what career did franklin pierce have when he was a lawyer

by Eveline Bartell 3 min read

Pierce was born in New Hampshire. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1833, before being elected to the Senate where he served from March 1837 until his resignation in 1842. His private law practice was a success, and he was appointed New Hampshire's U.S. Attorney in 1845.

Why was Franklin Pierce so successful as a lawyer?

He opened a law practice there as well, and with his skill as a public speaker and his local fame, he was an immediate success as a trial lawyer. Courts of law were a prime form of entertainment, and Franklin Pierce was a star in this setting during the 1840s.

Where did Franklin Pierce go to Law School?

Key events in the life of Franklin Pierce.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Early life and career. The son of a governor of New Hampshire, Benjamin Pierce, and the former Anna Kendrick, Franklin Pierce attended Bowdoin College in Maine, studied law in Northampton, Massachusetts, and was admitted to the bar in 1827.

What did Franklin Pierce do during the Civil War?

Franklin Pierce, byname Young Hickory (born November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire, U.S.—died October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire), 14th president of the United States (1853–57). He failed to deal effectively with the corroding sectional controversy over slavery in the decade preceding the American Civil War (1861–65).

Who was William Pierce's law partner?

Despite never being a legal scholar, his memory for names and faces served him well, as did his personal charm and deep voice. In Hillsborough, his law partner was Albert Baker, who had studied law under Pierce and was the brother of Mary Baker Eddy.

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What jobs did Franklin Pierce have?

Franklin Pierce: Life Before the PresidencyRapid Rise to National Politics. While at Bowdoin, Pierce had honed his public speaking, which made him a natural for the legal profession. ... Skilled Attorney and Politico. ... Mexican War Military Service. ... Building a Political Career.

What did Franklin Pierce do before he was president?

He served as speaker of the state legislature before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1833. After two terms in the House and one in the Senate, Pierce returned to practicing law, only to emerge in 1852 as the Democratic presidential candidate.

What was Franklin Pierce education?

Bowdoin CollegePhillips Exeter AcademyNorthampt... Law SchoolFranklin Pierce/Education

What did Franklin Pierce do while he was president?

On May 30, 1854, President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was designed to solve the issue of expanding slavery into the territories. However, it failed miserably; the Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the key political events that led to the American Civil War.

Who was the youngest President?

The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43. The oldest person to assume the presidency was Joe Biden, who took the presidential oath of office 61 days after turning 78.

What was President Pierce known for?

Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the unity of the nation.

Who was the 13th President?

Millard FillmoreMillard Fillmore, (born January 7, 1800, Locke township, New York, U.S.—died March 8, 1874, Buffalo, New York), 13th president of the United States (1850–53), whose insistence on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 alienated the North and led to the destruction of the Whig Party.

How many presidents are there?

There have been 46 presidencies (including the current one, Joe Biden, whose term began in 2021), and 45 different individuals have served as president.

How many presidents are from Ohio?

More of our country's presidents come from Ohio than from any other state. Eight of 44 American presidents were elected from the Buckeye State, earning Ohio the nickname "the Mother of Presidents."

What did Franklin Roosevelt do as President?

The Roosevelt presidency began in the midst of the Great Depression and during the first 100 days of the 73rd U.S. Congress, he spearheaded unprecedented federal legislative productivity. Roosevelt called for the creation of programs designed to produce relief, recovery, and reform.

Who was 15th President?

James BuchananJames BuchananPhotograph by Mathew Brady, 1850–186815th President of the United StatesIn office March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861Vice PresidentJohn C. Breckinridge52 more rows

Who signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

President Franklin PierceDespite fierce opposition from abolitionists and Free Soilers, as those who opposed extending slavery into new territories were known, the Senate passed the Nebraska bill. President Franklin Pierce signed it into law on May 30, 1854.

Where did Pierce go to law school?

Pierce read law briefly with former New Hampshire Governor Levi Woodbury, a family friend in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He then spent a semester at Northampton Law School in Northampton, Massachusetts, followed by a period of study in 1826 and 1827 under Judge Edmund Parker in Amherst, New Hampshire.

What did Pierce do in the 1850s?

By the 1850s, Pierce had become a de facto leader of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Returning to Concord, Pierce resumed his law practice ; in one notable case he defended the religious liberty of the Shakers, the insular sect threatened with legal action over accusations of abuse.

What did Pierce do in his cabinet appointments?

In his Cabinet appointments, Pierce sought to unite a party that was squabbling over the fruits of victory. Most in the party had not originally supported him for the nomination, and some had allied with the Free Soil party to gain victory in local elections. Pierce decided to allow each of the party's factions some appointments, even those that had not supported the Compromise of 1850.

What did Pierce see as a threat to slavery?

As he would as president, Pierce valued Democratic Party unity highly, and saw the oppposition to slavery as a threat to that. Democratic James K. Polk 's dark horse victory in the 1844 presidential election was welcome news to Pierce, who had befriended the former Speaker of the House while both served in Congress.

How did Pierce's son die?

Their last surviving son was killed in a train accident while the family was traveling, shortly before Pierce's inauguration. A heavy drinker for much of his life, Pierce died in 1869 of cirrhosis of the liver. Historians and scholars generally rank Pierce as one of the worst and least memorable U.S. presidents .

What were the names of the battles that Franklin Pierce participated in?

Brigadier General (Army) Battles/wars. Mexican–American War. Battle of Contreras. Battle of Churubusco. Battle of Molino del Rey. Battle of Chapultepec. Battle for Mexico City. Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857.

Why did Pierce break from his party?

Pierce broke from his party on occasion, opposing Democratic bills to fund internal improvements with federal money. He saw both the bank and infrastructure spending as unconstitutional, with internal improvements the responsibility of the states.

Where did Franklin Pierce go to college?

The son of a governor of New Hampshire, Benjamin Pierce, and the former Anna Kendrick, Franklin Pierce attended Bow doin College in Maine, studied law in Northampton, Massachusetts, and was admitted to the bar in 1827. He married Jane Means Appleton, whose father was president of Bowdoin, in 1834.

What did Pierce do in 1854?

In 1854 Pierce received Perry’s report that his expedition had been successful and that U.S. ships would have limited access to Japanese ports. The Pierce administration also reorganized the diplomatic and consular service and created the United States Court of Claims. Pierce, Franklin: inauguration.

How did Pierce try to promote sectional unity?

Representing the Eastern element of the Democratic Party, which was inclined for the sake of harmony and business prosperity to oppose antislavery agitation and generally to placate Southern opinion, Pierce tried to promote sectional unity by filling his cabinet with extremists from both sides of the slavery debate. He also attempted to sidestep the fierce sectional antagonisms of the domestic scene by ambitiously and aggressively promoting the extension of U.S. territorial and commercial interests abroad. In an effort to buy the island of Cuba from Spain, he ordered the U.S. minister to Spain, Pierre Soulé, to try to secure the influence of European financiers on the Spanish government. The resulting diplomatic statement, the Ostend Manifesto (October 1854), was interpreted by the American public as a call to wrest Cuba from Spain by force if necessary. The ensuing controversy forced the administration to disclaim responsibility for the document and to recall Soulé. In 1855 an American adventurer, William Walker, conducted a notorious expedition into Central America with the hope of establishing a proslavery government under the control of the United States. In Nicaragua he established himself as military dictator and then as president, and his dubious regime was recognized by the Pierce administration. A more lasting diplomatic achievement came from the expedition that Pres. Millard Fillmore had sent to Japan in 1853 under Commodore Matthew C. Perry. In 1854 Pierce received Perry’s report that his expedition had been successful and that U.S. ships would have limited access to Japanese ports. The Pierce administration also reorganized the diplomatic and consular service and created the United States Court of Claims.

When did Pierce become a Democratic candidate?

Except for a brief stint as an officer in the Mexican-American War (1846–48), Pierce remained out of the public eye until the nominating convention of the Democratic Party in 1852.

Who was the secretary of war at the Old Manse?

His new short-story collection, Mosses from an Old Manse, appeared in 1846.…. Jefferson Davis: Early life and career. Franklin Pierce made him secretary of war in 1853.

Who was Jefferson Davis?

Jefferson Davis: Early life and career. Franklin Pierce made him secretary of war in 1853. Davis enlarged the army, strengthened coastal defenses, and directed three surveys for railroads to the Pacific. He was also a forceful advocate for what became the Gadsden Purchase.….

Who was the 14th president of the United States?

See all videos for this article. Franklin Pierce, byname Young Hickory, (born November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire, U.S.—died October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire), 14th president of the United States (1853–57). He failed to deal effectively with the corroding sectional controversy over slavery in the decade preceding ...

What was Franklin Pierce's military service?

Mexican War Military Service. Aware of the positive effect of military service on his father's political success, Franklin Pierce saw an opportunity in the Mexican-American War. He helped enlist men into the New Hampshire Volunteers and was himself a private.

Who did Pierce appeal to?

Using his connections, he appealed to President James Polk for a commission. The President repaid Pierce's old campaign favors. By the time the force sailed for the Mexican shores of Veracruz in mid-1847, Pierce was a brigadier general commanding over two thousand men, though he had no military experience whatsoever.

What did Franklin Pierce and Jane Pierce have in common?

Franklin and Jane Pierce seemingly had little in common, and the marriage would sometimes be a troubled one. The bride's family members were staunch Whigs, a party largely formed to oppose Andrew Jackson, whom Pierce revered. Socially, Jane Pierce was reserved and shy, the polar opposite of her new husband.

What happened to General Pierce's horse?

At the Battle of Contreras on August 19, his horse stumbled. Pierce was thrown onto the pommel of his saddle and fell off his horse, crushing his leg.

What was Franklin's social life like at Bowdoin?

At first, young Franklin enjoyed the social life at Bowdoin so much that his schoolwork took second priority. Soon he was last in his class. He gradually began to apply himself to his studies and by graduation in 1824, he ranked fifth in his class.

What was life like in Washington in the 1830s?

Life in Washington took its toll on Pierce. The city in the 1830s was an unpleasant place with ill-smelling swamps and political intrigue. Politicians serving there lived mostly in shabby boardinghouses. Bored and homesick, many found comfort in alcohol. Drinking quickly became a problem for Pierce.

When was Pierce elected to the state legislature?

Rapid Rise to National Politics. While at Bowdoin, Pierce had honed his public speaking, which made him a natural for the legal profession. In 1829 , he was elected to the state legislature, two years after his father won election to the governorship.

Where was Franklin Pierce born?

Early Life and Political Career. Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. President, was born on November 23, 1804, in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. His father, Benjamin, was an American Revolutionary War hero who held some political prowess in the family's rural town. His mother, Anna Kendrick Pierce, had eight children, whose education she made her top ...

Where did Pierce go in the 1830s?

In the 1830s, Pierce was sent to Washington, D.C. as a state representative. Despite his rapid ascent in the world of politics, Pierce soon found his life in Washington both tedious and lonesome. After developing a dependency on alcohol, he decided it was time to settle down.

What did Pierce do after he resigned?

After resigning in 1842, Pierce joined the temperance movement and worked as an attorney, before going off to fight under General Winfield Scott in the Mexican-American War. In 1852, Pierce was elected president for one term. As president, he signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, prompting a bloody conflict over Kansas' slavery status.

What happened to Pierce after the war?

While still recovering, he missed the Army's final victory at the Battle of Chapultepec, in 1847. After the war, Pierce went home to his family in New Hampshire.

What was Pierce's role in the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

When he agreed to sign the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, it turned Kansas into a battleground for the country's conflict over slavery. Pierce's handling of the affair caused his democratic supporters to abandon him during the 1856 presidential election, in favor of his successor, James Buchanan.

When did Pierce resign from the Senate?

Nevertheless, a year after the couple's first of three sons were born, Pierce accepted his election to the U.S. Senate. In 1841, under his wife's persistent urging, Pierce finally agreed to resign from the Senate. Afterward, he joined the temperance movement and started working as an attorney.

When did Pierce die?

Nearing the end of his life and fading quickly into obscurity, Pierce took up drinking again. He died on October 8, 1869, in Concord, New Hampshire.

What party did Franklin Pierce belong to?

Franklin Pierce went back to his hometown to practice his legal career and at the same time, fulfill his duties in the Democratic Party. He was elected in the lower house and state legislature of his state, while assisting his governor-father around the years 1828 to 1833.

When was Franklin Pierce elected president?

Franklin Pierce was inaugurated as president on March 4 , 1853 despite the tragedy that his family had encountered a few months prior. It was a derailed train accident that occurred in January of the same year which resulted in the death of their son, Benjamin, and the seclusion of his wife, Jane Pierce, from any political involvement.

What was Franklin Pierce's loyalty to his party?

Franklin Pierce was an example of a man with skill, intelligence and even the charisma to make a difference with his administration, but it was his loyalty to his party and his inability to recognize the limits of obeying one’s supporters that cost him the respect of his countrymen.

Why was Franklin Pierce included in the list of nominees?

The inclusion of Franklin Pierce in the list of nominees which was intended to break the ties between the other candidates that made him become the representative of the party for the national elections in 1852.

What did Pierce promise to do during his term?

Pierce promised to maintain economic prosperity, peaceful living, and attempt to expand the international relations of the United States during his term of office .

When did Franklin Pierce end his term?

End of Presidency. Franklin Pierce was not nominated again to run for presidency by the Democratic Party thus ending his term by 1857. He left the White House with a lot of criticism and was even regarded by some people as one of the least effective presidents in the history of the United States government.

Who was the first president of New Hampshire?

Early Beginnings. It was the 23rd of November, 1804 when a former farmer who is now a state governor, Benjamin Pierce , and his wife, Anna Kendrick gave birth to their fifth child who was christened Franklin Pierce and would later become the only president from New Hampshire. He grew up in a modest family of moderate wealth ...

Why did Franklin Pierce become President?

The United States, by virtue of the Compromise of 1850, seemed to have weathered its sectional storm.

When did Franklin Pierce die?

He died in 1869. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. Learn more about Franklin Pierce’s spouse, Jane Means Appleton Pierce.

How many times did the Democratic Convention vote for Pierce?

But they balloted 48 times and eliminated all the well-known candidates before nominating Pierce, a true “dark horse.”.

What did Pierce do after he graduated from Bowdoin College?

Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, in 1804, Pierce attended Bowdoin College. After graduation he studied law, then entered politics.

How old was Pierce's son when he died?

Two months before he took office, he and his wife saw their eleven-year-old son killed when their train was wrecked. Grief-stricken, Pierce entered the Presidency nervously exhausted. In his Inaugural he proclaimed an era of peace and prosperity at home, and vigor in relations with other nations.

When did Pierce go to Washington?

During the 1830’s he went to Washington, first as a Representative, then as a Senator. Pierce, after serving in the Mexican War, was proposed by New Hampshire friends for the Presidential nomination in 1852.

Who was the Senator who proposed the railroad from Chicago to California?

This measure, the handiwork of Senator Stephen A. Douglas, grew in part out of his desire to promote a railroad from Chicago to California through Nebraska. Already Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, advocate of a southern transcontinental route, had persuaded Pierce to send James Gadsden to Mexico to buy land for a southern railroad.

Where was Franklin Pierce born?

Franklin Pierce was born to Benjamin and Anna Kendrick Pierce on November 23, 1804, in New Hampshire. He was the fifth of the eight children born in the family. His father was a revered politician and governor of New Hampshire.

Who did Pierce vote for?

After behind out of the limelight for a while, Pierce went back to politics. He rallied the Democrats to vote for Lewis Cass, the Democrats presidential candidate in the 1848 national elections. In 1852 he joined the campaigns to seek the Democrat presidential nomination ticket. Pierce got the presidential ticket after a fierce campaign. Pierce won the 1952 presidential elections beating his rival Whig Party candidate General Winfield Scott. Pierce took the presidency in mourning. He lost his son two months earlier in an accident.

An Unpopular President Wins by a Landslide

Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, was often labeled as one of the worst presidents in the nation’s history. This reputation was in sharp contrast to his standing as a successful leader before he was elected president.

A Focus on Education

Pierce’s early life revolved around his education. His parents were invested in their children’s schooling, and they believed that an advanced education would give their children more opportunities than they had been given.

Making the Shift to a Political Career

Around the same time that he was establishing his law practice, Pierce joined the New Hampshire Democratic Party and became heavily interested in politics. In 1828, he was elected into the New Hampshire State House of Representatives and eventually became speaker.

Where did Franklin Pierce live after his presidency?

Franklin Pierce: Life After the Presidency. Pierce settled in New Hampshire after his presidency. When the Civil War erupted, Pierce voiced support for the Northern cause, as did many doughfaces—that is, Northern men with Southern principles.

What happened to Lincoln when he was assassinated?

When Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, an angry mob surrounded Pierce's home. Only a final display of the old lawyer's once-famed oratorical skills kept his house in one piece: he gave a speech urging the crowd to disperse peacefully, and they did.

Did Franklin Pierce support Lincoln?

A loyal Democrat, Pierce did not support the new President, Abraham Lincoln. In fact, Pierce publicly blamed Lincoln for the war. This outspoken criticism cost the former President a number of longtime friendships. By the end of the war, Franklin Pierce was all but forgotten, as reclusive as his wife had been in the White House.

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Overview

Early life and family

Franklin Pierce was born on November 23, 1804, in a log cabin in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He was a sixth-generation descendant of Thomas Pierce, who had moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Norwich, Norfolk, England in about 1634. His father Benjamin was a lieutenant in the American Revolutionary War who moved from Chelmsford, Massachusetts to Hillsborough after the war…

Congressional career

Pierce departed in November 1833 for Washington, D.C., where the Twenty-third United States Congress convened its regular session on December 2. Jackson's second term was under way, and the House of Representatives had a strong Democratic majority, whose primary focus was to prevent the Second Bank of the United States from being rechartered. The Democrats, including Pierce, def…

Party leader

Despite his resignation from the Senate, Pierce had no intention of leaving public life. The move to Concord had given him more opportunities for cases, and allowed Jane Pierce a more robust community life. Jane had remained in Concord with her young son Frank and her newborn Benjamin for the latter part of Pierce's senate term, and this separation had taken a toll on the family. Pier…

Election of 1852

As the 1852 presidential election approached, the Democrats were divided by the slavery issue, though most of the "Barnburners" who had left the party with Van Buren to form the Free Soil Party had returned. It was widely expected that the 1852 Democratic National Convention would result in deadlock, with no major candidate able to win the necessary two-thirds majority. New Hampshire Dem…

Presidency (1853–1857)

Pierce began his presidency in mourning. Weeks after his election, on January 6, 1853, the President-elect and his family were traveling from Boston by train when their car derailed and rolled down an embankment near Andover, Massachusetts. Both Franklin and Jane Pierce survived, but their only remaining son, 11-year-old Benjamin, was crushed to death in the wreckage, his body nea…

Post-presidency (1857–1869)

After leaving the White House, the Pierces remained in Washington for more than two months, staying with former Secretary of State William L. Marcy. Buchanan altered course from the Pierce administration, replacing all his appointees. The Pierces eventually moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Pierce had begun to speculate in property. Seeking warmer weather, he …

Sites, memorials, and honors

In addition to his LL.D. from Norwich University, Pierce received honorary doctorates from Bowdoin College (1853) and Dartmouth College (1860).
Two places in New Hampshire have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places specifically because of their association with Pierce. The Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsborough is a state park and a National Historic Landmark, open to the public. The Franklin Pi…

Rapid Rise to National Politics

Skilled Attorney and POLITICO

  • In his thirties, Pierce stopped drinking and joined the temperance movement. He then led a successful drive to outlaw liquor in his new hometown of Concord. He opened a law practice there as well, and with his skill as a public speaker and his local fame, he was an immediate success as a trial lawyer. Courts of law were a prime form of entertainment, and Franklin Pierce …
See more on millercenter.org

Mexican War Military Service

  • Aware of the positive effect of military service on his father's political success, Franklin Pierce saw an opportunity in the Mexican-American War. He helped enlist men into the New Hampshire Volunteers and was himself a private. Using his connections, he appealed to President James Polk for a commission. The President repaid Pierce's old campaign favors. By the time the force …
See more on millercenter.org

Building A Political Career

  • After his return, Pierce, already a well-known lawyer, was active in New Hampshire's Democratic Party and became its undisputed leader. By the election year of 1852, the issue of slavery in the territories divided the nation, with Southerners insisting that they should be allowed to take their slaves into any new territories, and a growing group of...
See more on millercenter.org