Abigail Powers Fillmore, wife of Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the United States, died March 30, 1853. She was 55.

Mrs. Fillmore was born Abigail Powers on March 13, 1798 in Saratoga County, New York. Her father, a popular Baptist preacher, died when she was very young. The family then moved to New Hope where Abigail received her education. She remained there as a teacher.

In 1819 she met Millard Fillmore, who had come to her school to get a formal education. Fillmore had grown up on a farm, and had been apprenticed to a cloth dresser. But he wanted more out of life, and came to New Hope to pursue his dream.

She taught him the basics, and meantime, they fell in love. They waited seven years to marry because Fillmore began studying law and wanted to establish a practice before they wed. Still struggling to make it as an attorney, the two married in 1826. To help make ends meet, Abigail continued to teach. She was the first future First Lady to hold a job after getting married.

Their son, Millard Powers, was born in 1828. A second child, daughter Mary Abigail, was born in 1832.

The Fillmores were soon able to afford a larger home, buying a six-room house in Buffalo.

Fillmore was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1833. He served five terms. Abigail began learning the social graces expected of a politician’s wife. In 1847, her husband became Comptroller of New York. They moved temporarily to Albany.

Fillmore became Zachary Taylor’s vice presidential running mate in 1848. When Taylor won, the Fillmores moved to Washington. Sixteen months later, when Taylor died of illness, Abigail Fillmore found herself in the role of First Lady.

Always in delicate health, she suffered from an ankle injury, which made it difficult to stand for long periods. Regardless, she spent two hours every Friday evening standing with her husband greeting people who attended state dinners.

Abigail turned much of the White House social duties over to her daughter. Abigail spent a lot of her time getting Congress to appropriate more money for the White House library. Reading was her passion.

In 1856, Fillmore’s political party, the Whigs, disbanded. He chose to run as a third party candidate on the Know Nothing ticket. He finished a distant third.

The inauguration of Franklin Pierce on March 4, 1853 turned out to be tragic in more ways than one. The wife of Franklin Pierce, Jane, did not attend the ceremony because of the death of the Pierce’s son in a railroad accident in January. The Pierces were on their way to Washington. Abigail Fillmore did attend, but caught pneumonia in the cold snowy weather. She died later that month on March 30, 1853.

Congress adjourned out of respect as Mrs. Pierce’s body was taken back to Buffalo for burial.