Evening journal., 1913-03-12
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How MiIlard Fillmore Was
Helped by His Capable
Wife
By Holland.

THE first time / saw Millard Fill
more was at a political convention In
Buffalo, in 1924" said Thurlow Weed
to little company Of friends who
were calling upon him at his New
York home in 1879
Buffalo was then a struggling lit
tie village | was living at the time
at Rochester. At the convention or
caucus observed a young man OF
handsome figure. well-poised head a
good deal of dignity of manner and |
asked who he was. / was told that
he was Millard Fillmore, who had
recently come to Buffalo to practice
law, and that by trade he was wool
carder
There was something about the
young man that attracted me. |
heard him speak and he spoke well.
asked one Of my friends If Fillmore
was married. and when he replied that
Fillmore had been married several
years. / said, Then he owes a good
deal OF what he now is to his wife,
for can detect not only the refining
Influences OF a cultivated woman in
his manner, but I believe also that he
owes to the same woman much of his
ambition to succeed as a lawyer ana
perhaps I'm public life.
81 learned, not long after, that Mrs.
Fillmore was exactly the kind Of wo-
man I had instictively or intuitively
imagined her to be. Fillmore was
elected to the Legislature at Albany
year or two later then renewed
my acquaintance with him, and ] met
Mrs. Fillmore. Her maiden name was
Abigail Powers and she was, ! be-
lieve, the daughter OF either Meth
odist or a Baptist missionary preach
er. She il was who so managed the
house that when young Fillmore, who
was practically self taught as law
yer was ready to begin practice the
young couple we're able to make both
ends meet
81 was told by a gentleman who
knew both Mr. and Mrs. Fillmore
that the devoted wife taught school
and did some other remuneratNe
work and IN addition taught Fillmore
himself something of English litera-
ture and history From the beginning
Abigail Fillmore believed that her
husband had a great career before
him, and she determined to aid him
in making that career and to keep
pace with him as he advanced.
"I saw Mrs. Fillmore after her hus-
band had become President of the
United States. She was an invalid.
She was not able to assist her hus-
band on the social side. and that is
the reason why her daughter was
really mistress of the White House.
But 7 learned from her that she was
assisting him in other ways. She did
great deal Of reading for him, and
served as his confidential private sec
retary She was a woman OF great
mental cultivation and she had the
faculty OF imparting her information
to her husband
1T was confidential or informal in
! formation of Mrs. Fillmore's fondness
for reading and ability as student
! that led Congress to make an appro-
priation for library which was set
up i'm one OF the rooms of the White
/ House. n room which really became
| Mrs. Fillmore's White House homL
and this was the real origin Of the
White House library have some
] times thought that nothing but her
power of will and her nervous force
enabled her to remain as the com
panion OF the President during the
! two years he served in that office.
and I was the more strongly con
vinced that this view was correct
when ] learned that only few days
after Mr.. Fillmore's term as Presi-
dent had ended Mrs Fillmore died.
She bore up until the expiration Of
her husbands term as President She
aided him in making a great career,
and when that career was ended a re-
action came and she passed away"
| Copyright. 1913. by f. J. Edwards.
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell