The Peabody Award‑winning series profiling the men who have served as chief executive of the United States.

Franklin PierceView Program

14th President - Franklin Pierce
Born: November 23, 1804
Died: October 8, 1869

  • Personal
  • First Lady: Jane Means Appleton Pierce
  • Children: 3
  • Education Level: College
  • School Attended: Bowdoin College
  • Profession: Military, Lawyer
  • Military Service: Brigadier General
  • Public Service
  • Dates of Presidency: March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1857
  • # of Terms: 1
  • Vice President: William R. King
  • Party: Democratic
  • Senator: New Hampshire (1837-1842)
  • House of Representatives: New Hampshire (1833-1837)
  • State Legislature: New Hampshire (1829-1833)
  • Other Offices: Speaker of the New Hampshire State Legislature
  • Did You Know?
  • Each of his three children died before he was president and before reaching adolescence.
  • During his term, Kansas was known as "Bloody Kansas" due to the state's intense turmoil over the issue of slavery.
  • He was the first president to memorize his inaugural address and recite it from memory.
  • He was responsible for the Gadsden Purchase which brought New Mexico and part of Arizona into the United States.
  • Did You Know?
  • Each of his three children died before he was president and before reaching adolescence.
  • During his term, Kansas was known as "Bloody Kansas" due to the state's intense turmoil over the issue of slavery.
  • He was the first president to memorize his inaugural address and recite it from memory.
  • He was responsible for the Gadsden Purchase which brought New Mexico and part of Arizona into the United States.
  • Jane Means Appleton Pierce disapproved of her husband’s interest in politics and fainted upon hearing that he had been named the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in 1852.
  • He signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act which nullified the Missouri Compromise.
  • "A Republic without parties is a complete anomaly. The history of all popular Governments show how absurd is the idea of their attempting to exist without parties."
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About This Series

The Peabody Award-winning series profiles the men who have served as chief executive of the United States. This website, created as a companion to C-SPAN's 20th anniversary television series, provides an in-depth look at each of the presidents, their lives, families and administrations.