"It would be judicious to act with magnanimity towards a prostrate foe."

Zachary Taylor, 12th President, 1849-1850

Taylor rose to popularity as a successful general in the Mexican-American war. Despite being instructed not to advance by President Polk, Taylor took possession of several territories even though his troops were outnumbered.  
As President, on July 4, 1850, Taylor attended a ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument, sitting for hours in the hot sun. Afterward he drank large amounts of ice water and then ate cherries with iced milk. That night he suffered what doctors described as a cholera attack and died 5 days later.