A Grand Old Whig

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United States Senate elections, 1854

Whig: 35 (+4)
Democrat: 22 (-7)
Free Soil: 9 (+3)

President Pro Tempore of the Senate: William H. Seward (Whig)
President Pro Tempore of the Senate: William H. Seward (Whig)

John Crittenden was elected to a senate seat from Kentucky as a Whig, while Douglas was elected to the senate as a Democrat.

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3-17-1855: Fillmore appoints Salmon P. Chase to the Supreme Court, making this his ninth appointment to the Supreme Court thus far.  Only three justices on the Supreme Court are not Fillmore appointees: Samuel Nelson, Robert Grier, and John Catron.

05-02-1855: The Second Judiciary Act of 1855 adds another 4 justices to the bench, which greatly agitates the public.  Another seat opens up: that of Samuel Nelson.  Fillmore fills these new seats with Alphonso Taft, Samuel F. Phillips, James Buchanan, John Tyler, and his former opponent Franklin Pierce, which settles the public slightly as the balance of the court has been maintained. *

* Note: this will have repercussions

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06-14-1855: President Fillmore announces his intent to seek re-election next November.  Few are surprised, as he has always indicated that he would run for re-election, but many of his fellow Whigs are very displeased...

07-04-1855: The United States budget of 1857 is submitted earlier than ever before, with a surplus of $2.3 million.  The United States has paid off its national debt.

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09-12-1855: Though popular support for President Fillmore is high, his fellow Whigs are growing agitated by his conservatism.  It appears he is becoming too old-fashioned for the younger generation of Whigs, though Vice President Lincoln urges his fellow Whigs that Fillmore is the only candidate that can win next year.

11-09-1855: Congress passes a bill making English the official language of the United States.  This is applauded by many from across the political spectrum, particularly those in the small Know-Nothing Movement.

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Haven't read all the new updates yet, but...
...William F. Buckley Sr. was born in like 1881. How can he be on any court just under thirty years before he's born?

Also, suggestion: don't just update with one date, compile them into larger updates with like ten different dates. That's how they're usually done.

And at last: I love how Winfield Scott gets appointed War Secretary. Here's hoping for a Civil War where he can be as nasty as he needs to be, though it looks like it may be averted ITTL.

I couldn't find a name for Buckley Sr.'s dad so I called him Buckley Sr....retconning....also the Civil War will be a surprise.

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Also, how does a President get away with just expanding the Supreme Court non-stop? I doubt that would fly and I'm not sure, but that seems like the kind of thing that would need a constitutional amendment.

That's what we did; there were only 5 justices in the beginning, expanded to 7 under washington, eventually 9 and Lincoln got it to 10, saw people getting miffed about it and then switched it backed to 9; this will have some serious repercussions in the future as I said; the court is up to 15 and many of the n00bs will be replaced in the 1870s; anyway Fillmore didn't really plan on this happening but gladly took the opportunity to pack the court, but there is an ideological balance he maintained; he put Taft and John TYLER on the same bench so sparks will fly; Fillmore believed in replacing the man with someone ideologically similar to maintain the balance on the court.

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According to wikipedia, it's John C. Buckley, though I have no idea if he has any legal experience whatsoever, and Bill Sr. was a Texas oilman.

Thanks I love all the comments

AT LEAST SOMEONE CARES ENOUGH TO COMMENT (HINT HINT!!!!) haha

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12-27-1855: Winfield Scott begins a strict regiment of diet and exercize!  His doctors are very upset with his dietary habits, as he has grown to 260 pounds.  He quickly trims off fat and is down to 220 pounds again by April.  Doctors say this was necessary for his health, yet on the first day of the diet, old fuss n' feathers complains "This is not food!  This is what food EATS!"

01-12-1856: Winfield Scott makes it known that he will not be a candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

01-20-1856: Jonathon Gallup founds The Gallup Organization, which is a service that determines a president's approval rating with the general public.  Many are astounded when the first poll shows that only 41% of Americans approve of President Fillmore*

05-03-1856: The United States economy surpasses France to become the fourth-largest in the world, behind only Britain, Germany, and the Russian Empire




*This was added to make things easier for me in terms of how people feel about the pres, etc.

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02-13-1856: Many in the senate charge President Fillmore on corruption for having expanded the Supreme Court far beyond the Founders’ intent, however Fillmore responds, “If it’s not what they expected to have good, fine, honest men put on that bench, then by God I’m glad I didn’t meet any of those old coots!”  This settles the populace slightly.

02-15-1856: President Fillmore’s approval rating is at 49%.

03-03-1856: President Fillmore continues to campaign as a strict constitutionalist who saved the United States from imperialist clutches once more.  Gallup releases head-to-head matchups for the upcoming elections:

Fillmore vs. Breckinridge*:



Fillmore vs. Pierce:




Fillmore vs. Douglas:



*Announced candidate

Fillmore approval rating: 54%

04-17-1856: “It is not my time, and I am not yet ready to become president.  That is why I will not seek, and I shall not accept, your nomination for the presidency of the United States.” - Stephen Douglas (D-IL)

04-24-1856: “I’m done with politics!  Here I get to wear these nice black robes (reporters laugh).  Seriously though, I’m not interested in running for president again.” - Franklin Pierce.  With his fine mannerisms and his charm, many think he could have been a great president.

05-03-1856: “Frank’s out, so I’m out too” - James Buchanan.

05-09-1856: “I’m all in!” - John C. Breckinridge (D-KY)

06-01-1856: Minnesota is admitted to the union

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Whoops; maps didn't post.

Fillmore vs. Breckinridge:

153 EV vs. 143 EV

Fillmore vs. Douglas:

229 vs. 67 EV

Filmore vs. Pierce:

173 vs. 123 EV

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I recommend green for the Whigs. That's the color this site uses, and it shows up better with map shades and text.

Is there any uproar over Fillmore breaking Washington's tradition?

I'd hope for Buchanan to win, but he's out of the running apparently.

Not really any anger over breaking Washington's tradition; back then the media weren't as rabbid as they were in 1940 so really just a few cute cartoons about Fillmore ducking Washington's tradition like Teddy in 1912.  I wanted to use either yellow or orange because those are the most common for the Whigs, but yellow is ugly so I'm switching to orange...till the manual changing gets annoying.  Then I'll use green.

[Jerseyrules]

I recommend green for the Whigs. That's the color this site uses, and it shows up better with map shades and text.

Is there any uproar over Fillmore breaking Washington's tradition?

I'd hope for Buchanan to win, but he's out of the running apparently.

BTW why are these text boxes so annoying?  When I type more than a few lines it starts spazzing out scrolling up and down rapidly...

[Jerseyrules]

I recommend green for the Whigs. That's the color this site uses, and it shows up better with map shades and text.

Is there any uproar over Fillmore breaking Washington's tradition?

I'd hope for Buchanan to win, but he's out of the running apparently.

BTW why are these text boxes so annoying?  When I type more than a few lines it starts spazzing out scrolling up and down rapidly...

It ususally depends on what computer you're using or what your internet provider is. I'm not sure. For me it usually happens if I'm using the school computers.

Stupid windows 7....

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06-09-1856: After 256 ballots, Lewis Cass is nominated for president while John C. Breckinridge was nominated for Vice President.

06-17-1856: President Fillmore, though he has lukewarm support by many in his party, is re-nominated unanimously at the Whig National Convention in Philadelphia.  Vice President Lincoln is re-nominated with only one vote in opposition: for William Seward.

06-25-1856: William Seward declares himself a candidate for the Whig nomination…in 1860.  Many are stunned by this, as it has little to no relevance to the current election.

08-12-1856: Now that all the candidates for Congress have been nominated, Lincoln is sent out to barnstorm for the Whigs.  He goes on a 3-month nationwide campaign train for himself and his President as well as Congress.  He is well-received wherever he went, which is what inspired Sarah Palin’s vice presidential campaign in [redacted]

08-24-1856: Vice President Lincoln’s campaigning appears to be working; the President’s approval ratings are 57% and rapidly increasing.  In a head-to-head matchup with Cass, the president leads 55%-38% with the rest undecided.

09-03-1856: The national Free Soil Party nominates former President Martin Van Buren for president with Salmon P. Chase as the VP candidate, though Chase will not campaign for the job at all.  The first incidence of cross-party nominating, the New York and California Free Soil Party nominates Vice President Lincoln for president and Van Buren for Vice President.  Lincoln has no comment on this matter

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10-29-1856: "President Fillmore!" [waves]
[the president waves back]
[gunshots]
[shrieking]
[The president is shoved into his carriage, which speeds away]

To be continued.....

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...IMMEDIATELY!

President Fillmore is rushed to the hospital; luckily the bullet grazed his chest but was deflected by a Bible he had in his coat pocket.

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So without further ado, the election:

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President Millard Fillmore (W-NY) / Vice President Lincoln (W-IL) - 60.1% Pop. Vote;  280 EV
Gen. Lewis Cass / Sen. John C. Breckinridge (D-KY) - 27.4% Pop. Vote; 23 EV
Fmr. President Martin Van Buren (FS-NY) / Salmon P. Chase (FS-OH) - 12.5% Pop. Vote; 0 EV

Obviously the sympathy vote rolled in for President Fillmore, due to the attempt on his life and his Vice President's vigorous campaigning, as well as his opponent's ambiguity after 8 years in the political wilderness.  However his victory is not just due to the sympathy vote, as his coattails prove:

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United States House of Representatives elections, 1854:

Whigs: 174 (+13)
Democrats: 44 (-8)
Free Soil: 10 (-3)
Independent: 2 (-2)

Incumbent Speaker: Robert C. Winthrop (W-MA)
Speaker-elect: Robert C. Winthrop (W-MA)
Incumbent Minority Leader: William Aiken, Jr. (D-SC) - defeated
Minority Leader-elect: James Orr (D-SC)

United States Senate elections, 1854:

Whig: 44 (+9)
Democrat: 16 (-6)
Free Soil: 10 (+1)

Incumbent Pres. Pro Tem.: William Seward (W-NY)
Pres. Pro Tem. elect: William H. Seward (W-NY)

*The Other 4 senate gains came from the freshmen from MN and OR.

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03-04-1857: President Fillmore is sworn in for a record third term.  It remains to be seen whether the Court-packing plan will be his undoing; for now it appears to have left him unscathed.  The third consecutive election in which the Whigs have gained seats in both houses of Congress, and the third consecutive presidential election won by a Whig; the only Whig who was not a war hero to win a presidential election, President Fillmore's second term is going to be remembered throughout history.

04-09-1857: The Congress submits the seventh consecutive balanced budget, all of which Fillmore can take credit for.  President Fillmore truly unified the Whigs and nearly destroyed the Democratic Party...  He proposes further tariff decreases to take the United States to a record low of 10%.  This is even lower than those under the Polk administration.  It easily passes the Whig-dominated Congress, and when it reaches the president's desk he plucks out all the earmarks of higher rates on certain items.

05-12-1857: The President goes on a "goodwill tour"; this will likely be his final term in office, and he pushes for reciprocity with Germany as a token of American appreciation.  This uncontrovercial legislation passes within two hours and is signed immediately.
06-12-1857: President Fillmore calls for the phasing out (and slow privatization of) the Postal Service, to be complete by 1877.  The bill, which states that the postal service will operate privately (with 50% of expenses covered by the US government the first 10 years, down to 30% of covered until 1877, and the department eliminated immediately) by 1877.

06-29-1857: President Fillmore finalizes his new Cabinet:

Third Fillmore Cabinet

Vice President: Abraham Lincoln
Secretary of State: Nathaniel Prentice Brooks
Secretary of War: Winfield Scott
Secretary of Navy: Martin Van Buren
Secretary of the Treasury: Rick Paul
Attorney General: John Bell
Postmaster General: department eliminated

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09-19-1857: President Fillmore participates in the creation of the Conservative Party of New York, praised by Justice Buckley, who calls the new party "revolutionary."  The new party will cross-endorse or nominate its own candidate, and advocates a platform similar to the policies of the Fillmore administration.

02-13-1858: President Fillmore begins to shore up support for his vice president, Abraham Lincoln to be elected in 1860.  He hopes Lincoln will continue his policies.

01-23-1859: Vice President Lincoln announces his intention to run for President in 1860.  He, along with Seward, are among the favorites for the nomination

02-14-1859: The United States surpasses the Russian Empire to become the third largest economy in the world.

03-21-1858: In a surprise move, Secretary of War Winfield Scott declairs himself a candidate for the Whig nomination.  More minor candidates clear the field for these three heavyweights

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04-12-1859: Millard Fillmore has remained silent on his endorsement.  Privately, he favors Lincoln on a personal level but Scott on policy.

05-09-1859: The Whig elders are still unsure of who to nominate.  Gallup releases a poll:

Lincoln vs. Douglas vs. Breckinridge

Lincoln vs. Breckinridge:

234 vs. 69

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Breckinridge announces that if he does not win the Democratic nomination, he will stage a walkout with all the other delegates at the convention.

Scott vs. Douglas vs. Breckinridge

Scott vs. Breckinridge

249 vs. 44

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House of representatives elections, 1858:

Whig: 159 (-15)
Democrat: 58 (+12)
Free Soil: 6 (-4)
Independent: 2 (-/+)
Conservative: 7 (+7)

United States senate elections, 1858:

Whig: 42 (-2)
Democrat: 17 (+1)
Free Soil: 10 (-/+)
Conservative: 1 (+1)

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06-11-1860: After the third round of balloting, Lincoln drops out and releases his delegates to Scott.  Scott is also endorsed by Seward.  On the first ballot, Lincoln is unanimously renominated for vice president and Seward is promised a cabinet position of his choice; he picks State.

07-03-1860: The Democratic Convention doesn't go so smoothly.  After 369 rounds of ballotting, John C. Breckinridge and all the other southern delegates walk out of the Democratic convention, and nominate Breckinridge for president and Daniel S. Dickenson for Vice President.  This walkout allows Douglas to claim the Democratic nomination easily.  Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia is nominated for Vice President.

09-21-1860: President Lincoln has been campaigning tirelessly for Scott throughout the nation.  He hasn't stopped riding trains, shaking hands, and kissing babies since the convention in June.  But his efforts are paying off; most polls show Scott ahead of Douglas and Breckinridge by 44-26-20 with the rest undecided.

10-02-1860: Although many believe that Scott is too old for president, a poll taken shows that 74% of voters believe that age should not be an issue for a presidential candidate.