Happy Birthday to our 14th president. After dealing with presidents for the last year, I can't imagine not knowing any of them- at the very least the order in which they come and their names. But, I guess he's one of those people don't even remember. Most of them I can link in my head, but he's kind of stand a lone guy, not linked in an interesting way to any other presidents. Or, at least not presidents of the United States. But, we'll get to that.
Franklin (no middle name) Pierce was born in Hillsborough New Hampshire on November 23, 1804. He was the sixth in a whole mess of kids of Benjamin and Anna Pierce. Benjamin was a Revolutionary War hero, and a future governor. He bought a bunch of farm land in New Hampshire and built a home. You'd think this would make them all proper and distinguished...
..but you'd be wrong. They converted that farm house into a tavern, where Frank's old man tossed back whiskey with his guests, while loudly swearing, and spitting his chewing tabacco. Anna, meanwhile, drank more than her fair share and dressed in short skirts. (Worth noting: a "short skirt" in the 1800's was one which showed your ankles... *gasp*... but it did give Anna a reputation).
Anna wasn't just drunk and slutty most of Frank's childhood, she was also very depressed. This glimpse into Frank's childhood is important, because all of this exposure to drinking and watching his dad exchange sleazy handshakes with his drunk patrons, had an effect on Frank. Rumor has it, whiskey filed his baby bottle, and so began his life-long addiction to alcohol.
Benjamin did want his sons to have a good education, and sent them all off to boarding school. Frank hated school though, and decided to walk the 12 miles back home and tell his parents he was done with the boarding school. His dad took him halfway back, then kicked him out of the carriage and made Frank walk the rest of the way back, in the rain (and probably uphill both ways).
But, don't feel bad for Frank. He had a reputation of being incredibly likable. He headed off to Bowdoin College in Maine as one of 19 freshman. He wasn't the best student, and he was pretty mischievous, always seeming to be in trouble for something. But he could get away with it, thanks to his charm and good looks. In fact, Frank earned the nickname "Handsome Frank". He was basically a pretty boy, and spoiler alert: pretty boys don't usually make good presidents.
His college roomies included some people who ended up being more famous than him, at least in today's standards: Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
After college, Frank went off to work in law. He lost his first case, but eventually proved a pretty capable lawyer. He wasn't a legal scholar by any means, but his charm, good looks, and a deep voice served him well. That, and his memory for names and faces. Frank had an excellent memory, a knack for recalling the names and faces of every juror who ever sat on one of his cases, and could give 30 minute long speeches without notes.
By now, Benjamin Pierce was governor of New Hampshire, and Frank's interest in politics peaked.
Andrew Jackson was in office, and Democrats were all the rage. And Frank wanted in on the party.
He was elected to New Hampshire's legislature, and he became New Hampshire's Speaker of the House.
At age 26, he was the youngest person ever to run the state's Congress.
Around this time, he met Jane Appleton. Now, I can't exactly figure out how these two ended up together. You see, Jane was shy, devoutly religious, and...
....pro-temperance, encouraging Franklin Pierce of all people to abstain from alcohol.
She was petite, not particularly good looking, and constantly ill from tuberculosis and psychological ailments.
And she HATED politics and especially disliked living in Washington D.C.
Somehow, this Plain Jane caught the eye of Frank, though. For all her faults, she was fiercely loyal and lovable, and whatever the reason, Frank ended up marrying her.
Frank took his success in the state House of Representatives to Washington D.C. and became a United States Senator. (He's in the House here, but that was just an opsie on my part). The couple had one kid, but he died, furthering depressing Jane.
After that tragedy, they had two more boys: Frank and Benny.
Now, Frank wasn't drinking around Jane, but he was known to be a bit of a party animal in Congress. He was 27, and the youngest congressman in D.C. His charm and good looks once again made him very popular, and he had a loyal following for congressional peers. You'd often find pretty boy Frank out on the town drinking with friends. But this drunk Frank was a happy drunk.
During that time, New Hampshire Senators were never re-elected (I guess they felt six years was enough), so at the end of his term he headed back to New Hampshire to open up a law practice, which pleased Jane to no end. She, along with lots of American's at the time, saw the presidency as a killing job that took a toll on not only the president, but his family. Jane heard the stories of Rachel Jackson, and wanted out of D.C. She didn't want to deal with it, and she didn't want Frank consumed by the stress, depression, and overtime inherent to a career in politics, especially when he was already pre-disposed to depression and alcoholism.
Back in new Hampshire, Jane asked him to make one promise: Stay out of politics. Frank agreed.
Tragedy struck the family again when little Frank died at the age of 4. Naturally, this didn't help Jane's depression, and Frank's drinking.
Staying out of politics was Jane's only request of her husband. She didn't even lose her cool when he went to fight in the Mexican-American War without telling her (and that's a whopper to keep from your wife).
Active military service was a long-held dream for Frank (he actually passed up being President Polk's Attorney General so he could fight). But, by the time he reached his post under General Winfield Scott, the war was almost over. He was injured in battle when he was thrown from his horse, and the General wanted to send him home. But Frank refused saying 'but.... "this is the last great battle". He figured he wouldn't get another chance to fight, so he stayed, and reinjured himself. He passed out twice and earned himself the nickname "Fainting Frank".
Even though Frank joined the war without teling Jane, and even though he nearly got himself killed, she stood by his side, because all she wanted was for him to keep his promise and stay out of politics. And for many years after the war, he did. He kept his promise and lived a quiet, private life.
Or, at least that's what he would have Jane believe. He wasn't publicially campaigning to be president or anything, but he made it known to his political buddies in D.C. if the Democratic Party "happened to", maybe, perhaps, say nominate him for president, he wouldn't turn down the offer. Nudge, nudge. Wink, Wink.
All of his whispering campaigning (he encouraged his friends to submit his name when the Democrats couldn't decide between four equally craptacular nominees) was done completely behind Jane's back. She seemed like the only one in America who didn't seem to know her husband was going to get the nomination. The day Frank was informed he was in fact the nominee, was the day Jane found out Frank was even considering going back into politics. She and 11 year old Benny were blindsided. Neither of them wanted Frank to be president and so they prayed every day for his defeat.
Frank's opponent happened to be the very General he fought under during the war, General Winfield Scott. Frank was painted as a coward (after all he was nicknamed "fainting Frank"), and an alcoholic (he was also called 'the hero of many a well-fought bottle'). That assesment wasn't exactly wrong, but Frank had support from the North (he was a northerner after all), and he was pro-slavery (with helped the Southern vote).
All of that plus a fractured Whig party (thank you Millard Fillmore), helped Frank get elected, and rode a strong wave of popularity into the presidency.
Jane and Benny were upset, their prayers had not been answered, and when they joined president-elect Frank on a trip to Boston, disaster struck.
The train derailed, and threw several cars- the Pierce's among them- down a snowy embankment.
Frank and Jane were unhurt, but Benny died instantly. Jane initially believed God had taken their son for the nation's benefit so that her worse half could focus on the affairs of the state without the distractions of having a son. And when Jane learned shortly before the inauguration that her husband had not been the "reluctant surprise candidate" he claimed to have been- Jane was furious, and resented her husband.
On March 4, 1853, Frank was sworn is without his wife by his side. Jane, still angry and grieving, stayed in New Hampshire. At age 49, Frank was the youngest man to be elected president to that point (to date their have been 6 younger).
Jane wasn't the only one to miss Frank's inauguration. His Vice-President, William King, was in Havana, Cuba at the time, sick and dying. Just a month later the Veep died. Frank never replaced him, and served an entire term without a Vice President.
Some interesting inaugural facts:
Frank chose to affirm his oath of office on a law book, rather than swear it on a bible.
He also was the first president to deliver his inaugural address from memory, all 3,319 words.
Frank is also the only president to keep his entire cabinet for the full four-year term.
And we have an interesting face in that cabinet. Frank's Secretary of War was none other than Jefferson Davis. (Who, spoiler alert: will be making an appearance in tomorrow's timeline in an interesting way as well!)
When Jane finally showed up in D.C, she was rarely seen. She draped the rooms in black bunting and spent all day in her room where she spent most of her days staring into space, or writing letters full of apologies to Benny.
Frank, meanwhile, was alone and depressed. Debilitated by his own grief and his enthusiasm for the office not gone, he returned to the only hobby that continued to interest him: drinking. Jane's love and support had kept him from drinking, but she wasn't really around anymore, and now there was nothing to stop him from turning to alcohol whenever he felt stressed or depressed. (And if you're president, you tend to be stressed... A LOT.)
Making matters worse, Frank was no longer the happy drunk of his Congressional days. He wasn't the fun and lovable drunk (see the Grant administration), he was now the drunk drunk. The tragedy of losing his son, coupled with the anxieties of presiding over the nation just made it worse, and "Franklin Pierce is a drunk" was whispered all over Washington.
His love affair with the American people was souring very quickly. He was viewed as drunk, easily manipulated, and a poor leader. You see, he was more focused on getting the job than he was on the country. He was too busy playing the political game to get himself in the White House, he never stopped to look around and notice that the issue of slavery was dividing the country, and the president was going to have to do something about it. The country was on the verge of a Civil War, and Frank was drunk, depressed, and unprepared.
Frank was pro-slavery and as such he supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gave voters the right to determine the fate of slavery in the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska (putting an end to the Missouri Compromise). Basically is was a slavery dispute, which greatly angered people and set the stage for the Civil War.
His support of this act was basically what his presidency would be known for, and would overshadow the other events during that time.
The Kansas territory became a hot bed of violence during this time, and became known as "Bleeding Kansas." A total of 157 people died, and some historians argue that this violence was actually the beginning of the American Civil War. (Sidenote: today historians believe only about 56 of those deaths were connected to the slavery issue, while the other 101 deaths were personal issues and drunken brawls.)
Frank did have a few wins. He sent James Gadsden to Mexico to negotiate the purchase of land for a southern railroad. He ended up buying the land that today makes up southern New Mexico and Arizona. The Gadsden Purchase was made for $10 million.
His presidency also saw the beginning of trade with Japan thanks to Commodore Matthew Perry.
But, Frank's popularity was gone. His support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the issue of Bleeding Kansas and a document (the Ostend Manifesto) that was released saying Frank wanted to purchase Cuba from Spain, and would declare war if Span refused, pretty much sealed his fate. (Northern's saw his desire to obtain Cuba as a support for the expansion of slavery.)
The Democrats chose not to nominate him for re-election, and instead went with James Buchanan. (And if James Buchanan is a better option than you, you've got problems.)
When Frank realized he would no longer be in office, it's said his reply was simple: "There is nothing left to do, but get drunk". (It's a debatable quote- He never really spoke of his troubles with alcohol- but it seems fitting, so historians go with the story.)
After the presidency, the Pierce's traveled Europe, and ended up back in New Hampshire. Druing the Civil War, ex-president Pierce came out as a supporter of the Confederacy, and was known to be close friends with Jefferson Davis, his former Secretary of War, which didn't really help his reputation.
Making it worse- after Jefferson Davis's home was captured and raided, letters were found from Frank to Jefferson criticizing President Lincoln. (And ask James Buchanan, criticizing Lincoln doesn't go over so well).
A lifelong alcoholic, Frank died of liver failure (are you really surprised?) in 1869, and was buried in New Hampshire beside his wife (who had died 6 years earlier) and two of his sons.
Apparently, your average American doesn't even remember a president named Pierce, and even the most sympathetic biography even written on the man admits "not a single achievement can be credited to his administration." He ranks at the bottom of presidents, usually in the bottom five.
In a series of forgettable mid 19th century presidents, Franklin is arguably the most forgettable. Many people say he was a traitor during the Civil war and so his name was erased from history lessons, throwing him further into obscurity.
Millard Fillmore is generally regarded as the least-known president. But, that's a distinction Franklin Pierce lacks, and ironically, making him even more obscure than Fillmore.
So, there you have it.
We watched our president in 60 seconds. (Check out my Florida kids- it was in the mid 60's today, and we were all freezing. It's the first time since March we haven't made it into the 70's. Crazy!)
And added our presidential issues...
...and fun facts..
to Franklin Pierce's tombstone.
We did our owl mail..
...and made our birthday cards.
Our hashtag: "There's nothing left to do #DrinkingB4Buchanan
Our activity is a play on Frank and his drinking, turned non-alcoholic trivia game. Because, leave that to me.
We played Rootbeer Trivia Pong!
The boys threw ping pong balls into cups with Plinko Chips. Each cup had a number on the bottom. If they could tell me which president's number it was, they got a chip. Five chips bought a rootbeer, and they got to keep the leftover's for Plinko.
Calib got a rootbeer and two chips.
Hayden also got a rootbeer and two chips.
And Peyton ended up with a rootbeer as well.
Frank was known to enjoy a nice New England meal now and again, so we had fish and chips. I will take any excuse to have Asa's homemade fries. They are the BEST.
For dessert: New Hampshire Hand Pies, another Frank Favorite.
So the actual recipe calls for making the dough and filling from scratch. But, I'm no baker- that's not happening. Instead, I rolled some biscuits thin, filled them with apple pie filling, closed them with a fork and fried them.
It also wanted me to make a glaze. Powdered sugar was easier. They were enjoyed by all (although the boys said it would have been better with cherries--- But, we're saving the cherries for tomorrow!)
That's it for Franklin Pierce! Only FOUR more to go!
Next Up: I'll be back tomorrow with another presidential birthday when some of our cast from today makes yet another cameo.
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