author
Franklin Pierce
1804–1869
A lawyer, politician, and Mexican War veteran, he rose from New Hampshire politics to become the 14th president of the United States. His presidency is remembered for the fierce national divisions over slavery that deepened during the 1850s.
1 Audiobook
State of the Union Addresses
by Franklin Pierce
About the author
Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, in 1804, Franklin Pierce built his career as a lawyer and Democratic politician, serving in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He later gained national attention through his service in the Mexican-American War, and in 1852 he emerged as a surprise Democratic nominee for president.
Pierce served one term as president from 1853 to 1857. Historians often focus on his support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act and his handling of sectional conflict, choices that helped intensify the struggle over slavery in the years just before the Civil War. He is also remembered as the only U.S. president from New Hampshire.
His life was marked by personal tragedy as well as public office, including the deaths of his children and, later, his wife Jane. After leaving the presidency, he remained a controversial figure because of his views during the Civil War era, and he died in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1869.