Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) is the 12th President of the United States (1849–1850) and an American military leader.

Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor runs as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass.

He is a planter and slaveholder based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Known as "Old Rough and Ready," Taylor has a 40-year military career in the United States Army, serving in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and the Second Seminole War.

He achieves fame leading American troops to victory in the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican–American War.

As president, Taylor angers many Southerners by taking a moderate stance on the issue of slavery.

He urges settlers in New Mexico and California to bypass the territorial stage and draft constitutions for statehood, setting the stage for the Compromise of 1850.

Taylor dies July 9, 1850, 16 months after his inauguration; the third-shortest tenure of any President.

He is thought to have died of gastroenteritis.

President Taylor is succeeded by his Vice President, Millard Fillmore.

Taylor is the last President to own slaves while in office.

He is the second of three Whig presidents, the last being Fillmore.

Taylor is also the second president to die in office, preceded by William Henry Harrison, who died while serving as President nine years earlier, as well as the only President elected from Louisiana.