Presidential Biographies No: 14: Franklin Pierce

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Presidential Biographies, we'll be taking a look at the life of Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States, who served from 1853 to 1857. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Franklin Pierce was born in Hillsborough New Hampshire in 1804. He attended Bowdoin College. After graduation, he studied law, then entered politics. At 24he was elected to the New Hampshire legislature; two years later he became its Speaker. In the 1830s he went two Washington, first as a representative, then as a senator.

     After serving in the Mexican War, Pierce was proposed by New Hampshire friends for the presidential nomination in 1852. At the Democratic Convention, they pledged undying support for the Compromise of 1850. They balloted 48 times and eliminated all the well-known candidates before nominating Pierce.

     Two months before he took office, he and his wife saw their eleven-year-old son killed when their train was wrecked. Grief-stricken, Pierce entered the Presidency nervously exhausted. In his Inaugural, he proclaimed an era of peace and prosperity at home. The United States might have to acquire additional possessions for the sake of its own security, he pointed out, and would not be deterred.

     Pierce was challenged by others over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and reopened the question of slavery in the west. This was done by senator Stephen A. Douglas, who desired a railroad from Chicago to California, stretching through Kansas. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis persuaded Pierce to buy land for the railroad. He purchased the area now comprising southern Arizona and part of southern New Mexico for $10,000,000.

     By the end of his administration, Pierce could claim “a peaceful condition of things in Kansas.” But to his disappointment, the Democrats refused to renominate him, turning to the less controversial James Buchanan. Pierce returned to New Hampshire, leaving his successor to face the rising fury of the sectional whirlwind. He died in 1869.
     
     Fun Facts:

• At the time, he was the only president to keep his entire Cabinet in place for his full four-year term.
• He was the first president to "promise" his oath instead of "swearing" it in.
• Pierce was the first president to memorize his inaugural speech.

     Franklin Pierce:

     

     Sources: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/franklin-pierce/

     https://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/franklinpierce.php