Long before Bill Clinton, another future president called Arkansas home
Long before Bill Clinton, another future president called Arkansas home
February 4, 20214:09 pm President-to-be Zachary Taylor did not love Arkansas. And Arkansas did not love him back. Library of Congress
If you know Barboursville, Virginia, native Zachary Taylor’s name at all, you likely know him from reciting presidents’ names in middle school, or from his prominent role in the Mexican-American War. But Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, also had a brief but tumultuous tenure in Arkansas, commanding the military at Fort Smith from 1841 to 1843. He bristled with locals over construction of the fort, which Taylor considered far too big and expensive.