what carrer did franklin pierce hae when he was a lawyer

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.

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 are 3 interesting facts about Franklin Pierce?

Top 10 Facts About Franklin Pierceof 10. Son of a Politician. ... of 10. State and Federal Legislator. ... of 10. Fought in the Mexican-American War. ... of 10. Was an Alcoholic President. ... of 10. Defeated His Old Commander During the Election of 1852. ... of 10. Criticized for the Ostend Manifesto. ... of 10. ... of 10.More items...•

What was Franklin Pierce education?

Bowdoin CollegePhillips Exeter AcademyNorthampton Law SchoolFranklin Pierce/Education

Who was the youngest President?

The youngest person to assume the presidency was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at the age of 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43.

Who was the 13th President?

Millard FillmoreMillard Fillmore, a member of the Whig party, was the 13th President of the United States (1850-1853) and the last President not to be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties.

Who was the 27th President?

William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was elected the 27th President of the United States (1909-1913) and later became the tenth Chief Justice of the United States (1921-1930), the only person to have served in both of these offices.

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. Grover Cleveland was elected to two nonconsecutive terms, and as such is considered the 22nd and 24th president of the United States.

Who was 16 President?

Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln became the United States' 16th President in 1861, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy in 1863.

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."

Did Franklin Pierce start civil war?

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 is the 15th President?

James BuchananJames Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States (1857-1861), served immediately prior to the American Civil War.

What did Franklin Pierce do after he was President?

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. A loyal Democrat, Pierce did not support the new President, Abraham Lincoln.

Why was Franklin Pierce not sworn in?

Ill with tuberculosis, King was in Spanish Cuba in an effort to recover in the warmer climate, and was not able to be in Washington to take his oath of office on March 4.

Was Benjamin Franklin a President?

The fact is, unlike his contemporaries George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Franklin never held the office of the presidency. He was the governor of Pennsylvania, the first United States ambassador to France and Sweden and the first ever United States Postmaster General.

What did Franklin Pierce do as a child?

Early Life and Political Career At the age of 12, Pierce left the public school system to attend private academies. When he turned 15, he enrolled at Bowdoin College in Maine, where he excelled at public speaking. In 1824, Pierce graduated fifth in his class.

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 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.

Early Life & Education

Franklin Pierce was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire (he is the only New Hampshirite ever to be president) in 1804.

Political Rise- Ideology and personal life in the run-up to the presidency

According to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, in an article written by history professor Jean H. Baker, Franklin Pierce, and his father were strong supporters and strict adherents of Andrew Jackson’s.

Election of 1852 & Personal Tragedy

Franklin Pierce was chosen for the Democratic nomination for various reasons- his long-tenured political career and status, the fact that he was a pro-slavery northerner, and Pierce’s great benefit because the Democratic party decided to follow with undeviating loyalty the compromise of 1850.

Presidency: 1853-1857

At his inaugural address, Pierce proclaimed to the audience that the next four years would be “an era of peace and prosperity at home, and vigor in relations with other nations.”

Where did George Pierce serve as a senator?

In 1829, Pierce began his political career by earning a spot on the New Hampshire State Legislature. Within the next two years, he moved on to become the Speaker of the House, a government official who represents the House of Representatives and assists the president. In the 1830s he moved to Washington D.C., where he served as Senator.

When did General Pierce join the army?

The Mexican-American War began in 1846 , and Pierce volunteered to join the army. He was successful in battle and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a brigadier general (an officer in command of several troops).

Did Franklin Pierce have any interest in becoming president?

Did you know that Franklin Pierce had no real interest in becoming president? In fact, it was the Democratic Party that nominated him for president in 1852. The issue of slavery was causing the United States to experience turmoil at this time. The states in the North were against slavery, while the states in the South were for it. The Democratic Party wanted a candidate that would appeal to all voters, and Franklin Pierce seemed like the right choice because he had no real opinion on the issue.

Overview

Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, came to office during a period of growing tension between the North and South. A politician of limited ability, Pierce was behind one of the most crucial pieces of legislation in American history. Although he did not author the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he did encourage its passage by Congress.

Jean H. Baker

Professor Baker is the Bennett-Harwood Professor of History at Goucher College.

Chicago Style

Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. “Franklin Pierce.” Accessed January 20, 2022. https://millercenter.org/president/pierce.

2. Franklin Pierce was promoted to General not long after joining the Army

Military structure was a bit different in the early 19th century, with state militias still playing a significant role alongside the regular army.

3. Franklin Pierce was called "Hero of Many a Well-Fought Bottle" and "Fainting Frank."

Pierce's military service during the Mexican-American War came after he'd already served as a member of the House of Representatives and as a United States Senator, and he was right that military service would boost his profile on the national stage, despite the fact that he had resigned from the Senate in 1841.

4. Franklin Pierce beat his old boss to win the presidency

Pierce served under General Winfield "Old Fuss and Feathers" Scott during the war and, fulfilling the dream of just about everyone who's ever had a boss, defeated Scott to become president during the election of 1852. With the Whig Party on the verge of collapse and the Republican Party not yet established, the election was a landslide.

5. Franklin Pierce started his presidency while grieving the death of his son

Pierce was one of nine children, and he and wife Jane had three children of their own. Sadly, all of them died young; none even lived long enough to see their father become president. The firstborn, Franklin Jr., died as an infant, and Frank Robert died from typhus when he was 4.

6. Franklin Pierce didn't swear an oath when he became president

Jane wasn't alone in her belief that Benjamin's death was an act of God's retribution—Pierce himself viewed it as proof that God was angry with him.

7. Franklin Pierce added thousands of square miles to the Southwest United States

Pierce took office intent on expanding westward. Five years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, Pierce sent the U.S. Minister to Mexico, James Gadsden, to negotiate the border rights and end disputes surrounding the Mesilla Valley region.

8. Franklin Pierce is said to be the first President to have a Christmas tree at the White House (though he probably didn't)

It's been almost 100 years since President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree, converting an intimate tradition into a public-facing opportunity. According to lore, Pierce was the first to have a Christmas tree decorated at the White House, either in 1853 or 1856.

Overview

Early life and family

Congressional career

Party leader

Election of 1852

Presidency (1853–1857)

Post-presidency (1857–1869)

Sites, memorials, and honors