Unveiling the Secrets: Top 12 Fun and Shocking Facts About Zachary Taylor You Never Knew

1. Cherry Treachery Debunked

In a plot twist straight out of Game of Thrones, Old Rough and Ready wasn't a victim of poisoned cherries, but rather succumbed to the heat of political pressure: Zachary Taylor, the 12th U.S. President and career soldier, met his end not by cherry treachery but from a heatstroke after attending Washington Monument ceremonies on a sweltering July 4th, cutting short his aim of using armed force to hold the Union together amidst the heated slavery debates.
Source => clintonwhitehouse3.archives.gov

2. Political Family Ties

In a blatant disregard for the sacred tradition of throwing someone new into the mix, the Taylors and Madisons thought it was a brilliant idea to play political musical chairs with the highest office in the land: Zachary Taylor was not only the third president to be born post-Revolutionary War peace treaty but was also the second cousin of America's fourth president, James Madison, making the White House a genealogical goldmine.
Source => presidentialhistory.com

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=> Fun Facts about William-Henry-Harrison

3. Military Man Turned President

Old Rough, But Not Political: Zachary Taylor's pre-presidential life was never destined for an episode of "The West Wing"; it was more like "Band of Brothers" meets "Forrest Gump": Before Taylor became the 12th president of the United States, he was a decorated general with a 30-year military career that started in his teens and included a starring role in the Mexican-American War—all despite no prior experience in politics.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. One-Day President Myth

Step aside, Cinderella, there's a new midnight baller in town: Senator David Rice Atchison was rumored to have been the "president" for just one day between James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor's terms, but historians and scholars have debunked this political fairy tale.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. The Chuck Norris of Politics

Old "Rough and Ready" might have been the vintage Chuck Norris of his era: Zachary Taylor, a war hero and presidential candidate, seamlessly pleased Northerners with his extensive military record and attracted Southerners by owning 100 slaves – all without actively seeking the presidency, and never shying away from using armed force to keep the Union intact.
Source => whitehouse.gov

6. Old MacDonald in the White House

Move aside, Farmer Brown, there's a new Old MacDonald in the White House: Zachary Taylor was known for rocking a plain straw hat and simple attire, often trotting to presidential meetings on horseback without any escorts or fanfare, all while being an accomplished military leader and strategist in land wars.
Source => whitehouse.gov

7. Love Conquers Military Ranks

In a classic case of "love conquers military ranks": Zachary Taylor's daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor, defied her presidential father and married fellow soldier Jefferson Davis in a White House ceremony in 1835, only to become the first and only daughter of a U.S. President to tragically succumb to malaria just three months into their union.
Source => history.com

8. Fashion Non-Icon President

Who needs fashion when you're a president, right? Sporting his rough, homespun attire like a true fashion non-icon, Zachary Taylor marched to the beat of his own drummer and leader's intuition: Taylor shunned political allegiance, claiming to be the President of the people, not any party, and his possession of 100 slaves didn't stop him from being a devoted nationalist and avoiding explicit endorsements of slavery or sectionalism.
Source => whitehouse.gov

9. Icy Inauguration Ball

They say home is where the party is, but for Zachary Taylor, it was more like "Ice, Ice, Baby" at his inauguration: His inaugural ball took place in a temporary, unheated structure on Judiciary Square, but despite the frosty conditions, newspapers reported that the cozy, elaborate interior decorations made the shindig cooler than a polar bear's toenails and surpassed any previous presidential party pad.
Source => whitehousehistory.org

10. Game of Presidential Ambiguity

Like a classic game of "Who Wants to be a President?", Zachary Taylor managed to snatch victory from the jaws of political ambiguity: In the 1848 election, Taylor's vague stance on slavery led to the creation of the Free Soil Party, which inadvertently split the vote and helped Taylor become the last Whig Party president.
Source => whitehouse.gov

11. Presidential Horse Souvenir

Before there were Taylor Swift fans snatching a strand of hair at concerts, our nation had the original mane attraction: Zachary Taylor's horse, "Old Whitey," was a crowd favorite at the White House, with visitors often plucking a hair or two from his mane as a keepsake.
Source => horsenation.com

12. Rebellious Son in Civil War

Like father, like son - in the most rebellious way possible: Despite President Zachary Taylor's son, Richard Taylor, initially opposing secession, he ended up as a Confederate Army general, boasting victories at Front Royal, First Winchester, and Port Republic, as well as giving Union General Nathaniel Banks a run for his money in the Red River Campaign of 1864, before finally surrendering on May 8, 1865.
Source => battlefields.org