President Zachary Taylor
Alex Miel
As a professional soldier, Zachary Taylor took no more than a passing interest in politics. But his great field victories during the Mexican War made him an eminently electable presidential candidate. Upon taking office, he promised to bring harmony to a union that was being driven apart by debates over the expansion of slavery. His own intransigence on that issue, however, only deepened the contentious climate. What struck many contemporaries upon first meeting him was his obvious indifference to military spit and polish which showed itself in the frayed shabbiness of his clothing.