A recent purchase - an 1848 Zachary Taylor political medalet

[BillJones]

 

Here is my latest acquisition. It is an 1848 Zachary Taylor presidential campaign medalet. It is listed in DeWitt / Sullivan as ZT 1848-17. The obverse shows a nice portrait of the general. The reverse, which is crudely executed, features a Ms. Liberty with a sheep and a spinning wheel. Around the edge in virtually unreadable letters is the slogan, “Liberty and union now and forever one and inseparable.” It’s interesting to note that concerns about the break-up of the union over the slavery issue were part of the 1848 presidential campaign.

 

Zachary Taylor is one of those obscure presidents who has disappeared into the mists of history. He was the last Whig Party presidential candidate to win the presidency. He came to national prominence when he led the American forces who ultimately won the Mexican War in 1848. Taylor did his job so well that President James K. Polk relived him of command and replaced him with Winfield Scott. Polk was concerned that if Taylor won all the glory he would use his hero status to ride into the White House, which is exactly what happened. Oddly, Taylor wasn’t particularly politically ambitious.

 

Zachary Taylor was perhaps the most apolitical man ever to hold the office. He freely admitted before the Whigs nominated him that he had never voted in a presidential election. In fact, there is a reasonable possibility that he didn’t vote in his own presidential election! He aligned himself with no party although when pressed he said that he was a Whig, but not a strong Whig. But given the dearth of candidates available to the Whigs, and his status as a war hero, he was a logical choice.

 

The big issue during Taylor’s administration was slavery. Although Taylor owned slaves, he strongly refused to support the Southern position, which called for the extension of slavery into more states and territories. He indicated that he would veto any bills that expanded slave territory. One book that I read recently suggested that had he lived Taylor might have prevented the Civil War. I found that assertion far-fetched. But Taylor does deserve credit for holding the line on that highly divisive issue when most other politicians at the time were playing the slavery issue to their best perceived advantage.

 

Taylor’s death has been controversial. On July 4, 1850 he sat in the hot sun for two hours during an event at the site of the Washington Monument, which was under construction. After that he took a stroll in the sun. Upon returning to the White House the hungry and thirsty President wolfed down copious quantities of cherries and iced milk. He developed a case of severe cramps that doctors diagnosed as cholera morbus. Such conditions were common in Washington, DC where sanitation was poor and diseases were common in the summer months. Taylor’s conditions worsened, in part because his doctors bled him and give him huge doses of medicine. On July 9, the president died.

 

Years later there was speculation that someone poisoned Taylor because of his views on slavery. If that had been true he would have been the first president to have been assassinated. The curiosity grew so intense that his body was exhumed and examined. Doctors found that his death had been from natural causes.

 

Taylor’s successor was Millard Fillmore, who gained some fame from joke makers because he had previously been so historically obscure. Fillmore’s greatest accomplishment, if you could call that, was to get the Compromise of 1850 passed. It should be noted that Zachary Taylor had vowed to veto the provisions in that bill if it had been passed during his presidency. The worst part of the Compromise of 1850 was the fugitive slave law which further split the North and South apart.

 

 

You don’t have to pay a fortune for Zachary Taylor medalets. The trouble is finding them. This is the most common piece, ZT 1848-21. It took me a while to find one of these, but when I up graded it this one, I actually lost money on the first one. Zachary Taylor is clearly not on the front burner for many collectors! You will note the eagle on the reverse of this piece bears a strong resemblance to the one that appears on U.S. gold coinage of the period. Medalet designers often used this device to draw attention to their work.

 

 

As a footnote here is another 1848 medalet that was issed for Henny Clay. Clay had already lost in three presidential elections, but that did not stop him from wanting to run again as the Whig Party candidate. This might be called "the sour grapes" medalet. It reads, "I'd rather be right than be president." Clay had uttered that phrase ten years before during a Congressional debate.

[TomB]

Those are some spectacularly interesting medalets. I also like the writeup that you have included, which is fascinating. By the way, what is the size of each piece?

[DC Dawg]

There are a lot of interesting 19th and early 20th century political medals. These medals for Zachary Taylor shows how interesting they can be. And Bill's comment about the Taylor medals not being expensive is also the same for other 19th century medals about presidents not very popular these days. I've seen a number of nice Andrew Jackson medals that are not too expensive.

 

Scott

[IGWT]

Great pieces and interesting historical information, Bill. Thanks!

[BillJones]

Those are some spectacularly interesting medalets. I also like the writeup that you have included, which is fascinating. By the way, what is the size of each piece?

 

The first piece, ZT 1848-17 is 29 mm

 

The second piece, ZT 1848-21 is 25 mm

 

The Henry Clay piece is 24 mm

 

The smaller the diameter, the higher the numbers in the DeWitt / Sullivan numbering system. The largest Zachary Taylor piece, ZT 1848-1 is 42 mm in diameter and has a rather exact reproduction of the seated liberty design on the reverse. It comes only in white metal, and I don't recall ever seeing one offered for sale.

[dean1345]

Bill,

 

Nice tokens and thanks for the in depth history dicussion behind them.

 

 

Dean (thumbs u

[WoodenJefferson]

Thank you for the history lesson Bill, I always enjoy your historical posts.

[cpm9ball]

Wonderful medals, Bill, and thank you for providing the historical background.

 

Chris

[Hoot]

Nice job with the write-up, Bill. Indeed, the issues of slavery were alive and well during Taylor's presidency and long before. Van Buren had denied Texas' request to enter the union based on the fact that it would have tipped the balance of power to pro-slave states. An interesting and involved history.

 

Hoot

[michael]

Those are some spectacularly!!!! interesting medalets. I also LIKE the writeup that you have included, which is fascinating.!!!!!!

 

(thumbs u

[rrantique]

Thanks, great post Bill. (thumbs u