Buried: Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York
Thirteenth President - 1850-1853
Born: January 7, 1800, in Cayuga County, New York
Died: 11:10 p.m. on March 8, 1874, in Buffalo, New York
Age at death: 74
Cause of death: Stroke
Final words: “The nourishment is palatable.”
Admission to Forest Lawn Cemetery: Free
Best known for being one of the least known presidents, Millard Fillmore was the last Whig to win the White House. The most notable achievement of his administration was the Compromise of 1850, which delayed civil war over the slavery issue. On a more personal level, the book-loving Fillmore and wife Abigail (his former school teacher) wrangled Congressional funds to establish a White House library. The two amassed the home’s first permanent collection during Fillmore’s single term as president.
Sadly, Abigail caught a cold at the inauguration of her husband’s successor, Franklin Pierce, and died several weeks later. Millard Fillmore soon remarried and traveled widely in Europe with his second wife Caroline, with the hope that a milder climate would benefit her chronic health problems. He retained an interest in public affairs, and was even nominated to the presidency again in 1856 by the American—or Know-Nothing—Party, but was unsuccessful. He remained in good health into his later years, saying, “My health is perfect. I eat, drink and sleep as well as ever, and take a deep but silent interest in public affairs, and if Mrs. Fillmore’s health can be restored, I should feel that I was in the enjoyment of an earthly paradise.”
Sign marking Millard Fillmore’s grave
While trying to shave on the morning of February 13, 1874, the seventy-four-year-old Fillmore lost all sensation in the left side of his body. He had just suffered his first stroke. He regained partial use of his left side until he was stricken with a second stroke later that month. This time his throat muscles were severely affected, limiting his ability to swallow. Shortly before his death, in response to a doctor’s question about the food he was given, Fillmore responded with his last words, “The nourishment is palatable.” On March 8, Fillmore fell unconscious and died. At the announcement of his death, President Ulysses S. Grant issued a proclamation honoring the former president and flags in Fillmore’s hometown of Buffalo were lowered to half mast.
Millard Fillmore’s funeral was held the following Thursday, March 12. His body was kept in a rosewood coffin in the west room of the family home on Niagara Square, where a private service was held for family and close friends. At his head was a crown of camellias and rosebuds; a wreath and two large crosses lay on the coffin’s lid. After the private service, Fillmore’s body was borne into the hearse by Company D of the Buffalo City Guards. The cortege then traveled to St. Paul’s Cathedral where the body lay in state in the vestibule for viewing by thousands of mourners. Delegations from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives came to pay their respects, as did Buffalo’s mayor. The New York Times reported, “Although much emaciated, Mr. Fillmore’s face bore the courtly appearance so characteristic of him in life.”
Following a brief and solemn service, the City Guards, the National Guard, and the U.S. Infantry led the flag-covered hearse and a long line of carriages to Fillmore’s final resting place. Local businesses were closed and the procession route was lined with mourners. Prior to his death, Millard Fillmore had chosen his burial site at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. Also buried at the site are his two wives, Abigail and Caroline, both of his children, and the mother of his first wife.
Touring Millard Fillmore’s Tomb at Forest Lawn Cemetery
Forest Lawn Cemetery is located in Buffalo, New York. The cemetery is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from April through October and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the rest of the year. Admission is free.
To reach the cemetery from the north: From Route 190 South, take exit N-11 to Route 198 East. Take the Delaware Avenue exit, and turn right on to Delaware Avenue. Turn left into the cemetery gates at the corner of Delavan Avenue and Delaware Avenue.
From the south: Take I-190 North. Take the Church Street exit and turn right onto Church Street. Take a left onto Route 384. Continue on Route 384 through the roundabout. Turn right onto Delaware Avenue.
The cemetery is located at 1411 Delaware Avenue. After entering through the gates near the administration building, follow the paths heading north (parallel to Delaware Avenue) to the cemetery’s section F. On the right is a sign directing you to Millard Fillmore’s grave in section F.
For additional information
Forest Lawn Cemetery
1411 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone: (716) 885-1600
Fax: (716) 881-6482
www.forest-lawn.com
Buffalo, New York
Fillmore’s tall obelisk is surrounded by the graves of his two wives, children, and mother-in-law
“…Fillmore had himself become something of a historic site.”
—Richard Norton Smith
Gateway to Forest Lawn Cemetery, the thirteenth president’s chosen resting place
In his declining years, Fillmore busied himself with numerous civic organizations benefiting his cherished Buffalo. None held more appeal for him than the Buffalo Historical Society, which was only appropriate since, by then, Fillmore had himself become something of a historic site. With true Chamber of Commerce gusto, he predicted, “Buffalo…is destined by its position to be what Alexandria and Venice were.”
Any man who could see Babylon in nineteenth-century Buffalo was a natural born optimist and therefore a soft touch for every sort of worthy cause involving the solicitation of funds. Having chaired a campaign to erect a suitable Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a commemorative task uncompleted at the time of his death, Fillmore would not have been surprised to learn how many years it would take before the people of Buffalo placed his own statue before their City Hall on Niagara Square. But it is not the magnet that attracts the attention of Fillmore cultists today. That honor belongs to the pink granite obelisk at Forest Lawn Cemetery where, each year, a small crowd gathers to mark Fillmore’s birthday and to mock his obscure place in presidential annals.
—RNS