Millard Powers Fillmore (April 25, 1828 – November 15, 1889) was an American lawyer. He was one of two children, and only son, of
U.S. President Millard Fillmore and his first wife,
Abigail Powers.
Early life
Millard Powers Fillmore, known familiarly as "Powers", was born on April 25, 1828, in
Aurora, New York to
Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) and his first wife,
Abigail Powers (1798–1853). In 1828, the year he was born, his father was
elected to the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
as a member of the
Anti-Masonic Party. His maternal grandparents were Reverend Lemuel Powers Jr., a
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
minister, and Abigail Newland-Powers. His paternal grandparents were Phoebe Millard Fillmore and
Nathaniel Fillmore Jr., a farmer. His maternal great-grandparents in part of his maternal grandfather, were Lt. Lemuel Powers Sr. and Thankful Powers. In part of his maternal grandmother, were Joseph Newland and Abigail Newland Powers Strong. His paternal great-grandparents in part of his paternal grandfather, were Lt. Nathaniel Fillmore Sr. and Hebzibah Fillmore. In part of his paternal grandmother, were Dr. Abiathar Millard Fillmore and Tabitha Millard Fillmore. His sister was Mary Abigail Fillmore.
Career
He studied law in his father's office and graduated from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
in 1849.
He served as his father's
private secretary during the latter's presidency. After practicing law in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
as the partner of
E. Carleton Sprague, he was appointed a federal court clerk.
Personal life
After the death of his mother, in 1853, his father married
Caroline Carmichael McIntosh;
a union which Millard Powers Fillmore reportedly never accepted. Following his father's death at age 74, he engaged in a bitter battle with his stepmother over the terms of his late father's will, which young Millard won.
Millard Powers Fillmore never married and had no children, so he was his father's last surviving descendant. He died of
apoplexy in Buffalo on November 15, 1889 at the age of 61.
Fillmore was buried at
Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. His will directed that all his family correspondence (including that with his father) be burned, the motive for which was the subject of much speculation.
References
External links
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1828 births
1889 deaths
Children of presidents of the United States
Children of vice presidents of the United States
Personal secretaries to the president of the United States
Harvard Law School alumni
New York (state) lawyers
Lawyers from Buffalo, New York
Milard Powers
19th-century American politicians
Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo)
19th-century American lawyers
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