Mary Abigail Fillmore

Mary Abigail Fillmore
Mary Abigail Fillmore
	From Volume I of 1907's Millard Fillmore Papers
Born	Mary Abigail Fillmore; March 27, 1832; Buffalo, New York
Died	July 26, 1854 (aged 22); East Aurora, New York
Cause of death	Cholera
Parent(s)	Millard Fillmore (father) and Abigail Powers (mother)

Mary Abigail "Abbie" Fillmore (March 27, 1832, Buffalo, New York – July 26, 1854, East Aurora, New York) was the daughter of President Millard Fillmore and Abigail Powers. During her father's presidency from 1850 to 1853 she often served as White House hostess, in part due to her mother's illness.

Biography

A native of Buffalo, New York, she studied at a private school in Lenox, Massachusetts, and graduated from New York State Normal School. She spoke French fluently and was conversant in Spanish, German, and Italian. She taught briefly in the Buffalo schools until her father became President in 1850.[1]

An accomplished musician, she played the piano, harp, and guitar. While exercising the role of White House hostess she performed at White House functions.[1][2][3]

Abigail Fillmore died 26 days after Fillmore's presidency ended, and Abbie took over the management of her father's household. She accompanied him to a variety of public functions, notably including the widely promoted train and steamboat Grand Excursion of June 1854. Her sudden death a few weeks later, from cholera at age 22, is thought to have contributed to former president Fillmore's decision to come out of retirement and resume his political career.[1]

References

"First Lady Biography: Abigail Fillmore", National First Ladies' Library (accessed 2016-03-18)
Dorothy Schneider; Carl J. Schneider (2010). First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary. Infobase Publishing. p. 390. ISBN 978-1-4381-2750-7.
Sandra L. Quinn; Sanford Kanter (1995). America's Royalty: All the Presidents' Children. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-313-29535-5.

External links

Picture History

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[firstladies-1] "First Lady Biography: Abigail Fillmore", National First Ladies' Library (accessed 2016-03-18)

[SchneiderSchneider2010-2] Dorothy Schneider; Carl J. Schneider (2010). First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary. Infobase Publishing. p. 390. ISBN 978-1-4381-2750-7.

[QuinnKanter1995-3] Sandra L. Quinn; Sanford Kanter (1995). America's Royalty: All the Presidents' Children. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-313-29535-5.