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- Abigail Powers Fillmore is perhaps best remembered for starting the first White House library on the second floor. Apparently, this former school teacher considered the absence of books in the Executive Mansion to be a grave omission. She preferred reading to almost any other activity. Due to an old ankle injury, Abigail Fillmore had difficulty standing for extended periods but she fulfilled her obligations as White House hostess. Fillmore did not receive the Whig nomination in 1852, partly because he had signed the Fugitive Slave Act. The Fillmore presidency came to an end in 1853. Abigail attended the inauguration of her husband's successor, Franklin Pierce, which took place during a spell of cold winter weather. Abigail developed pneumonia and died just several weeks after leaving the White House. Her widower remarried five years later.
President Taylor's sudden death brought a fairy-tale quality to the lives of a red-haired young schoolteacher and her pupil, a cloth-maker's apprentice. From this most humble background, Vice-President Millard and his wife became the nation's first family. Abigail Powers (1789-1853) had started teaching when she was 16 to pay for her education and help support her widowed mother. She became interested in young Millard Fillmore when he came to her little school in upstate New York. She devoted all her free time to helping him with his books. For 7 years she worked and waited while he struggled to become a lawyer. After their marriage she continued teaching while he became established in his profession. He consulted her on important matters throughout his life. When the Fillmores went to the White House, Mrs. Fillmore's poor health kept her from doing as much, as first lady, as she would have wished. However, she was present at all official dinners and receptions. Her daughter, Mary Abigail (1832-1854) helped with her other duties. Mrs. Fillmore created the first White House library in a large room on the second floor.
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1798 - 1853 (55 years)
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