Tag Archives: Franklin Pierce

Dusting Off Franklin Pierce

The Basic Pierce Facts Franklin Pierce (1804-69), Democrat from New Hampshire, was a dark horse nominee, elected President in 1852. It took 49 Ballots to put him on the ballot, which was an exhausting exercise for the convention attendees. Few … Continue reading

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The Tragic Death of Bennie Pierce

The Pierce Parents When Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) married Jane Means Appleton (1806-63) in 1834, he was nearly thirty, a fine age for a man to marry. Mature, and financially solid enough in trade or profession to provide for a wife. … Continue reading

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The Three Forgotten FIRST LADIES

Following Dolley Madison, there was a big gap in the role of the First Lady Elizabeth Monroe was a reclusive woman by nature, and her grown daughter was a snobbish substitute. Louisa Adams was in chronic poor health; her husband … Continue reading

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Harriet Lane’s Bracelet Story

Harriet Lane served as de facto First Lady for her bachelor Uncle, POTUS James Buchanan. Little Orphan Harriet James Buchanan was a brother among many sisters. Having received a solid education, he became a successful Pennsylvania attorney, elected to Congress … Continue reading

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1861: A Year of Six Presidents

Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861 set many precedents. Presidential Precedents. Abraham Lincoln was a President of many firsts: The first POTUS born west of the Appalachian Mountains (KY); the elected first from Illinois; the first elected by popular plurality in … Continue reading

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Franklin Pierce: Moments of Grace

Franklin Pierce came to the Presidency following great personal tragedy. Franklin Pierce: The Tragedy Only weeks before Franklin Pierce (D-NH) was inaugurated in 1853, he took his wife and their eleven-year-old son to visit family in Massachusetts. En route, their … Continue reading

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Seward and Davis: An Unlikely Friendship

Jefferson Davis and William Seward in their old age. William H. Seward: Republican Whig The 1850s was decade seething with unrest; a volcano just waiting to erupt. The Whigs had always been a cobbled-together party of various factions and sections … Continue reading

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The Deception of Franklin Pierce

Some marriages are mismatches. The Pierces Franklin Pierce was 30 years old when he married in 1834. Good looking, genial and personable, he waited until he was established in his law practice, and was a sitting New Hampshire Democratic Congressman. … Continue reading

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Jane Pierce: First Lady of Sorrows

Some people are born with a melancholy gene. Like Jane Appleton Pierce. A Solemn Girl There was nothing in Jane Appleton’s (1806-63) childhood that suggested merriment. She was a New Englander, her father a Congregational minister, and strict religious observance … Continue reading

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Jane Pierce and Varina Davis: An Unlikely Friendship

Historians are usually negative about First Lady Jane Pierce or tsk-tsk about the tragedies in her life, which were considerable.  Jane Appleton Pierce: A Tragic woman Jane Pierce (1806-63) despite her tragedies, is not a particularly sympathetic character. She was … Continue reading

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