Zachary Taylor, 12th president of the United States, was born on 24 November 1784, or 225 years ago next week — and the timing was right that today marks the U.S. Mint’s release of the Zachary Taylor presidential dollar, the final release of 2009.
Taylor was elected president in 1948, riding a wave of military success. Taylor had been involved in a variety of conflicts, from the War of 1812 to the midwestern Indian wars, to the Mexican-American War. His politics were independent and nationalistic, but the Whigs put him on the ticket largely for his name recognition and his military record. He was elected by only a slight majority of votes — a third-party candidate, Martin Van Buren, pulled votes away from the Democrats — and Taylor’s northern sentiments contrasted with his position as a slave owner. He didn’t have much of chance to cause conflict, though: Taylor fell ill a year and a half into his presidency and died in July of 1850.
Prior to his presidency, Zachary Taylor had plenty of proof he was a man of national distinction: in 1846, 1847, and 1848, Taylor was issued separate Congressional Medals of Honor, each for a different instance of him military successes. This made him the most decorated man at the time, a record that still holds today. The first in 1846 was awarded for the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma in May 1846; the 1847 medal was for the Battle of Monterey. The 1848 medal honored the Battle of Buena Vista, and the medal itself bears a remarkable distinction as one of the largest gold Congressional Medals of Honor ever minted. Also, by a pure stroke of luck, the 1848 medal was actually minted in 1849, while Taylor was president, and shortly after the first of the gold from the California Gold Rush began to arrive at the U.S. Mint. This made Taylor’s Congressional Medal one of the earliest medallions made from gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill.
Taylor’s Congressional Medals of Honor aren’t exactly an easy purchase to make, but it’s not the last time a Taylor will be immortalized in gold. Trailing her presidential husband by a few weeks, like all other gold Presidential Spouse coins, Margaret Taylor’s coin will be released on December 9th. Mrs Taylor was not a distant wife: she had lived with her husband near the heat of war, and helped the military by treating injured soldiers and helping other military families through their trials and losses. The reverse of the Margaret Taylor gold coin depicts her tending to a wounded man. At ½oz of gold, these are expected to cost around $720 each. While Zachary Taylor’s original Congressional Medals of Honor are off the market currently, reproductions in everything from bronze to gold have been produced since the 19th century, with a varying price depending on age and metal content. And, of course, the new Zachary Taylor Presidential dollars are available from banks in your neck of the woods as of today.
