Franklin Pierce
At a Glance
Term: 14th President of the United States (1853-1857)
Born: November 23, 1804, Hillsborough (now Hillsboro), New Hampshire
Nickname: "Young Hickory of the Granite Hills"
Education: Bowdoin College (graduated 1824)
Religion: Episcopalian
Marriage: November 19, 1834, to Jane Means Appleton (1806-1863)
Children: Franklin (1836); Frank Robert (1839-1843); Benjamin (1841-1853)
Career: Lawyer, Public Official
Political Party: Democrat
Died: October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire
Buried: Old North Cemetery, Concord, New Hampshire
A Life in Brief: Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, came to office during a period of growing tension between the North and South. A politician of limited ability, Pierce was behind one of the most crucial pieces of legislation in American history. More....
Essays on Franklin Pierce and His Administration
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Franklin Pierce
A Life in Brief • Life Before the Presidency • Campaigns and Elections • Domestic Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Life After the Presidency • Family Life • The American Franchise • Impact and Legacy • Key Events |
| First Lady Jane Pierce |
| Vice President William R. D. King (1853) |
| Secretary of State William L. Marcy (1853 - 1857) |
| Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (1853 - 1857) |
| Postmaster General James Campbell (1853 - 1857) |
| Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland (1853 - 1857) |
| Secretary of the Treasury James Guthrie (1853 - 1857) |
| Attorney General Caleb Cushing (1853 - 1857) |
| Secretary of the Navy James C. Dobbin (1853 - 1857) |
Consulting Editor: Jean H. Baker
Professor Baker is a professor of history at Goucher College. Her writings include:
Sisters: The Lives of America’s Suffragists (Hill and Wang, 2005)
James Buchanan (Times Life Books, 2004)
The Civil War and Reconstruction (Co-authored with Michael F. Holt and David Herbert Donald, W.W. Norton, 2001)
Presidential SpeechesBelow are selections from the Miller Center's Franklin Pierce speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Franklin Pierce or by another President, please click the link below. |
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Miller Center Scholarship and SpeakersThe Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Franklin Pierce. During his presidency, Franklin Pierce refused to send federal troops to Kansas to stop bloodshed. Click here to learn more about the Miller Center’s National War Powers Commission. Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Presidential Nominating Process and its relationship to Pierce. |
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Scripps Library Reference ResourcesBelow are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research. |
Presidential Speeches |
Academic Programs | Public Programs
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Presidential Bibliographies | Presidential Papers |
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