History UsefulNotes / MillardFillmore

After that, the only really notable thing about Fillmore was that he was the one who sent Matthew Perry ([[Creator/MatthewPerry not that one]]) ([[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei yes, that one]]) to open Japan to trade with threats of violence, though Perry didn't actually arrive there until after Fillmore was out of office. So you have Millard to thank for the entirety of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' and that one episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' and ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' if nothing else. Other than that, he basically kept the seat warm in the White House while the country shuddered closer to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar civil war]]. While getting the Compromise of 1850 passed ''at all'' in the face of such a hostile political environment was arguably the biggest single achievement of any Whig President (the lion's share of the credit is usually given to Senators UsefulNotes/HenryClay and Stephen A. Douglas for pushing the compromise through, albeit Fillmore vetoed an earlier version that gave even ''more'' concessions to the slave states), Fillmore is generally regarded as a worse President than Taylor, since today Fillmore's compromise is largely seen as an act of appeasement to the South while Taylor wanted to prevent slavery from expanding. He ultimately proved to be the last President from his party, and is (arguably) considered to be the worst of them. In all, he suffers much the same problem as UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, as historians are divided over whether he failed to nip a solvable problem in the bud, or took the only viable course of action when dealing with an impossible situation.

After that, the only really notable thing about Fillmore was that he was the one who sent Matthew Perry ([[Series/{{Friends}} not that one]]) ([[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei yes, that one]]) to open Japan to trade with threats of violence, though Perry didn't actually arrive there until after Fillmore was out of office. So you have Millard to thank for the entirety of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' and that one episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' and ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' if nothing else. Other than that, he basically kept the seat warm in the White House while the country shuddered closer to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar civil war]]. While getting the Compromise of 1850 passed ''at all'' in the face of such a hostile political environment was arguably the biggest single achievement of any Whig President (the lion's share of the credit is usually given to Senators UsefulNotes/HenryClay and Stephen A. Douglas for pushing the compromise through, albeit Fillmore vetoed an earlier version that gave even ''more'' concessions to the slave states), Fillmore is generally regarded as a worse President than Taylor, since today Fillmore's compromise is largely seen as an act of appeasement to the South while Taylor wanted to prevent slavery from expanding. He ultimately proved to be the last President from his party, and is (arguably) considered to be the worst of them. In all, he suffers much the same problem as UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, as historians are divided over whether he failed to nip a solvable problem in the bud, or took the only viable course of action when dealing with an impossible situation.

President Fillmore was not elected: He ascended from the vice presidency to the presidency upon the death of President Zachary Taylor, making him the fourth president from the Whig Party (third if you exclude UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, who was expelled from the party while in office). A few months into his term, he helped create the "Compromise of 1850," an agreement that was widely considered to have staved off Civil War at the time. In the agreement, California was added as a free state, the slave trade was banned in the District of Columbia (which, not being a state, could still legally trade slaves), and the federal government became required to find and return escaped slaves to their owners (that part was very controversial). Ultimately, though, it may have done more harm than good, as many felt that it legitimized the slave states and allowed them time to build up their militaries. It should be noted that the northern states ''also'' gained more army-building time from Fillmore's compromise, along with a more robust industrial base that made them better-equipped to fight a sustained war, but then again that could just mean it guaranteed the Civil War would be bigger and bloodier for both sides.

After that, the only really notable thing about Fillmore was that he was the one who sent Matthew Perry ([[Series/{{Friends}} not that one]]) ([[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei yes, that one]]) to open Japan to trade with threats of violence, though Perry didn't actually arrive there until after Fillmore was out of office. So you have Millard to thank for the entirety of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' and that one episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' and ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' if nothing else. Other than that, he basically kept the seat warm in the White House while the country shuddered closer to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar civil war]]. While getting the Compromise of 1850 passed ''at all'' in the face of such a hostile political environment was arguably the biggest single achievement of any Whig President (though credit is usually given to Senator UsefulNotes/HenryClay for pushing the compromise through), Fillmore is generally regarded as a worse President than Taylor, since today Fillmore's compromise is largely seen as an act of appeasement to the South while Taylor wanted to prevent slavery from expanding. He ultimately proved to be the last President from his party, and is (arguably) considered to be the worst of them. In all, he suffers much the same problem as UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, as historians are divided over whether he failed to nip a solvable problem in the bud, or took the only viable course of action when dealing with an impossible situation.

* Yorick (yes, ''[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} that]]'' Yorick) mentions "a brilliant Millard Fillmore joke" in ''Literature/TheSkullOfTruth'', a novel by Creator/BruceCoville.

* In the movie ''Film/KickAss'' the high school seen is Millard Fillmore H.S. (what about the comic, anyone know?)

After leaving office, Fillmore tried again for the Presidency in his own right in 1856 as part of the [[AtrociousAlias "Know Nothing" party]]. While he did put in one of the best ever performances for a third-party presidential candidate (second only to UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt in 1912, in fact), he split the vote and helped ensure the election of UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan, under whose watch the country fractured and Civil War became inevitable. In retrospect, that was probably a case of [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Mr. President]]. Also, his wife died mere weeks after he left office in 1853. Fillmore remarried five years later.

After that, the only really notable thing about Fillmore was that he was the one who sent Matthew Perry ([[Series/{{Friends}} not that one]]) ([[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei yes, that one]]) to open Japan to trade with threats of violence, though Perry didn't actually arrive there until after Fillmore was out of office. So you have Millard to thank for the entirety of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' and that one episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' and ''Manga/HetaliaAxisPowers'' if nothing else. Other than that, he basically kept the seat warm in the White House while the country shuddered closer to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar civil war]]. While getting the Compromise of 1850 passed ''at all'' in the face of such a hostile political environment was arguably the biggest single achievement of any Whig President (though credit is usually given to Senator UsefulNotes/HenryClay for pushing the compromise through), Fillmore is generally regarded as a worse President than Taylor, since today Fillmore's compromise is largely seen as an act of appeasement to the South while Taylor wanted to prevent slavery from expanding. He ultimately proved to be the last President from his party, and is (arguably) considered to be the worst of them. In all, he suffers much the same problem as UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, as historians are divided over whether he failed to nip a solvable problem in the bud, or took the only viable course of action when dealing with an impossible situation.

-->--''How To Kill Presidents''

-->-''How To Kill Presidents''

--> '''How To Kill Presidents'''

* ''ComicStrip/MallardFillmore'' is a much-panned political comic strip pitting a reporter duck against [[StrawmanPolitical Strawman Liberal]] versions of major politicians despite that fact that he's ''supposed'' to be a local reporter. It has nothing to do with Millard Fillmore except for the name and total lack of amusement.

* One of the major powers in ''TheFiveStarStories'' is known as the Fillmore Empire. Appropriately enough, they often come into indirect conflict with the somewhat Edo-themed Amaterasu Kingdom Demesnes.

After that, the only really notable thing about Fillmore was that he was the one who sent Matthew Perry ([[Series/{{Friends}} not that one]]) ([[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei yes, that one]]) to open Japan to trade with threats of violence, though Perry didn't actually arrive there until after Fillmore was out of office. So you have Millard to thank for the entirety of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' and that one episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' if nothing else. Other than that, he basically kept the seat warm in the White House while the country shuddered closer to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar civil war]]. While getting the Compromise of 1850 passed ''at all'' in the face of such a hostile political environment was arguably the biggest single achievement of any Whig President (though credit is usually given to Senator UsefulNotes/HenryClay for pushing the compromise through), Fillmore is generally regarded as a worse President than Taylor, since today Fillmore's compromise is largely seen as an act of appeasement to the South while Taylor wanted to prevent slavery from expanding. He ultimately proved to be the last President from his party, and is (arguably) considered to be the worst of them. In all, he suffers much the same problem as UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, as historians are divided over whether he failed to nip a solvable problem in the bud, or took the only viable course of action when dealing with an impossible situation.

* Yorick (yes, ''[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} that]]'' Yorick) mentions "a brilliant Millard Fillmore joke" in ''The Skull of Truth'', a novel in Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/MagicShop'' series.

Travel writer Creator/BillBryson did at one stage bemoan the fact that Fillmore had "[[MainstreamObscurity become so celebrated for his obscurity that he is no longer actually ''obscure'']]".

* "Mallard Fillmore" is [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidents the President of the United Species of America]] in the short-lived but fondly-remembered '80s [[AnimalSuperheroes animal superhero]] series ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' from [[TheDCU DC Comics]]. When the Zoo Crew got a revival in 2007, DC apparently didn't want to do the legal tango with the above comic strip, so Mallard was replaced by an {{Expy}}: Beneduck Arnold.

* Fillmore Junior High School in the television series ''TheBradyBunch''.

After leaving office, Fillmore tried again for the Presidency in his own right in 1856 as part of the [[AtrociousAlias "Know Nothing" party]]. While he did put in one of the best ever performances for a third-party presidential candidate (second only to TheodoreRoosevelt in 1912, in fact), he split the vote and helped ensure the election of UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan, under whose watch the country fractured and Civil War became inevitable. In retrospect, that was probably a case of [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Mr. President]]. Also, his wife died mere weeks after he left office in 1853. Fillmore remarried five years later.

-->''Literature/DaveBarrySleptHere''

* A popular tagline back in the early 1990s: "Don't knock President Fillmore: he kept us out of Vietnam!" (Actually, some historians blame him for the Vietnam war, because of his work for trade with Japan.)

* In a Magazine/{{MAD}} parody "A High School Yearbook for Average Clods" (in issue #216) the school is named after Fillmore, because he "serves as an inspiration for the mediocrity that anoyone of us can achive, if we really put our questionable mind to it."

After leaving office, Fillmore tried again for the Presidency in his own right in 1856 as part of the [[UnfortunateNames "Know Nothing" party]]. While he did put in one of the best ever performances for a third-party presidential candidate (second only to TheodoreRoosevelt in 1912, in fact), he split the vote and helped ensure the election of UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan, under whose watch the country fractured and Civil War became inevitable. In retrospect, that was probably a case of [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Mr. President]]. Also, his wife died mere weeks after he left office in 1853. Fillmore remarried five years later.

After leaving office, Fillmore tried again for the Presidency in his own right in 1856 as part of the "Know Nothing" party. While he did put in one of the best ever performances for a third-party presidential candidate (second only to TheodoreRoosevelt in 1912, in fact), he split the vote and helped ensure the election of UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan, under whose watch the country fractured and Civil War became inevitable. In retrospect, that was probably a case of [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Mr. President]]. Also, his wife died mere weeks after he left office in 1853. Fillmore remarried five years later.

* "Mallard Fillmore" is [[ThePresidents the President of the United Species of America]] in the short-lived but fondly-remembered '80s [[AnimalSuperheroes animal superhero]] series ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' from [[TheDCU DC Comics]]. When the Zoo Crew got a revival in 2007, DC apparently didn't want to do the legal tango with the above comic strip, so Mallard was replaced by an {{Expy}}: Beneduck Arnold.

* In an episode of ''JohnnyBravo'', Johnny (in a partially delirious state) speaks to a statue of Millard Filmore.

* He was in the end credits for ''Film/{{Airplane}}''.