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We had to set the Way Back Machine to "1850" to find an American president who was not a member of either of today's prominent political parties. Reaching back in time, we pulled up Millard Fillmore, Whig party member who served as the 13th president of the United States. The Whigs were an American political party that took its name from an older English party. The first Whigs were opposed to the British monarchy. Similarly, the American Whigs were united against the kingly actions of President Andrew Jackson. The Whigs elected a few presidents
in their time. First was Zachary Taylor, who died in office. His vice president, John Tyler, took over. Tyler started as a Whig, but once he got the top job, he turned Democrat. Next, the Whigs elected William Harrison, who also died in office (not a great reflection on the party, huh?). That's how Millard Fillmore became president in 1850. Even though he'd been a Whig all his political life, he didn't receive his party's nod for reelection in 1852. The Whigs didn't win another election, and the party fell apart before the Civil War. Many Whigs joined the new Republican party, which soon elected its first U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln. Americans have had elephants and donkeys as president ever since.
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