Judging the Franklin Pierce presidency, one of the worst

Freshman year of college we had to write a paper on an American historical topic within a particular time frame. This paper had to be between 1840-1865. I knew everyone would write about the Civil War so I challenged myself to do it on Franklin Pierce so that it would stick out more. Never learned about Pierce but learning about him showed me the impossible political circumstances leading up to the war, as well as giving me a sense that he was constantly someone plagued by depression and at the behest of others. Certainly was not the best president, but learning about the man was truly heart breaking. I got a the best grade in the class and the professor was very impressed. It was almost the first time I ever pulled an all nighter at the school library. I really am glad I took the time to learn about Pierce.

Franklin Pierce sounds like the name a Hollywood writer would come up with for a fictional President.

I love Mo Rocca's presidential stories.

Pierce's Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, did much to modernize the U.S. Army that ironically would later be used against him. Davis was also responsible for dispatching the survey teams that laid out the routes of what would become the transcontinential railroads.

I often wonder if his personal struggles (strained marriage, depression, alcoholism, and death of his son) clouded his judgement during his presidency.

Pierce…a sad, amiable, well-meaning man who lacked the discernment and strategic depth to lead his country in one of its most troubled times.

Learning of Willie Lincoln's death, Pierce wrote a very nice sympathetic letter to Abraham Lincoln, mentioning the loss of Pierce's son Benjamin to Lincoln. Lincoln never replied back to Pierce.

This is an interesting historical piece and what I never learned in school. Thanks @CBS Sunday Morning and @Mo Rocca. This is why I never miss an episode.

Steady flow of guano. So why does he have such a crappy reputation? I just about lost it there.😂😂😂😜😜😜 Well done sir.

From Roy Franklin Nichols' biography of Franklin Pierce, we have this tidbit: Jeanie Pierce was not enthusiastic about her husband Franklin's political aspirations and stayed in their home in New Hampshire while Franklin roomed alone in a boarding house in Washington while serving in the Senate. That changed when their youngest son Benjamin was born in 1841 after losing two others in infancy, and Franklin resigned his Senate seat in order to devote his time with his family. He renounced all political ambitions, even declining a cabinet position in the Polk administration. This changed when the Democratic party in NH named him as a favorite son candidate, but no one seriously thought he stood a chance of receiving the nomination. But when ballot after ballot yielded no viable candidate, the party decided to look around for a dark horse. Franklin was chosen, and he received the nomination on the 49th ballot. Jeanie Pierce was not happy. Franklin argued that he did not want the nomination but decided to yield for the nation's sake as well as for their son Benjamin. Jeanie Pierce acquiesced, and her husband was elected in November 1852 on a landslide. However, it turned out that Franklin did actively seek the nomination and lied to Jeanie about his "passive" activities. This, coupled with the accidental death of their son Benjamin on January 6, 1853, broke Jeanie, losing faith in her husband's integrity and mourning the loss of their son. The relationship between the President-elect and his wife had deteriorated after that. By the time Franklin Pierce was sworn in as President on March 4, 1853, the youngest man to be elected to that position at that time, he was already exhausted and depressed over his personal life.

Pierce might have been different if his son hadn't died on the way to Washington. I feel for him.

I wish they had interviewed Pierce’s biographer Peter Wallner. His two-volume biography on Pierce was the first published in decades and was written to re-evaluate Pierce’s legacy. That was no easy task since Pierce either didn't keep or destroyed personal records, like diaries and letters. I don’t know why the biography is out of print, but if you're interested and can track down copies, it might be worth reading.

Idk man, almost every woman I know says JFK was the most handsome..... Also am I the only one who thinks Pierce looks like Mitt Romney with a colonial haircut ? 😆😆😆

I'm surprised they didn't mention his being known as a "dough face," a term meant to refer to a northern man with southern principles.

In the capital of KS we have all the presidents as street names EXCEPT Pierce. KS is no fan of him either.

Jane Pierce: goes into mourning for 2 years Queen Victoria: Hold my beer

I am so sad he lost his children.

How many Americans even know who Franklin Pierce was? He's right up there with Zachary Taylor in historical obscurity.

Franklin Pierce wasn't a bad person, he just allowed people to walk all over him.

I didn't know that Pierce's efforts led to the Civil War. I appreciate what he did to make stamps easier to use.