Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce
Mathew Benjamin Brady / Adam Cuerden · Public domain · source
Name	Franklin Pierce
Order	14th
Office	President of the United States
Term start	March 4, 1853
Term end	March 4, 1857
Vicepresident	William R. King
Predecessor	Millard Fillmore
Successor	James Buchanan
Office2	United States Senator, from New Hampshire
Term start2	March 4, 1837
Term end2	February 28, 1842
Predecessor2	John Page
Successor2	Leonard Wilcox
Office3	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from New Hampshire's at-large district
Term start3	March 4, 1833
Term end3	March 3, 1837
Predecessor3	Joseph Hammons
Successor3	Jared W. Williams
Birth date	November 23, 1804
Birth place	Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Death date	October 8, 1869 (aged 64)
Death place	Concord, New Hampshire
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Jane Means Appleton
Alma mater	Bowdoin College
Profession	Lawyer, Politician
Signature alt	Cursive signature

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democrat with Southern sympathies, his administration was dominated by the escalating slavery controversy. His vigorous enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and support for the Kansas–Nebraska Act inflamed sectional tensions, making him widely viewed as one of the nation's least effective presidents.

Early life and education

Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, he was the son of Benjamin Pierce, a hero of the American Revolutionary War and later Governor of New Hampshire. After attending local academies, he entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he befriended future literary figure Nathaniel Hawthorne and graduated in 1824. He then studied law under prominent attorneys in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Northampton, Massachusetts, before being admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1827. He began his legal practice in Hillsborough, quickly gaining a reputation as a skilled orator and prosecutor.

Political career before presidency

Elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1829, he became Speaker of the House by 1831. A staunch supporter of Andrew Jackson, he was elected as a Jacksonian to the U.S. House in 1833 and later to the U.S. Senate in 1837, becoming the youngest senator at the time. Resigning his Senate seat in 1842, he returned to Concord, New Hampshire, to practice law. During the Mexican–American War, he served as a brigadier general of volunteers under General Winfield Scott, seeing action at the Battle of Contreras and the Battle of Churubusco. A dark horse candidate at the 1852 Democratic National Convention, he secured the presidential nomination on the 49th ballot, defeating rivals like Lewis Cass and Stephen A. Douglas.

Presidency (1853–1857)

His presidency began with personal tragedy as his only surviving son, Benjamin, was killed in a train accident weeks before the inauguration. Domestically, his support for the Kansas–Nebraska Act, engineered by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to violent conflict in Bleeding Kansas. He attempted to admit Kansas as a slave state under the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution, further alienating Northerners. His administration aggressively enforced the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, as seen in the case of Anthony Burns. In foreign policy, he pursued expansionist goals, completing the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico and attempting to acquire Cuba through the Ostend Manifesto. He also opened trade with Japan through the Treaty of Kanagawa negotiated by Commodore Matthew C. Perry.

Post-presidency and death

Denied renomination by the Democratic Party in 1856, he retired to Concord, New Hampshire. During the American Civil War, he was a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln and the Union war effort, damaging his public standing. He traveled extensively in Europe and the Caribbean with his wife, Jane Pierce, who died in 1863 from tuberculosis. In his final years, he struggled with severe alcoholism and deteriorating health. He died on October 8, 1869, from cirrhosis and was interred at the Old North Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Legacy and historical view

Historians consistently rank his presidency among the worst, citing his failure to navigate the sectional crisis. His policies are seen as major catalysts for Bleeding Kansas and the collapse of the Second Party System. His unwavering support for Southern interests fractured the Democratic Party and strengthened the new Republican Party. While personally affable, his administration was marked by ineptitude and tragic personal loss. Memorials include the Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, a state historical marker, and his namesake Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:1804 births Category:1869 deaths