This stamp honors Zachary Taylor.

I do not own this stamp yet. It is here courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons.

Zachary Taylor was born in 1784 on a plantation in Orange County, Virginia.

At the age of 23, he joined the army, marking the start of a 40-year military career. His assignments took him all over the country, from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Florida and the Southwest where he had significant impact in the Mexican-American War.

Though he never seriously entertained thoughts of becoming President, he nevertheless was such a popular military leader that the Whig party made him their candidate for the 1848 election. He defeated Lewis Cass (Democrat) and Martin Van Buren (Free Soil).

His presidency did not last long because he died of a stomach ailment on July 9, 1850.

He first appeared on this U.S. postage stamp 25 years later.