Zachary Taylor: How I Became President

Hi, my name is Zachary Taylor. I was born November 24, 1784 in Orange County, Virginia.
I died July 9, 1850 in Washington D.C. while in office.
I got sick after eating cherries and milk at a July 4 celebration.
I was the second president to die in office.
But before that, I met Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, and we married.
A little while later we had some kids. There names were: Anne, Sarah, Mary and Richard. My nickname back then was “old rough and ready”.
Before I Became President I joined the army as a lieutenant and quickly rose in the ranks. My first great success was when the commander of Fort Knox fled.
I quickly took command and restored order to the fort.
How did I die? …show more content…
While at an Independence Day celebration I ate a snack of buttermilk and cherries. The snack was contaminated and I died a few days later of cholera. Here’s some fun facts!!
President James Madison was my second cousin. I was a descendent of William Brewster, a leader of the Pilgrims who first landed on Plymouth Rock and sailed to America on the Mayflower. My daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor, was married briefly to Jefferson Davis before she died. Davis went on to become president of the Confederacy. I was known for my homespun ways while an officer. I was often disheveled, wore a straw hat, and sometimes wore farm clothes under my officer's jacket. I am said to have earned my nickname Old Rough-and-Ready from my clothing, "rough", and my preparedness to fight, "ready". There are theories that I was actually assassinated and that the snack I ate was purposely