Honoring a President
The Louisiana Legislature in 1992 initially named
this project the Zachary Taylor Highway but a year later
the lawmakers changed it to the Zachary Taylor Parkway. The name
honors the only American President to be elected from Louisiana.
Zachary Taylor, a 19th century military hero, lived
in Baton Rouge in a house overlooking the Mississippi River and
also owned a plantation in West Feliciana Parish. After he became
the presidential nominee of the Whig Party in 1848, Taylor refused
to campaign because he thought it undignified. In November of that
year, he was elected the country's twelfth President.
Taylor left Louisiana for Washington, DC, and was
inaugurated in 1849. Tragically, 16 months after taking office,
he died.
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