Millard Fillmore

The 31st Congress House election for Speaker required 63 ballots between December 3 and 22, 1849, due to the lack of a majority.

Democrat Howell Cobb was elected Speaker on December 22, 1849, at age 34, after 63 ballots.

The first building built for the university was constructed in 1849–50 at Main and Virginia streets in Buffalo.

The 31st Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850.

President Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850, in Washington, D.C., at age 65, following illness after July 4 celebrations.

Millard Fillmore was sworn in as the 13th President on July 10, 1850, in Washington, D.C.

Perry arrived at the entrance to Edo Bay on July 8, 1853, initiating contact with Japanese authorities.

Japanese officials advised Perry to proceed to Nagasaki, the designated port for foreign contact, on July 10.

Rōjū Abe Masahiro decided that accepting the American letter did not violate Japanese sovereignty.

Perry was allowed to land at Kurihama on July 14, 1853, after moving his fleet southwest.

A promotional voyage in June 1854 carried approximately 1,200 people from Chicago to Rock Island by rail, then to Saint Paul by steamboat.

The American Party nominated former President Millard Fillmore for the presidency at its national convention in Philadelphia.

Buchanan defeated Pierce at the 1856 Democratic National Convention, which met in June 1856 and produced a platform reflecting his views.

The first Republican National Convention nominated Frémont, an explorer and military officer, as the party's first presidential candidate.

Buchanan won the popular vote with 1,836,072 votes, defeating Frémont who received 1,342,345 votes on November 4, 1856.