Portrait of President Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) by Mathew Brady

1860

Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, he was a lawyer and politician who became one of the youngest presidents in U.S. history. Pierce served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate before gaining national recognition as a brigadier general in the Mexican-American War.

As president, he strongly supported the expansion of U.S. territory and sought to maintain unity between the North and South. However, his endorsement of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed new territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, deepened sectional tensions and contributed to the growing conflict that eventually led to the Civil War.

Pierce's presidency was widely criticized, and he failed to secure his party's nomination for a second term. After leaving office, he remained politically active but was largely sidelined. He struggled with personal tragedies, including the loss of all his children and his wife’s declining health. Pierce died in 1869, with his legacy overshadowed by the nation's descent into civil war.