From the desk of Rand Simmons

Today is Millard Fillmore’s birthday. Millard who, you say? According to Wikipedia (dare I say that name?) Fillmore, born January 7, 1800 was the last of the Whig Presidents, serving as the 13th President of the United States. Wikipedia notes that Fillmore is consistently at the bottom of ranking of Presidents of the United States. (See Fillmore article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_Fillmore).

The Washington State Library stands among the few who salute Millard Fillmore today. Resident State Library Fillmore scholar, Steve Willis, wrote “The name of President Millard Fillmore usually evokes a snicker, but he was actually an important figure in our history since it was his signature that created Washington Territory. And yet, from what I can find, not one single political or geographic area is named in his honor here in Washington.” (Washington Territorial Library: celebrating the state’s oldest cultural institution : 1853-2013 160th anniversary, p. 2.)

A side note, The Aurora [NY] Historical Society will celebrate Millard Fillmore’s 214th birthday on Thursday, January 9th, as a fundraiser for the Millard Fillmore Presidential Site. The Millard Mallard Award will be presented to the politician who made the biggest political blunder in 2013. (http://www.aurorahistoricalsociety.com/Millard_Fillmore_Registration_2014.pdf.) We will be there in spirit!

Thanks, Millard, we owe a lot to you, as few others do!