Franklin Pierce ..1804-1869..14th President of the USA...He was perhaps the most handsome of our Presidents and one of the saddest as well

Franklin Pierce








He was very stylish and dapper




















Historians all seem to think he was the best looking of all our Presidents
















Mrs. Pierce Another sad story of depression and despair

















He was perhaps our handsomest President and I would say one of the saddest and most depressed. He seemed to be surrounded with sorrow, and also seemed to find comfort in the bottle. He had a wife who was always depressed, he lost all of his children to illness and accident. He had a bitter and sad Presidency as the country was pulling slowly apart.

His wife never got over their sons death. Their last surviving son was killed right before their eyes in a train wreck. I can understand how amazingly traumatic that can be. His wife would forever after wear mourning clothes and shun the world from her life. She made Mary Lincoln look like a positive person.

After his sad term in the White House he was not even offered a chance at a second term. He left the office saying.."After the White House, what is there to do but drink"... That is what he did.......How very sad.

He returned to New Hampshire and soon after traveled with his friend author Nathaniel Hawthorne...

His wife died in 1863 and he started to drink in heavy amounts



While traveling together Hawthorne died with Pierce. Pierce became more depressed and drank more.

He made public announcements saying that the Civil War is wrong and proclaiming himself in favor of the protection of slavery in the south. All of his friends walked away from him.

When Lincoln was assassinated there was a mob at his home and it got very ugly...There were attempts at violence..but no one was hurt.

He was greatly disliked by most of the people of his town.... He drank more and finally died in 1869.....

He was buried and it was many years before he was honored with statue in his own town....

Yes he was perhaps the most handsome of Presidents...But he was one of the most haunted of Presidents as well.....

I am reminded of a joke that was told about him when he was running for President and discussing his military career. It said...."He was the victor of many a hard fought bottle".....