NY Presidents Pop Quiz #1

Fillmore cutoutIn honor of Presidents Day, AOA has decided to slack off today. A little bit. But only because we're honoring the presidents. And with that in mind, we've put together a little presidential pop quiz -- we'll be posting one question for each of the six presidents from New York today.

Question: Which New York president started the University at Buffalo (even though he was a Know Nothing) and has been erroneously hailed as the man who brought the first bathtub to the White House?

The answer's after the jump.

Millard FillmoreAnswer: Millard Fillmore

Fillmore, the nation's 13th president, was born in Cayuga County. He was the last Whig to serve as president (he was never elected -- he served out Zachary Taylor's term). After the Whigs dissolved, Fillmore refused to become a Republican. He later accepted the nomination for president from the Know Nothing Party in 1856.

Fillmore helped found the then-private University at Buffalo in 1846 and served as its first chancellor.

And about that bathtub: in what's been described as one of the most believable journalistic hoaxes ever, HL Mencken wrote in 1917 a fictitious news story detailing how Fillmore had been captivated by the newly invented bathtub and was the first president to have one installed in the White House.

Say Something!

We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.

What's All Over Albany?

All Over Albany is for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. In other words, it's for you. It's kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who can help you find out what's up. Oh, and our friends call us AOA.

Search

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine