Calvin Fillmore
American politician
Calvin Fillmore (April 30, 1775 – October 22, 1865) was an American farmer and politician from New York. He served as coroner of Erie County, New York and a member of the New York State Assembly, and is best known as the uncle of President Millard Fillmore.
Life
Fillmore was born in Bennington County, Vermont on December 12, 1775.[1] His father, Nathaniel Fillmore Sr., was a farmer and officer in the Green Mountain Boys who was a veteran of the American Revolution.[1]
Calvin Fillmore was educated in Bennington, and became a farmer.[1] In 1798, he married Jerusha Turner (d. 1852).[1] Fillmore was close with his brother Nathaniel Fillmore, and in 1798, they moved to an area then located in Onondaga County, New York, which is now in Summerhill, Cayuga County.[1]
During the War of 1812, Fillmore was appointed a captain in the 13th Infantry Regiment of the New York Militia, and took part in several battles in upstate New York and Canada.[1] He was promoted to major, and then lieutenant colonel, and commanded the regiment before the end of the war.[1] He later served as lieutenant colonel of the militia's 17th Regiment.[2]
In 1819, Nathaniel and Calvin Fillmore and their families moved to Montville, then in the Town of Sempronius, now in Moravia.[1] Later they moved to East Aurora, in Erie County.[3] In addition to farming, he kept a tavern and hotel, and owned a sawmill and other businesses.[4] He also became involved in the development of the local transportation infrastructure as an original incorporator of the Aurora and Buffalo Railroad.[5]
Fillmore was coroner of Erie County, and a deputy U.S. marshal.[1] He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Erie Co.) in 1825,[6] elected as a Democratic-Republican.
He died in East Aurora on October 22, 1865, and was buried at East Aurora Cemetery.[1]
U.S. President Millard Fillmore was his nephew.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, p. 812.
- ^ Our County and Its People, p. 261.
- ^ American Presidential Families, p. 410.
- ^ History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, pp. 314, 453, 464, 540, 546–547.
- ^ History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, p. 542.
- ^ Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, p. 66.
Sources
- Brogan, Hugh; Mosley, Charles (1993). American Presidential Families. Stroud, England: Alan Sutton. ISBN 9780750905824.
- Cutter, William Richard (1912). Genealogical and Family History of Western New York. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing.
- New York State Legislature (1852). Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York. Vol. 7. Albany, NY: C. Van Benthuysen.
- Smith, Henry Perry (1884). History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County. Vol. 1. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co.
- White, Truman C. (1898). Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York. Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Boston History Company.
Further reading
- Millard Fillmore by Robert J. Scarry (2001; ISBN 978-0-7864-4340-6 ; pg. 14f and 22)
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 202 and 273; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
| New York State Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel Wilkeson | New York State Assembly Erie County 1825 | Succeeded by Reuben B. Babcock |
