President Franklin Pierce
Julie Nuthals
Born November 23, 1804 in a log cabin on his family’s New Hampshire homestead, Franklin Pierce was also born into politics. His father, a general, had served his country in the Revolutionary War and would serve again as state governor. The young Franklin was sent to Bowdoin College to study in a good Democratic environment. After graduating, Franklin returned home to continue studying law, and in 1827 he passed the New Hampshire bar exams.
Pierce was a strong supporter of President Andrew Jackson, eventually "out-Jacksoning" the president in his belief that states should have strong individual laws, pertaining especially to slavery. In 1829 Pierce was elected as New Hampshire Legislator, by 1831 he was nominated to be speaker of the House. In 1834 he married Jane Means Appleton, daughter of the president of Bowdoin College. For the next 10 years Pierce continued to work for his country, serving in the House and on the Senate.
At his wife’s insistance he retired from public life, returning to New Hampshire and his private practice. Their two sons had both died at young ages from fevers, which left Jane depressed. However, Pierce could not resist the idea of fighting for his country in a war. In 1846 he got his chance to fight in the Mexican War. His dream of being a hero was never realized due to minor injuries, and he returned home within months of entry.
With the Mexican War over, the U.S. was fulfilling it’s dream of Manifest Destiny. Slavery was again the hotbed of debates, and with the 1852 elections, the private lawyer Franklin Pierce was elected by the Democratic party as a compromise candidate - he wasn’t well enough known to be disliked. He did not run for presidential office, but he won, and was sworn in on January 6, 1853, two months after his only surviving son died in a train accident. Pierce was the youngest president of his time, only 48 years old.
Throughout his term of the presidency Pierce’s wife never lived with him, and continued to be deeply depressed. Pierce led our country with a heavy heart, contending with slavery issues, and trying to keep the states united. By 1857, at the end of his term, the nation was deeply divided and Civil War broke out only 4 years later.