Zachary Taylor
N 38° 16.770 W 085° 38.621
16S E 618630 N 4237696
Twelfth President of the United States (1849-1850).
Waymark Code: WMGNM
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2006
Views: 175
Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, near Barboursville, Virginia. Shorthly after birth his family moved to Kentucky where a young Zachary was raised on a plantation. Zachary joined the military, which became his career and he was soon regarded as one of America’s most talented military leaders; seeing action in the War or 1812, The Black Hawk War and the Mexican-American War.
In 1848 he received the Whig nomination for president and defeated the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass. The slavery issue dominated the Taylor administration and two years into his term the issue was dividing the country. Finally, in an attempt to keep the nation whole, Henry Clay introduced the Compromise of 1850 which was still being debated at the time of President Taylors death.
On July 4, 1850, Taylor attended Independence Day ceremonies at the Washington Monument on a hot day. He consumed several bowls of cherries and iced milk, which lead to a form of food poisoning. He died on July 9, 1850 and his body was returned to Louisville, was buried in what is now known as the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.
For decades, rumors circulated that President Taylor was poisoned, finally in 1991 his body was exhumed and taken for autopsy. A medical examiner then concluded that the amount of arsenic found that he was not poisoned and that even though arsenic was present it was not sufficient to cause death.
Date of birth: 11/24/1784
Date of death: 07/09/1850
Area of notoriety: Historical Figure
Marker Type: Crypt (below ground)
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
Description: Not listed
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