Franklin Pierce

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Birthplace of President Franklin Pierce, Hillsboro, New Hampshire.

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History & Society

Franklin Pierce

president of United States

Also known as: Young Hickory

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 • Article History

Pierce, Franklin

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Category: History & Society

Byname:: Young Hickory

Born:: November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire, U.S.

Died:: October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire (aged 64)

Title / Office:: presidency of the United States of America (1853-1857), United States; United States Senate (1837-1842), United States; House of Representatives (1833-1837), United States

Political Affiliation:: Democratic Party

Notable Family Members:: spouse Jane Pierce

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Franklin Pierce (born November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire, U.S.—died October 8, 1869, Concord, New Hampshire) was the 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). 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. He married Jane Means Appleton, whose father was president of Bowdoin, in 1834. Pierce entered political life in New ...(100 of 904 words)

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