• Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: November 23, 1804
  2. Political party: Democratic
  3. Administration: 1853 to 1857
  4. Vice-President: William R. King
  5. Preceded by: Millard Fillmore
  6. Succeeded by: James Buchanan
  7. Secretary of State: William L. Marcy
  8. Spouse: Jane Means Appleton
  9. Occupation: Lawyer and Soldier
  10. Died: October 8, 1869
  11. Only President from New Hampshire
  12. At 48, our youngest elected President
  13. Only president to be denied re-nomination by his own party
  14. Close friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Early Life and Career

  Born in New Hampshire in 1804, Pierce's father, Benjamin Pierce served twice as the Governor of the state, and Franklin became a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire at the age of 27. In 1836, he became a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire until his resignation in 1842. Most historians believe Pierce's resignation was related to his alcoholism and his tumultuous relationship with his shy and reclusive wife, Jane Pierce, who hated Washington, D.C.. Pierce served in the Mexican War in the late 1840s and was part of General Winfield Scott's force which captured Mexico City in 1847.

• Presidency

  Pierce's presidency is widely considered to be one of the worst in United States history. A dark horse candidate, Pierce had not held elected office in ten years when he was made the Democratic Party's nominee for President in 1852. Pierce defeated his former commander, Whig candidate Winfield Scott in the election. During his administration, Pierce's popularity plummeted after the release of the Ostend Manifesto, a document signed by several of his cabinet members which decreed that Cuba should be taken by force in an effort to extend American influence and perhaps expand slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, enacted with Pierce's approval, repealed the Missouri Compromise and resulted in bloody clashes in Kansas between pro- and anti-slavery settlers. By the end of his term, Pierce had become so unpopular that his own party did not renominate him, instead making James Buchanan the Democratic candidate for President in 1856.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  United States Presidents | Democratic Party | U.S. Civil War | William R. King | Millard Fillmore | James Buchanan | Kansas-Nebraska Act

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