Millard Fillmore: A presidential portrait

Mo Rocca travels to Buffalo, N.Y., home of America's 13th president Millard Fillmore, to take a closer look at one of the country's least-remembered commander-in-chiefs.

[@StephenS-2024]

"Someone escaped from Cuba to visit the Millard Fillmore house?" "It was on his bucket- list. " Too funny.

[@dereklee796]

LOL and btw 117th like:,

[@dereklee796]

:)^

[@StephenS-2024]

@@dereklee796 😀

[@dereklee796]

@@StephenS-2024 :)

[@parachuteguy3992]

@@StephenS-2024 123th like

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

"I'm a Fillmore groupie" *Mo Rocca just stares*

[@TPChatter]

it was so awkward

[@scottaznavourian5791]

'He lowered the price of the postage stamp' oh wow lets put him on moumt rushmore then

[@schusterlehrling]

Maybe on cards of Mt. Rushmore.

[@danielmoreno1328]

Are you aware that Mount Rushmore was sculpted by a white supremacist?

[@miaouew]

Someone escaped from Cuba just to see the Fillmore house.

[@thomascars1]

Erium her: come over him: cant, reading books about Fillmore her: im at the Millard Fillmore house him: **escapes cuba**

[@blue2134]

This was hilarious. Thank you to the people of buffalo for being so upbeat and having a sense of humor about this

[@ghostiegoober108]

“You wrote a book about Millard Fillmore” “Yes” “WHY!?!”

[@jcstides]

みつこ L O F I me too we are distant relatives

[@jcstides]

みつこ L O F I yeah pretty crazy I know. Go far back enough and you will find you can have cousins in very long distances. I’m in America right now and one of mine is a british royal who is the Duke of Bedford.

[@jcstides]

みつこ L O F I I’d say so. Which state are you in?

[@jcstides]

みつこ L O F I fair enough but it’s not like I’m gonna hunt you down based on your state. I’m PA if that gives any perspective to how far Fillmores ancestors have traveled from Buffalo.

[@pruthvish007]

@Brandon C. Buchanan was arguably worse. Not to forget what a tragic life Pierce had. Pierce was pretty much in no state to make proper decisions. It was a difficult time for the country and he turned out to be a weak president. But Buchanan came over and only made things worse..

[@antiguanetwork5726]

He lowered the price of the postage stamp, folks. A remarkable achievement. This qualifies as greatest US President ever.

[@artemonayzeiri9537]

😂😂

[@alexthelizardking]

Millard Fillmore also: - appointed Brigham Young as the first governor of Utah - was called the most handsome man she's ever met by queen Victoria - prevented France (under Napoleon III) from annexing Hawaii

[@jenjen.rutherford8559]

DAM HIM Can you imagine anything cooler than a french hawaii?

[@nirtlocj]

The Mormons loved him because he was the first US president that didn't treat them like crap.

[@JJH-jc1fg]

@@nirtlocj now I know why the town I live in is named after him

[@barbaratran3146]

3:50 lmao I love the honesty of that historian.

[@jessicaAM666]

3:36 he really just SHOT that book up

[@dannyhernandez2203]

Looks like Alec Baldwin.

[@guyincognito5706]

Danny Hernandez somebody make that movie happen please

[@boy23q]

Omg!! You took the words right out of my mouth!!

[@quititwiththelies4865]

Alec and his family used to come to this area (skaneateles) same as the clintons. Idk if he does anymore. I dont care.lol

[@bamajpeezy]

Damn sure does

[@Parocha]

Hah! Was going to post the same, when I ran into your comment. Specially resembling each other at 2:28

[@unadin4583]

Strange how they don't mention Fillmore sending Commodore Perry to Japan. Most Americans at the time wouldn't have cared about it, but it was one of the more important events in Japanese history.

[@alexthelizardking]

Unadin For the first time (and not for the last) the destiny of a nation was changed thanks to the whim of the American president.

[@JosephFerreiraJr]

As a descendent of Perry and being married to a Japanese citizen, let me tell you it's as close to being royalty in Japan as I will ever likely be. Perry's still revered (and was even during WWII), while Fillmore and Pierce (who signed the Treaty of Kanazawa) are completely ignored/forgotten...

[@kayzeaza]

This series on presidents is pretty lose. Seems more like the reports opportunities to tell jokes then actually inform.

[@kalyaniv4964]

He destroyed Japan! Like he destroyed America!

[@DiskoNixon.]

111th like

[@JMLawson80]

"He played a prominent part in the Civil War." So did Jefferson Davis.

[@danielmoreno1328]

Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy, but people like Fillmore were directly responsible for the Civil War!

[@chrollolucilfer8618]

When I had an Asian history as a subject when I was a sophomore in high school, the only mention of Millard Fillmore is he was the one responsible for opening up of Japan after 200 years of isolation, by way of Commodore Matthew Perry.

[@danielmoreno1328]

That happened under Pierce!

[@cellophanity]

His Alec Baldwin impersonation is spot on.

[@trolljones4386]

Millard FIlmore was good with his hands?? that is what Abigail Fillmore said!

[@kareemr1261]

I’m watching this because I have a school project about him😂😂

[@houseofleaves126]

Who’d it go?

[@kareemr1261]

@@houseofleaves126 i don’t even remember commenting this, but i got a 95 on it surprisingly

[@houseofleaves126]

Kareem R Millard for the win!

[@ben3634]

@@kareemr1261 nice

[@jamescorcoran5862]

"He played just as big a role in the Civil War as Lincoln, just not as prominent" So he didn't play as big a role then...

[@millardfillmore3520]

Hello, hope you did a good biography on me!

[@TheLordOfNothing]

You’re name. Everybody laughs at it. Except for historians.

[@darthvestius7771]

They did sir. It was a resounding failure. Like your presidency! ZING!

[@j0rdan172]

Behind Jackson, and Trump, you are the worst president in American history according to my resources on every president

[@miranda6315]

They did sure.

[@astranger6737]

@@j0rdan172 I can agree with you on Fillmore, but I can’t agree with you on Jackson and Trump.

[@bscherer90]

Mo Rocca's transformation from fake journalist to real journalist is amazing. Even in serious reporting, we need a little hunor. Well done, Mo.

[@missyrose2154]

My dog and I visited the house today . Just saw the outside of the house but it was neat to be on the same property a president once lived

[@Hotpocketmountiandew]

Fillmore? That's what she said.

[@robertelee6373]

Hotpocket Moutaindew lol

[@AmWestColl]

Millard Fillmore was my Great Great Great Uncle

[@jenjen.rutherford8559]

How awful for you .

[@Becomingaman588]

we are related

[@musclerocker]

I herd I have a small dna amount of Fillmore and Lincoln

[@FemboyBlake]

Nah he was my uncle.

[@nilosongproductions8016]

So sorry

[@connormorris5589]

He looks like Alec Balwin

[@VickieannOglesby]

I cant help it..every time i see this man's portrait..i think im looking at todays actor alec baldwin.

[@NicaeaCreed]

This has to be the funniest video I’ve ever watched

[@hannibalburgers477]

"Funny? Funny how?"

[@sashanewyork3237]

Thats a beautiful home. I have to visit someday.

[@Dinomasterlee]

Fun fact Millard Fillmore was born the same date as me. (Not the year but the month and day)

[@MegaBryonB]

Paul Finkelman's book, while sometimes helpful, is meant to deride Fillmore's role in history through Finkelman's interpretation of events and facts. Previous Fillmore biographers, Robert Rayback and Elbert Smith, are more laudatory.

[@Monomakh]

I've been to Buffalo a bunch of times and have never heard of "beef on weck" or whatever the heck they called it.

[@RoseSharon7777]

Love the cottage!!!

[@woosix7735]

Not many people know that the 13 stars of the original Flag of the United States of America is a subtle reference to Millard Fillmore, the 13th president. Great video

[@MrHalohunter24]

"Millard, do you mind?" "Naw fam, we cool"

[@litehousekid1]

I can’t stop thinking about VH1 & I Love The 90’s

[@jadedpigeon5585]

Hey, are you still alive?

[@JosephFerreiraJr]

Mo overlooked another Fillmore accomplishment: Fillmore sent my ancestor, Commodore Matthew Perry, to Japan to negotiate what became the Treaty of Kanagawa, which eventually opened Japan to trade with the US and ended the incarceration of shipwrecked US whaling sailors (who washed ashore in Japan and were arrested for violating Japan's exclusion laws). That, however, doesn't make him a good president or even a good man...

[@itsame9647]

I dont see why you still had to add a negative remark at the end without any reasoning with it.

[@danielmoreno1328]

That was Pierce!

[@deaustin4018]

well, Millard Fillmore was a president, and most of the rest of us weren't, so there's that

[@triciamoreschi5061]

d e austin ok... but so was Buchanan....and then there’s Trump. I mean,it’s fine to those who want to look at the glass half full (get it? Half full,Fillmore 😀)...but history tells us that being elected president can be more about branding and advertising than actually having good ideas for moving our country forward. This is just one American woman’s opinion.

[@PuddingAtheist]

well, he was a very clean man...

[@jcstides]

Tricia Moreschi yeah but trump is actually a good president unlike Buchanan

[@niccolorichter1488]

@@jcstides Trump is meh president not good not bad

[@the4tierbridge]

@@jcstides Trump is meh. He’ll be forgotten like Harrison or Pierce.

[@XMattingly]

Paul Finkelman wrote one half-assed book about Fillmore, so he disingenuously gets credited as a Fillmore “historian”. I read that book and some notable portions were factually incorrect, if not greatly exaggerated and BLATANTLY skewed by Fink’s own modern era self-righteous bent. He even said in this interview “I hope I can get his favorability to go down”. Well folks, that’s not history: it’s editorialism at its worst. Since he brought it up, let’s talk about rankings: I read the entire American Presidents book series Fink’s is a part of, and of every other book I’d rate it in the bottom two of the worst, for reasons stated above. Don’t believe me? Check out his book ratings on Amazon.

[@GillianSeed]

Did he talk about Filmore's Indian policy? He honored his word with the Ojibwe and rarely gets credit for it

[@the4tierbridge]

What, he was a crap president.

[@XMattingly]

​@@GillianSeed No, Finkelman went out of his way to trash Fillmore, and gave him absolutely no credit for anything that looked like a good policy decision. Contrast his writing with Annette Gordon-Reed's book on Andrew Johnson. He's legitimately among the bottom 3 POTUS', and in spite of that I thought her writing was very balanced and offered additional insight with his background, rather than simply portray him as a villain at every step.

[@danielmoreno1328]

Of course! Finkelman admitted that he was trying to make Fillmore look bad on purpose. Well, Fillmore was a racist!

[@chazzib0y]

Well, being related to fillmore, i don't know how to feel about this

[@redjirachi1]

How so? I believe neither of Fillmore's kids had children of their own, so is it through a sibling or cousin? Say what you will about him, he was best performing third party candidate in terms of the popular vote besides T.R. He was also one of the healthiest presidents

[@equinn2434]

I am also a descendent of his, perhaps we may be related?

[@dylanzelaya9949]

Dude wtf im related to him to yoyo i think were all related

[@jacksonhza9964]

eyyy im asian but im related to fillmore aswell

[@GrapesOfWrath1]

You also related to Alec Baldwin?

[@NoirFan01]

I am under the impression that he had some successes in international matters.

[@miketheyunggod2534]

great!

[@ricardo53100]

Fillmore was the last Whig to serve as President. Lincoln had been a Whig but left the party in the mid 1850s to found the Republican Party.

[@scottaznavourian5791]

I actually feel harrison was the only whig president. Tyler was actually a democrat elected with the whigs, fillmore was a man without a party, and i actually call taylor the first republican president.

[@victorkong82]

Good God, Lemon.

[@marclawrence7844]

The name Millard Fillmore has never made me laugh. There's nothing funny about it. It was a person's name.

[@itsame9647]

Your no fun

[@ayannamitchell8920]

I ❤️all the presidents and God and everyone

[@laz4dayzzz576]

start at 3:35, that guy was taken and that other guy was taken

[@Skip2105]

I love how Bonnie Swanson have the tour

[@Aggie1295]

My great grandfather was named after Millard Fillmore

[@jimkinkade6919]

So was Cleveland!

[@tommyt1971]

I was born in the hospital named for him… and about 10 yrs ago it was torn down & replaced with a better one!

[@torgman]

This reminds me of the early years of The Daily Show,, sans laugh track

[@DustyB]

When they gunna do one about Zachary Taylor?

[@annettemalaski1967]

Would of like a little more respect from Moe Rocca! Filmore did a job few would even try! That fact alone makes him worthy of a bot more respect and a better piece than what was presented by CBS!

[@LWWM]

I wanna hang out with Kathy Frost! What a delightful person!

[@95TBake]

alec baldwins last film playing this guy

[@aliali-ce3yf]

not a shock he's popular in Buffalo of all places

[@Bopalena]

The Fillmore East, man!

[@etrs]

Is this the same guy from that Japanese Kitkat video?

[@davidscott7626]

I'll be Damn he does look like Alex Baldwin lol.

[@podcastmotivation36]

Love how Millard Fillmore finally got a news story made about him yet most of it just talks about how unpopular he is 😂

[@MeganKoumori]

DNA? Huzzah, we can clone our own Millard Fillmore!

[@gingerkat74]

Ive lived in Buffalo NY all my life and never knew we celebrate his birthday 🤭..... although the hospital I work at is named after him. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@nilosongproductions8016]

Hey, Millard was the greatest Why make fun of him? And the name is really catchy

[@jackakdemir8850]

I didn't know Jennifer Tily's mom was a tour guide. That's nice.

[@djbeezy]

"Millard Fillmore's lips were on this tea cup?" This dude is so creepy and weird.

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

Hes just curious bro lol he’s a “historian”

[@victorkong82]

alejandro perez He’s not a historian, he’s a comedian. He used to work on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert and Carell so obviously he has comedic timing.

[@gettafrickenclue9645]

Shameless Plug.....y’all need to listen To Mobituaries. It’s Mo Rocca’s podcast. It’s fantastic

[@flamedestroyer6]

His chief accomplishment? "He lowered the price of the postage stamp."

[@Endgame707]

lol i remember when i first saw this video back in 2017 good times

[@theoneandonlyrustyshaklefo6256]

Millard Fillmore? I’ve never heard of the guy. 😂

[@tj.espygil4544]

He was the 13th President of the United States. He was the second Vice president to ascend to the office because of the death in office of President Zachary Taylor. He served from July 1850 to March 1853. Also,, both his children died fairly young with no children of their own so he had no direct bloodline of heirs to keep his name spoken in US history.

[@joeyarbrough7107]

My grandfather's great grandpa

[@silverstar8868]

Imagine being able to clone Fillmore with possible DNA in the future

[@josephtemple1667]

In terms of legislative accomplishments, Fillmore is right up there at the very top. While the Compromise of 1850 hasn't aged well, at the time, it was one of the most important pieces of legislation to pass--legislation that averted a civil war on the Texas-New Mexico boundary that the South would have probably won. With assists from Daniel Webster and Stephen Douglas, Millard Fillmore accomplished what Henry Clay, the great compromiser, was unable to get past the goal line. I'm not saying that Fillmore is one of the best presidents but he certainly isn't one of the worst either. I'd place him somewhere in the middle.

[@LolManI-75]

I fully agree with you right there, he's certainly not one of our worse presidents

[@oriraykai3610]

Only because he outlived Zachary Taylor...

[@garrettshore]

fillmore sent commodore matthew perry (not from friends) to japan with armaments in 1852 to intimidate them into supplying US w silk. Japan was isolationist and had no interest in trade. Our display of military power spooked japan so badly, they entered the Meiji period in direct response to this. 30 years later, japan was fully industrial. you might say that fillmores actions lead to japans industrialization which lead ultimately to pearl harbor.

[@VenciMladenov4]

0:42 thats a photo of his son btw,they looked really alike

[@Nedyah74]

I might be missing some details, but when she said "the only house in the nation that was built and lived in by a president" I kept thinking of Monticello. Does that not count?

[@HaythamGruxton]

Built by the actual president himself, not a workforce.

[@stephenbullard5321]

Need I remind you of slavery?

[@j0rdan172]

“President Fillmore”

[@aname3017]

Mo Rocca wears a beard really well.

[@jolee3633]

My father is Millard also

[@kingdomofgarvin3432]

Wow

[@damomo13]

Russia just went to Wikipedia instead of sending a spy 😂

[@miaouew]

Its like watching a Waiting for Guffman short.

[@sambradley2975]

A good man & a competent president.

[@danielmoreno1328]

You're kidding, right? He was a racist!

[@margo3367]

Whoa, that guy in drag singing about Obamacare threw me! I thought this piece was about Millard Fillmore? ✌️

[@salilbhatnagar]

He looks like my geometry teacher ha

[@Skip2105]

My god but she really does sound like Bonnie Swanson

[@timevampire83]

Lol! His biographer even hates him!

[@hfled]

Out here in Utah, we have the town of Fillmore in Millard County! 😂

[@bethbartlett5692]

Well done Buffalo! 🇺🇸

[@SiVlog1989]

I know they touched on it briefly, but what makes Millard Fillmore such a silly name?

[@restttoo]

Filllmore will always be the VW bus on cars

[@GlobeOil0030official]

True day!

[@willday9316]

Yamada Leon?

[@markcarls1896]

Because this wasn't completely biased.

[@jamesspackman9819]

History is biased against the incompetent, stupid and just plain bad. ...just like the law is biased against criminals.

[@gerardparker4220]

That's the wrong portrait of Fillmore in that museum. He should be older in that portrait. I've never seen that picture of him any where.

[@taivo55]

Fillmore, Millard County, Utah

[@dgrossiter8610]

Don’t forget he installed the first bathtub in the White House. We used to have bathtub races in his original home town Moravia NY

[@dariowiter3078]

The lady with the pink coat is,a cutie pie! 😁

[@bestatnba2k]

Dario Witer Argentina sucks

[@ruckymutton5153]

@@bestatnba2k wow

[@flamedestroyer6]

Do you feel a little bit guilty saying that right here? "Millard, do you mind?"

[@tannerfillmore4273]

They just roasted my last name so hard...

[@danielmoreno1328]

I don't think that everyone who has the last name Fillmore is bad and I don't remember anyone saying that.

[@tannerfillmore4273]

@@danielmoreno1328 issa joke sir, I’m not offended

[@nicholasluigi]

Fillard Milmore

[@crazysteve9390]

Need me some wings now

[@moiznicees]

Cool