Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 78 of 1,110

PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

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B fRANKLIN PIERCE,
a S B ppthe fourteenth Presi
^ [^^^^| r dent of the United
States, was born in
; !i~ Hillsborough, New
Hampshire, NovemQ
1m ^p* ber 23, 1804. His
father, Governor
, ~ X Benjamin Pierce, was a Revolutionary
soldier, a man of
rigid integrity; was for sev~[
~ eral years in the State Legislature,
a member of the Governor's
council and a General
of the militia.
Franklin was the sixth of eight children.
As a boy he listened eagerly to the arguments
of his father, enforced by strong and
ready utterance and earnest gesture. It
was in the days of intense political excitement,
when, all over the New England
States, Federalists and Democrats were arrayed
so fiercely against each other.
In I820 he entered Bowdoin College, at
Brunswick, Maine, and graduated in 1824,
and commenced the study of law in the
office of Judge Woodbury, a very distinguished
lawyer, and in 1827 was admitted
to the bar. He practiced with great success
in Hillsborough and Concord. He served

in the State Legislature four years, the last
two of which he was chosen Speaker of the
House by a very large vote.
In 1833 he was elected a member of Congress.
In 1837 he was elected to the United
States Senate, just as Mr. Van Buren commenced
his administration.
In 1834 he married Miss Jane Means
Appleton, a lady admirably fitted to adorn
every station with which her husband was
honored. Three sons born to them all
found an early grave.
Upon his accession to office, President
Polk appointed Mr. Pierce Attorney-General
of the United States, but the offer was
declined in consequence of numerous professional
engagements at home and the
precarious state of. Mrs. Pierce's health.
About the same time he also declined the
nomination for Governor by the Democratic
party.
The war with Mexico called Mr. Pierce
into the army. Receiving the appointment
of Brigadier-General, he embarked with a
portion of his troops at Newport, RhodeIsland,
May 27, I847. He served during
this war, and distinguished himself by his
bravery, skill and excellent judgment.
When he reached his home in his native
State he was enthusiastically received by