Millard Fillmore
The last of the forgotten Whig Party president before it fell apart, Millard Fillmore was born into poverty and managed to educate himself enough to rise up to the rank of vice president while President Zachary Taylor was in office. After President Taylor passed away from cholera, Fillmore became the 13th president in 1850. After Taylor’s death, the entire White House cabinet resigned immediately, leaving Fillmore to build a new one from the ground up. Between 1850 and 1853, he attempted (and failed) to prevent a rift between the North and South by signing the Compromise of 1850. Fillmore helped developing a relationship with Japan, who banned all foreign relations including foreign trade. During his presidency, Japan began to allow American ships to stop in Japan in case of emergencies.
Millard Fillmore
Herbert Hoover
Having been in office during one of the most trying times in American history, Herbert Hoover was the 31st US President. From Iowa and then Oregon, Hoover attended Stanford University in its first opening year (1891) and ended up marrying Lou Henry, his college sweetheart. Having spent most of his time working in China before his political career, Hoover was in Europe when World War I erupted. He gained recognition by his helping to evacuate around 120,000 American tourists from Germany and France. His term ran from 1929 to 1933, during which the stock market crashed and then began the Great Depression. Even during the difficult circumstances, Hoover attempted several tactics to aid his country, including trying to lower the taxes and convince businesses to retain their employees. As change happens slowly, Hoover was forced to keep strong during the worst economy the US ever had.
Herbert Hoover
