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In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan · August 11 · 23 min

Millard Fillmore Kicks the Can Down the Road

Vice President Millard Fillmore never expected to be president, but Zachary Taylor's death in 1850 thrust him into the White House and the national spotlight. So how did the "man of hesitation and double opinions" confront the growing crisis over slavery? Colleen Shogan talks with former congressman Steve Israel about Fillmore's surprising rise, his contradictory opinions, and the compromises that hastened the coming of the civil war. Steve Israel served as a congressman from New York from 2001 to 2017. He is the owner of Theodore’s Books in Oyster Bay and author of the novel, The Einstein Conspiracy (2025). Read Israel's essay on Millard Fillmore at www.Inpursuit.org INFO: Tell us who inspires you: https://www.inpursuit.org/join. Please leave a rating and review on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It helps other listeners find the show. Watch all episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InPursuitUSA. Hosted by Colleen Shogan, Ph.D. Written and Produced by Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. Audio mixing by Curt Dahl of CD Squared. Music from Music Bed. Production Services by Stand Together. In Pursuit is a podcast by More Perfect. SOCIAL: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/In-Pursuit-USA-61580409336588/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inpursuitusa/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inpursuitusa BlueSkye: https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social X: https://x.com/InPursuitUSA 2682fa9b0fda4806f152e2fc382a943f5da5bd0f

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Vice President Millard Fillmore never expected to be president, but Zachary Taylor's death in 1850 thrust him into the White House and the national spotlight. So how did the "man of hesitation and double opinions" confront the growing crisis over slavery? Colleen Shogan talks with former congressman Steve Israel about Fillmore's surprising rise, his contradictory opinions, and the compromises that hastened the coming of the civil war.

Steve Israel served as a congressman from New York from 2001 to 2017. He is the owner of Theodore’s Books in Oyster Bay and author of the novel, The Einstein Conspiracy (2025).

Read Israel's essay on Millard Fillmore at www.Inpursuit.org 

INFO:
Tell us who inspires you: https://www.inpursuit.org/join.

Please leave a rating and review on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It helps other listeners find the show.

Watch all episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InPursuitUSA.

Hosted by Colleen Shogan, Ph.D. Written and Produced by Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. Audio mixing by Curt Dahl of CD Squared. Music from Music Bed. Production Services by Stand Together. In Pursuit is a podcast by More Perfect.

SOCIAL:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/In-Pursuit-USA-61580409336588/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inpursuitusa/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inpursuitusa 
BlueSkye: https://bsky.app/profile/inpursuitusa.bsky.social 
X: https://x.com/InPursuitUSA

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