TAYLOR, 12th, 1849-50

Short, dumpy and thick-necked, Zachary Taylor had a head big enough to rest on the body of a giant. His legs were so short he required the help of an orderly to lift him into the saddle when he mounted his warhorse.

He had little schooling, no knowledge of law, government or politics and had never cast a vote in his life. He was nominated without anyone knowing where he stood on any issue.

Taylor was the second cousin of James Madison.

He was the first Regular Army man to become President. In or out of uniform, "Old Rough and Ready" was no stickler for spit and polish, and his appearance was frayed, dusty, and wrinkled. His near-sightedness caused him to squint and he kept one eye closed while reading to prevent double vision. This brought his heavy brows down and gave the impression of a fierce scowl.

He chewed tobacco and spit it accurately. He had a stutter.

His wife, Margaret Smith, smoked a corncob pipe in the privacy of her rooms, never appeared at White House functions, and outlived him by two years.

Although some suspect that Taylor was poisoned in the end, it is more likely that he contracted Typhoid fever from cherries he ate on the 4th of July.

d. July 9, 1850 (suddenly in the White House) at 65 worn out by war and politics.