Abigail Fillmore (1798-1853) was an American first lady (1850-1853) and the wife of Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States. The first first lady to work outside of the home, she met her future husband while she was his teacher at a school in New York state. She supported her husband's burgeoning political career, though her deteriorating health prevented her from participating in most social engagements as first lady. A lifelong lover of books, her lasting contribution was the creation of a White House library, which she built with funds she secured from Congress.
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This Day in History
May 24
Presidential
Thomas Jefferson inquires about a former flame, 1797
On this day in 1797, future President Thomas Jefferson writes to his friend Angelica Church, inquiring casually about their mutual friend, Maria Cosway, a…
Did You Know?
Abigail Fillmore developed pneumonia after attending the outdoor inauguration of her husband's successor Franklin Pierce, and died in March 1853, just 26 days after she and her husband Millard left the White House.
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