Zachary Taylor was initially opposed to the marriage of his daughter Sarah, to Jefferson Davis.

While speaking to future Confederate Postmaster General John H. Reagan he said..."My daughter was a better judge of men than I."

Twelfth president of the US-Known as "Old Rough and Ready," Taylor had 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 achieved fame leading American troops to victory in the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican–American War.