington, D.C., to work on an Army committee to consolidate and improve military organization
   8. 1828
      1. Commanded Fort Snelling in Minnesota on the northern Mississippi River for a year, and nearby Fort Crawford for a year
   9. 1832
      1. Promoted to colonel of the 1st Infantry Regiment
   10. 1837
       1. Second Seminole War was underway when Taylor was directed to Florida
   11. 1838
       1. Brig. Gen. Thomas Jesup stepped down and placed Taylor in command of all American troops in Florida, a position he held for two years
   12. 1844
       1. Ordered to guard against any attempts by Mexico to reclaim the territory
   13. 1848
       1. Won the presidency as a Whig candidate, even though he saw himself as an independent
   14. 1850
       1. Died after 16 months in office
3. Notables
   1. A planter and slaveholder based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
   2. Angered many Southerners as president by taking a moderate stance on the issue of slavery
   3. Last President to own slaves while in office
   4. The third of four Whig presidents, the last being Fillmore, who succeeded him
   5. Second president to die in office, preceded by William Henry Harrison who died while serving as President nine years earlier
   6. Only elected President from Louisiana
   7. The last Southerner to be elected president until Woodrow Wilson 64 years later in 1912
   8. Called his wife when he was dying and said: "I have always done my duty, I am ready to die. My only regret is for the friends I leave behind me."
4. Summary
   1. Died 16 months after his inauguration; the third-shortest tenure of any President
   2. The national press compared him to George Washington and Andrew Jackson, both generals who had ascended to the presidency, although Taylor denied any interest in running for office
   3. 1847, December: received a hero's welcome in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and his popular legacy set the stage for the 1848 presidential election
   4. Thought of himself as an independent, believing in a strong and sound banking system for the country
   5. Received the Whig nomination for President in 1848 - since he subscribed to Whig principles of legislative leadership
   6. Believed it was impractical to talk about expanding slavery into the western areas of the United States, as he concluded that neither cotton nor sugar could be easily grown there through a plantation economy
   7. He believed that secession was not a good way to resolve national problems