President Franklin Pierce is not one of the well-known presidents of the United States, so I thought I would write about him today. He fought in the Mexican War of 1848 after being in the U.S. Senate for many years. He came back from the war with distinction and metals of honor. Then in 1852, he became the United States’ 14th president. The Democrats had nominated him for president in the hopes that he would finalize the slavery issue, but he did not. He promised to keep the bill that was putting off the decision on slavery for the 4 new territories. This bill was called the Compromise of 1850 because it also started the Fugitive Slave Act that made citizens help capture slaves who were trying to escape. This made him look like he was for slavery and made his democratic supporters so angry that during the next presidential campaign, their slogan was, “anyone but Pierce.” The Democrats stopped being angry with him and wanted him to run for president again in 1856 and 1860, but he refused. Before his presidential term, he had lost all 3 of his sons, and he became so sad that he started drinking alcohol. So after his years as president, his health became bad because of his alcoholism, and he died at his home in Concord, New Hampshire at age 65. The next day, on October 9, 1969, President Ulysses S. Grant announced his death and arranged for “suitable military and naval honors” for Pierce’s funeral. Grant also wanted to keep tradition and ordered flags flown at half-staff on all federal buildings.
President Franklin Pierce
