Road to the Presidency: Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the son of Benjamin Pierce, a revolutionary war veteran and a prominent state legislator. Like many other young men of his generation who were born into prominent families, Pierce pursued a career in law. He briefly read law with former New Hampshire Governor Levi Woodbury, in Portsmouth, and then spent a semester at Northampton Law School in Northampton, Massachusetts, followed by a period of study in 1826 and 1827 under Judge Edmund Parker in Amherst, New Hampshire. Pierce was admitted to the bar in late 1827 and then practiced law in Hillsborough.
In March 1827, Benjamin Pierce was elected governor of New Hampshire, running virtually unopposed. But his popularity didn't last long. In the lead-up to the 1828 presidential election between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, the Adams faction withdrew their support of Benjamin Pierce, voting him out of office as Governor. Franklin Pierce fared much better however, winning his first election as Hillsborough town moderator. Pierce actively campaigned in his district on behalf of Jackson, who carried both the district and the nation by large margins in the November 1828 election, even though he lost New Hampshire.
In 1829, Pierce won election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives and his father was elected again as governor once again. By 1831 the Democrats held a majority in the house, and Pierce was elected Speaker. Pierce was also a member of the state militia, and was appointed aide de camp to Governor Samuel Dinsmoor in 1831. He remained in the militia until 1847, achieving the rank of colonel.
In late 1832, the Democratic Party convention nominated Pierce for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He easily won his election and began his term in March 1833, but he would not be sworn in until Congress met in December. He had recently become engaged and bought his first house in Hillsborough. On November 19, 1834, Pierce married Jane Means Appleton. Jane Pierce strongly disliked politics and also disliked Washington, D.C. In 1838, the Pierces relocated to the state capital, Concord, New Hampshire. They had three sons, all of whom died in childhood.
Pierce towed the party line in opposing the national bank and he was also opposed to funding internal improvements with federal money. He saw these as the responsibility of the states. Pierce was easily re-elected in March 1835. When not in Washington, continued to practice law.
Abolitionists became a significant political force in the 1830s, and Pierce found the abolitionists to be an annoyance. He viewed federal action against slavery as an infringement on southern states' rights, although he was morally opposed to slavery itself. He wrote in December 1835, "This abolition movement must be crushed or there is an end to the Union." He sided with the abolitionists' right to petition the House against slavery, but he also supported the "gag rule", which allowed for petitions to be received, but not read or considered. The House passed this rule in 1836.
In December 1836, Pierce was elected to the US Senate. His term began in March 1837. At age 32, he became the youngest member in Senate history to that point. As a senator, he lobbied to help his old friend Nathaniel Hawthorne, who often struggled financially, obtain a job as measurer of coal and salt at the Boston Customs House that allowed Hawthorne time to continue writing. Pierce entered the Senate during the Panic of 1837. An important issue to him was military pensions, and more particularly stopping rampant fraud within the system. He was named chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Pensions in the Twenty-sixth Congress (1839-1841).
Pierce campaigned vigorously throughout his home state for Martin Van Buren's re-election in the 1840 presidential election. Van Buren won the state but lost the national election. In December 1841 Pierce decided to resign from Congress. New Hampshire Democrats' tradition was for no one should hold one of the state's Senate seats for longer than one six-year term. That was fine with Pierce, he wanted to devote his time to his family and law practice.
Pierce had a busy but lucrative law partnership and when he returned to Concord in early 1842, his reputation as a lawyer grew. It is said that Pierce would attract large audiences to hear him argue cases in court. He would often represent poor litigants for little or no compensation. He represented the opposing side in a case against recently defeated Governor Hill concerning the ownership of a newspaper. The ex-governor lost, and soon founded his own newspaper, in which Pierce was a frequent target of criticism.
In June 1842 Pierce was selected as chairman of the State Democratic Committee. James K. Polk's victory in the 1844 presidential election was good news for Pierce. The two were friends while in the House together. Polk offered Pierce a position in his cabinet as Attorney-General, but Pierce declined the offer. When Congress declared war against Mexico in May 1846, Pierce immediately volunteered for service in the war. Congress passed a bill authorizing the creation of ten regiments, and Pierce was appointed colonel and commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment in February 1847
On March 3, 1847, Pierce was promoted to brigadier general, and took command of a brigade of reinforcements for General Winfield Scott's army. Pierce reached the port of Vera Cruz (now under US control) in late June, and began a march of 2,500 men accompanying supplies to take to Scott. The trip was perilous, and the men fought off several attacks before joining with Scott's army in early August, in time for the Battle of Contreras. During the battle, Pierce's horse was suddenly startled during a charge. The horse tripped into a crevice and fell, pinning Pierce underneath and leaving him with a serious knee injury. Pierce returned for the following day's action, but his injured knee forced him to hobble after his men, and by the time he caught up, the battle had mostly been won. In the Battle of Churubusco, Pierce was ordered by Scott to the rear, but he convinced Scott to allow him to fight. He went into battle tied to his saddle, but the pain in his leg became so great that he passed out on the field. The Americans won the battle and Pierce helped negotiate an armistice. He then returned to command and lead his brigade throughout the rest of the campaign, eventually taking part in the capture of Mexico City. Pierce remained in command of his brigade during the three-month occupation of the city.
Pierce returned home to Concord in late December 1847. He was given a hero's welcome and resigned from the Army on March 20, 1848. His injuries in battle led to accusations of cowardice. Ulysses S. Grant, who had the opportunity to observe Pierce firsthand during the war, countered the allegations of cowardice in his memoirs, written several years after Pierce's death. Grant wrote: "Whatever General Pierce's qualifications may have been for the Presidency, he was a gentleman and a man of courage. I was not a supporter of him politically, but I knew him more intimately than I did any other of the volunteer generals."
Pierce resumed his law practice. In one famous case he was involved in, he defended the religious liberty of the Shakers. He resumed activity within the Democratic Party. At the 1848 Democratic National Convention, Pierce supported former Michigan Senator Lewis Cass in his unsuccessful campaign for president. Pierce strongly supported the compromise of 1850.
As the 1852 presidential election approached, the Democrats were divided by the slavery issue. Most of the anti-slavery faction had left the party to form the Free Soil Party had returned. The 1852 Democratic National Convention was deadlocked, with no major candidate able to win the necessary two-thirds majority. 34 ballots passed with no one near victory. After the 48th ballot, North Carolina Congressman James C. Dobbin delivered an unexpected endorsement of Pierce, sparking a wave of support for him. On the 49th ballot, Pierce received all but six votes, to win the Democratic nomination for president. Delegates selected Alabama Senator William R. King as Pierce's running mate. The party adopted a party platform that supported the Compromise of 1850.
The Whig candidate was Winfield Scott, who Pierce had served under in Mexico. The Whigs faced the same problem with coming up with an acceptable platform and adopted one very similar to that of the Democrats, including support for the Compromise of 1850. The campaign degenerated into a bitter personality contest. Pierce's opponents caricatured him as a coward and alcoholic. They called him "the hero of many a well-fought bottle". But Scott drew weak support from his own party. He was said to be an abysmal, gaffe-prone public speaker. Pierce emerged victorious. Scott only won four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Vermont, finishing with 42 electoral votes to Pierce's 254. Pierce won 50.9% of the popular vote to 44.1% for Scott. The Democrats won large majorities in Congress.
Unfortunately, Pierce proved to be an ineffective President. His popularity in the Northern states declined sharply after he supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act led to violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in the western territories. Pierce expected to be renominated by the Democrats in the 1856 presidential election, but he was tossed aside by his party. His reputation in the North suffered further during the Civil War as he became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln. Pierce, who had been a heavy drinker for much of his life, died of severe cirrhosis of the liver in 1869.
In March 1827, Benjamin Pierce was elected governor of New Hampshire, running virtually unopposed. But his popularity didn't last long. In the lead-up to the 1828 presidential election between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, the Adams faction withdrew their support of Benjamin Pierce, voting him out of office as Governor. Franklin Pierce fared much better however, winning his first election as Hillsborough town moderator. Pierce actively campaigned in his district on behalf of Jackson, who carried both the district and the nation by large margins in the November 1828 election, even though he lost New Hampshire.
In 1829, Pierce won election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives and his father was elected again as governor once again. By 1831 the Democrats held a majority in the house, and Pierce was elected Speaker. Pierce was also a member of the state militia, and was appointed aide de camp to Governor Samuel Dinsmoor in 1831. He remained in the militia until 1847, achieving the rank of colonel.
In late 1832, the Democratic Party convention nominated Pierce for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He easily won his election and began his term in March 1833, but he would not be sworn in until Congress met in December. He had recently become engaged and bought his first house in Hillsborough. On November 19, 1834, Pierce married Jane Means Appleton. Jane Pierce strongly disliked politics and also disliked Washington, D.C. In 1838, the Pierces relocated to the state capital, Concord, New Hampshire. They had three sons, all of whom died in childhood.
Pierce towed the party line in opposing the national bank and he was also opposed to funding internal improvements with federal money. He saw these as the responsibility of the states. Pierce was easily re-elected in March 1835. When not in Washington, continued to practice law.
Abolitionists became a significant political force in the 1830s, and Pierce found the abolitionists to be an annoyance. He viewed federal action against slavery as an infringement on southern states' rights, although he was morally opposed to slavery itself. He wrote in December 1835, "This abolition movement must be crushed or there is an end to the Union." He sided with the abolitionists' right to petition the House against slavery, but he also supported the "gag rule", which allowed for petitions to be received, but not read or considered. The House passed this rule in 1836.
In December 1836, Pierce was elected to the US Senate. His term began in March 1837. At age 32, he became the youngest member in Senate history to that point. As a senator, he lobbied to help his old friend Nathaniel Hawthorne, who often struggled financially, obtain a job as measurer of coal and salt at the Boston Customs House that allowed Hawthorne time to continue writing. Pierce entered the Senate during the Panic of 1837. An important issue to him was military pensions, and more particularly stopping rampant fraud within the system. He was named chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Pensions in the Twenty-sixth Congress (1839-1841).
Pierce campaigned vigorously throughout his home state for Martin Van Buren's re-election in the 1840 presidential election. Van Buren won the state but lost the national election. In December 1841 Pierce decided to resign from Congress. New Hampshire Democrats' tradition was for no one should hold one of the state's Senate seats for longer than one six-year term. That was fine with Pierce, he wanted to devote his time to his family and law practice.
Pierce had a busy but lucrative law partnership and when he returned to Concord in early 1842, his reputation as a lawyer grew. It is said that Pierce would attract large audiences to hear him argue cases in court. He would often represent poor litigants for little or no compensation. He represented the opposing side in a case against recently defeated Governor Hill concerning the ownership of a newspaper. The ex-governor lost, and soon founded his own newspaper, in which Pierce was a frequent target of criticism.
In June 1842 Pierce was selected as chairman of the State Democratic Committee. James K. Polk's victory in the 1844 presidential election was good news for Pierce. The two were friends while in the House together. Polk offered Pierce a position in his cabinet as Attorney-General, but Pierce declined the offer. When Congress declared war against Mexico in May 1846, Pierce immediately volunteered for service in the war. Congress passed a bill authorizing the creation of ten regiments, and Pierce was appointed colonel and commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment in February 1847
On March 3, 1847, Pierce was promoted to brigadier general, and took command of a brigade of reinforcements for General Winfield Scott's army. Pierce reached the port of Vera Cruz (now under US control) in late June, and began a march of 2,500 men accompanying supplies to take to Scott. The trip was perilous, and the men fought off several attacks before joining with Scott's army in early August, in time for the Battle of Contreras. During the battle, Pierce's horse was suddenly startled during a charge. The horse tripped into a crevice and fell, pinning Pierce underneath and leaving him with a serious knee injury. Pierce returned for the following day's action, but his injured knee forced him to hobble after his men, and by the time he caught up, the battle had mostly been won. In the Battle of Churubusco, Pierce was ordered by Scott to the rear, but he convinced Scott to allow him to fight. He went into battle tied to his saddle, but the pain in his leg became so great that he passed out on the field. The Americans won the battle and Pierce helped negotiate an armistice. He then returned to command and lead his brigade throughout the rest of the campaign, eventually taking part in the capture of Mexico City. Pierce remained in command of his brigade during the three-month occupation of the city.
Pierce returned home to Concord in late December 1847. He was given a hero's welcome and resigned from the Army on March 20, 1848. His injuries in battle led to accusations of cowardice. Ulysses S. Grant, who had the opportunity to observe Pierce firsthand during the war, countered the allegations of cowardice in his memoirs, written several years after Pierce's death. Grant wrote: "Whatever General Pierce's qualifications may have been for the Presidency, he was a gentleman and a man of courage. I was not a supporter of him politically, but I knew him more intimately than I did any other of the volunteer generals."
Pierce resumed his law practice. In one famous case he was involved in, he defended the religious liberty of the Shakers. He resumed activity within the Democratic Party. At the 1848 Democratic National Convention, Pierce supported former Michigan Senator Lewis Cass in his unsuccessful campaign for president. Pierce strongly supported the compromise of 1850.
As the 1852 presidential election approached, the Democrats were divided by the slavery issue. Most of the anti-slavery faction had left the party to form the Free Soil Party had returned. The 1852 Democratic National Convention was deadlocked, with no major candidate able to win the necessary two-thirds majority. 34 ballots passed with no one near victory. After the 48th ballot, North Carolina Congressman James C. Dobbin delivered an unexpected endorsement of Pierce, sparking a wave of support for him. On the 49th ballot, Pierce received all but six votes, to win the Democratic nomination for president. Delegates selected Alabama Senator William R. King as Pierce's running mate. The party adopted a party platform that supported the Compromise of 1850.
The Whig candidate was Winfield Scott, who Pierce had served under in Mexico. The Whigs faced the same problem with coming up with an acceptable platform and adopted one very similar to that of the Democrats, including support for the Compromise of 1850. The campaign degenerated into a bitter personality contest. Pierce's opponents caricatured him as a coward and alcoholic. They called him "the hero of many a well-fought bottle". But Scott drew weak support from his own party. He was said to be an abysmal, gaffe-prone public speaker. Pierce emerged victorious. Scott only won four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Vermont, finishing with 42 electoral votes to Pierce's 254. Pierce won 50.9% of the popular vote to 44.1% for Scott. The Democrats won large majorities in Congress.
Unfortunately, Pierce proved to be an ineffective President. His popularity in the Northern states declined sharply after he supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act led to violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in the western territories. Pierce expected to be renominated by the Democrats in the 1856 presidential election, but he was tossed aside by his party. His reputation in the North suffered further during the Civil War as he became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln. Pierce, who had been a heavy drinker for much of his life, died of severe cirrhosis of the liver in 1869.