What did Millard Fillmore do all day?

Factual Questions
1

With a few exceptions, early and mid-19th Century Presidents didn’t accomplish much. The US wasn’t a world power, there was a general reluctance to meddle in economic affairs, and slavery was dealt with by, well, ignoring it in hopes it would go away.

So what did the Chief Executive do all day?

Presidential Schedule

8:00 a.m. President awakes with Presidential morning breath
8:30 a.m. President gets out of bed, bathes, and dresses.
9:15 a.m. Presidential breakfast and newspaper reading. The comics are lame, but horoscope says “You will come into money today.” So far, so good. Presidential poop is particularly satisfying.
10:00 a.m. To Oval Office. Spends a few minutes twirling around in big chair.
10:15 a.m. Cabinet meeting. Nothing going on so meeting quickly devolves into another dirty joke marathon. Postmaster General tells great one about one eyed hooker and pirate. Secretary of Interior laughs so hard he chokes on tobacco. Issue of slavery is broached for about 5 minutes but all agree that it is a pain in the ass and to let the matter drop.
11:15 a.m. Signs a few bills, meets with Congressional delegation. Both have whiskers and smell like moth balls. President cuts SBD fart and blames the Whig.
12:00 Noon Presidential lunch. The pudding is very, very good.
1:00 p.m. Presidential cigar, followed by nap.
2:30 p.m. Meets with Ambassador from Siam. He’s funny looking and can’t understand a damn thing he says. Hooker/pirate joke falls flat – must have lost something in translation.
3:00 p.m. Presidential carriage ride. Washington DC is a dump – reflects on moving seat of government someplace nicer. Has to stop and take Presidential leak behind tree.
4:00 p.m. Signs a few land grants and issues Proclamation on Proper Form for Presidential Proclamations. Calls emergency Cabinet meeting just to see who’ll show up. Damn Secretary of State is late, as usual. Threatens Presidential Ass Whooping if late again. Slavery issue again broached, but President tells everyone to shut up about slavery for 5 minutes, please.
5:00 p.m. Calls it a day. Has valet prepare big ass Presidential Bourbon and Water.
5:30 p.m. Prepares for State Dinner for Somebody Who He Should Remember the Name Of But Can’t For the Life of Him. Peas are served. President reminds First Lady that he dislikes peas, and, damn it, he’s President and doesn’t want to eat his peas.
10:00 p.m. Retires to residence. Gets a little something something from First Lady (despite pea comments).
10:15 p.m. President blissfully in dreamland.

Sounds like a pretty cushy job, no?

2

If you consider the fact that during Fillmore’s administration, the Compromise of 1850 was passed saying that slavery was ignored as a political issue is incredibly naive.

I don’t think this OP is entirely serious, but Fillmore likely had a lot of work to do, although not as much as a modern president.

Entertaining people was a big deal for presidents then as was finding jobs for people as the spoils system was a big tool of governance back then.

3

Of course I’m being partially facetious. Slavery was very much an issue and the subject of much debate, but as BobT admits, the president then didn’t have as much to do as the President of today. My question remains.

I did manage to find this site http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/diary/1980/d021380t.pdf, which gives a detailed accounting of President Carter’s day, down to the minute.

4

The west wing containing the Oval Office did not exist in Fillmore’s day. The president’s office was on the second floor of the central building.

5

Over at the Distributed Proofreaders website (www.pgdp.net), we are currently proofreading “Messages & Papers of the Presidents”, and Millard Fillmore is currently in progress.

From viewing that, he seems to have sent a message or 2 to Congress nearly every day. Typically things like proposed treaties with foreign countries or indian tribes, claims by US citizens against some foreign country, claims against the US, appointments of ambassadores & other officials or military officers, reports on finances & government debt, and responses to requests from Congress for information on all kinds of things.

Seems like there was a fair amount of things to keep him busy all day.