Franklin Pierce: The Tragic US President

Q: Who was Franklin Pierce?

Franklin Pierce was the fourteenth president of the United States from 1853-57; his presidency resulted in the worsening of the sectional divide over slavery.

Q: What happened to Franklin Pierce's son?

Franklin Pierce's son Benjamin was killed in a train crash on 6 January 1853, a few months before Pierce's inauguration as president. Some scholars believed that Pierce's depression over his son's death contributed to his ineffectiveness as president.

Q: Why did Franklin Pierce not win a second term?

Franklin Pierce was not nominated to seek reelection to a second term because his policies had led to divisive moments like Bleeding Kansas, and he had become unpopular and was seen by his own party as unelectable

Harrison W. Mark

Definition

Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fourteenth president of the United States. An unremarkable politician prior to his election, his presidency was marred by the sectional crisis over the issue of slavery. His support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act led to Bleeding Kansas, a proto-civil war that worsened the sectional divide. Pierce left office after only one term in 1857, leaving the nation barreling headfirst toward the American Civil War (1861-1865).

More about: Franklin Pierce

Timeline

23 Nov 1804
Future US President Franklin Pierce is born in a log cabin in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.
2 Nov 1852
After winning the Democratic nomination as a dark horse candidate, Franklin Pierce wins the US presidential election of 1852.
6 Jan 1853
President-elect Franklin Pierce and his family are involved in a train crash that kills their 11-year-old son Benjamin.
1854
Pres. Franklin Pierce signs the Kansas-Nebraska Act, leading to Bleeding Kansas and worsening the sectional crisis over slavery.
8 Oct 1869
Former president Franklin Pierce dies at his home in Concord, New Hampshire, at the age of 64.