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Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician who served as the 14th president of the United States from 1853 to 1857.
Franklin Pierce Jr. Son of Franklin Pierce, Sr., the fourteenth president of the United States, and Jane Appleton Pierce. Died after three days of life.
Franklin Pierce became 14th President of the United States at a time of apparent tranquility (1853-1857). By pursuing the recommendations of southern advisers, Pierce — a New Englander —...
- Franklin Pierce’s Father Once Made Him Walk For Miles in A Thunderstorm.
- Franklin Pierce Was Promoted to General Not Long After Joining The Army.
- Franklin Pierce Beat His Old Boss to Win The Presidency.
- Franklin Pierce Started His Presidency While Grieving The Death of His Son.
- Franklin Pierce Didn't Swear An Oath When He Became President.
- Franklin Pierce Added Thousands of Square Miles to The Southwest United States.
- Franklin Pierce Barely Had A Vice President.
- Close Friend Nathaniel Hawthorne Wrote Franklin Pierce's Campaign Biography.
It wasn't uphill both ways, but Pierce's trek to school changed his life. He went to boarding school at Hancock Academy, but decided one Sunday when he was 12 years old to sneak away and race home while his family was in church. When they got home, Pierce was surprised that his father chose not to punish him for playing hooky and, instead, asked hi...
Military structure was a bit different in the early 19th century, with state militias still playing a significant role alongside the regular army. Two of Pierce's older brothers had fought in the War of 1812, and his father was also a Revolutionary War fighter; Pierce admired and appreciated military service for its intrinsic value and for the pote...
Pierce served under General Winfield "Old Fuss and Feathers" Scott during the war and, fulfilling the dream of just about everyone who's ever had a boss, defeated Scott to become president during the election of 1852. With the Whig Party on the verge of collapse and the Republican Party not yet established, the election was a landslide. Pierce scor...
Pierce was one of nine children, and he and wife Jane had three children of their own. Sadly, all of them died young; none even lived long enough to see their father become president. The firstborn, Franklin Jr., died as an infant, and Frank Robert died from typhus when he was 4. Benjamin lived to be 11, but died in a horrific train accident just a...
Jane wasn't alone in her belief that Benjamin's death was an act of God's retribution—Pierce himself viewed it as proof that God was angry with him. During his address, he mourned publicly, saying, "You have summoned me in my weakness; you must sustain me by your strength." Pierce chose to affirm his oath rather than swear it, and delivered his ent...
Pierce took office intent on expanding westward. Five years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, Pierce sent the U.S. Minister to Mexico, James Gadsden, to negotiate the border rights and end disputes surrounding the Mesilla Valley region. In 1854, the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for 29,670 square...
Perhaps highlighting the unimportance of the office at the time, Pierce served a full term with effectively no Vice President. After Pierce was selected as the Democratic Party candidate at their nominating convention, the delegates chose William R. King, a senator from Alabama, to be his running mate. They made a consistent pair: Pierce was a Nort...
The author of The Scarlet Letter met Pierce when they attended Bowdoin College in the 1820s, and they became lifelong friends—which is probably why Hawthorne agreed to write the glowing biography of Piercemeant to sell potential voters on the presidential candidate. Hawthorne himself said that "the story is true, yet it took a romancer to do it," r...
Discover life events, stories and photos about Franklin Pierce Jr. (1836–1836) of Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire, United States.
A President Franklin Pierce page with facts, quotes, blogs, family history, and other information about him.
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Although Pierce only won the popular vote by about 200,000 votes, he received 254 electoral votes to Whig candidate General Winfield Scott’s 42. He appealed to southern and northern Democrats, New Englanders, and even southern Whigs.
