Franklin Pierce
14th President of the United States
(March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1857)
Full Name: Franklin Pierce
Nickname: "Young Hickory of the Granite Hills"
Born: November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough (now Hillsboro), New Hampshire
Died: October 8, 1869, in Concord, New Hampshire
Father: Benjamin Pierce (1757-1839)
Mother: Ann Kendrick Pierce (1768-1838)
Married: Jane Means Appleton (1806-1863), on November 10, 1834
Children: Franklin Pierce (1836); Frank Robert Pierce (1839-43); Benjamin Pierce (1841-53)
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Graduated from Bowdoin College (1824)
Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Political Party: Democrat
Other Government Positions:
- Served in New Hampshire Legislature, 1829-33
- Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1833-37
- Unites States Senate, 1837-42
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Presidential Election Results:
Year Candidate Popular Votes Electoral Votes
1852 Franklin Pierce 1,601,117 254
(map) Winfield Scott 1,385,453 42
Vice President: William R. King (1853)
Cabinet:
- Secretary of State
- William L. Marcy (1853-57)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- James Guthrie (1853-57)
- Secretary of War
- Jefferson Davis (1853-57)
- Attorney General
- Caleb Cushing (1853-57)
- Postmaster General
- James Campbell (1853-57)
- Secretary of the Navy
- James C. Dobbin (1853-57)
- Secretary of the Interior
- Robert McClelland (1853-57)
Supreme Court Justices:
John Archibald Campbell (1853-1861)
Notable Events:
- 1853
- On December 30, the Gadsden Purchase signed with Mexico adding 29,670 square miles of new territory in present-day Arizona and New Mexico.
- 1854
- On March 31, Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan, marking an end to three centuries of Japanese isolation.
- On May 30, Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act intended to resolve the issue of expanding slavery into the territories.
- Ostend Manifesto written to advocate for the purchase of Cuba from Spain.
Internet Biographies:
- Franklin Pierce -- from The Presidents of the United States of America
- Compiled by the White House.
- Franklin Pierce -- from The American President
- From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
- Franklin Pierce -- from Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Facts about Pierce and his presidency.
- The Life of Franklin Pierce -- by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- This detailed biography, written in 1852, is in the public domain.
- Hon. Franklin Pierce: Death of the Ex-President -- from The New York Times
- The obituary text from The New York Times archives.
Videos:
America's Presidents - Franklin PiercePres. Pierce Lost 11-Year-Old Son In Train Crash - a Presidential Story Ep. 54Franklin Pierce | 60-Second Presidents | PBSAmerican President #14: Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)The Election of 1852 Explained
Historical Documents:
- Inaugural Address (1853)
- Some Papers of Franklin Pierce (1852-1862)
- Franklin Pierce Digital Collections - from the Library of Congress
Other Internet Resources:
- The Best Biographies of Franklin Pierce
- In 2012, Stephen Floyd started his search for the best biography of each president. He usually has reviews of multiple biographies for each president.
- Franklin Pierce Homestead State Historic Site
- Pierce's home from his infancy until his marriage in 1834.
- Franklin Pierce: NH's Forgotten President
- Written by Brady Carlson, this article paints the picture of one of the nation's most obscure presidents.
- The Franklin Pierce Pages
- This site is a tongue-in-cheek "moving tribute to America's most obscure (and best looking) president."
- Health and Medical History of Franklin Pierce
- Medical background of each president with references. Compiled by John Sotos, MD.
- The Pierce Manse
- The historic home of Franklin Pierce located in Concord, New Hampshire. Tourist information and historical context can be found at this web site.
Points of Interest:
Hillsboro, Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Old North Cemetery
North State Street, Concord, New Hampshire
301 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike, Hillsborough, New Hampshire
14 Horseshoe Pond Ln, Concord, NH 03301
Hillsboro, Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Old North Cemetery
North State Street, Concord, New Hampshire
301 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike, Hillsborough, New Hampshire
14 Horseshoe Pond Ln, Concord, NH 03301
Additional Facts:
- Pierce was arrested while in office for running over an old woman with his horse, but his case was dropped due to insufficient evidence in 1853.
- He defeated his old commanding officer from the Mexican War, Winfield Scott, when he was elected president.
- Pierce was wounded during the Mexican War.
- One of the Democratic party's slogans during Pierce's campaign for president was: "We Polked you in 1844; we shall Pierce you in 1852."
- Benjamin, Pierce's third and only surviving child, died in a railroad accident two months before his father's inauguration.
- Because of religious considerations Pierce affirmed rather than swore the Presidential oath of office.
- Pierce gave his 3,319-word inaugural address from memory, without the aid of notes.
- Pierce was the only President to have no turnover in his cabinet.
- Pierce was the only elected President who sought but did not win his party's nomination for a second term.
- During his second year at Bowdoin College in Maine, Pierce had the lowest grades out of anyone in his class. He changed his study habits, and graduated third in his class. Among his class mates were Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
- Franklin Pierce was the first President to have a Christmas tree in the White House.
- He installed the first central-heating system and the first bathroom with hot and cold water in the White House.
- Pierce was an avid fisherman.
- Pierce died of cirrhosis of the liver as a result of years of heavy drinking.
Quotes:“While men inhabiting different parts of this vast continent cannot be expected to hold the same opinions, they can unite in a common objective and sustain common principles.”
“Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion.”
“While men inhabiting different parts of this vast continent cannot be expected to hold the same opinions, they can unite in a common objective and sustain common principles.”
“Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion.”