4. Millard Fillmore

Skaneateles Lake Finger Lakes in New York State
Finger Lakes, New York

Millard Fillmore was born in a log cabin in the Finger Lakes region in Cayuga County, New York on January 7, 1800. He had a tough childhood, as his family struggled to make ends meet. The family lived in various places upstate like Sempronius, Moravia, and East Aurora, near Buffalo.

In Buffalo, Fillmore studied law, passed the New York bar exam and opened up a practice in East Aurora, later running for State Assembly. He returned to the law after his term, practicing in Buffalo, before winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as New York State comptroller until he became Vice President until President Zachary Taylor. Fillmore became President of the United States in 1850 when Taylor died suddenly.

Following the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter in quick succession following his Presidency, Fillmore would remarry and settle in Buffalo where he became active in local organizations. Fillmore is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo (where incidentally, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a mausoleum).