Jane Pierce life and biography

Jane Means Appleton Pierce, also known as Mrs. Franklin Pierce, born March 12, 1806 in Hampton, New Hampshire, United States - died December 2, 1863 in Andover, Massachusetts, United States was the First Lady of the United States and wife of the President Franklin Pierce.

Without question, Jane Means Appleton Pierce was the unhappiest woman ever to be called First Lady. A devoutly religious woman, she had never wanted her husband, New Hampshire - born Franklin Pierce, to pursue a political career, and felt that the loss of all three of her children was a kind of divine retribution for her husband winning the Presidency.

The Long Engagement

Jane Appleton's parents had a profound influence on their daughter's education, offering the sensitive young girl opportunities not generally available to females during the early nineteenth century. Her father, Reverend Jesse Appleton, a Congregational minister and the president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine from 1807 until his death in 1819, made certain Jane received a rigorous and well-rounded education, which included thorough study of religion. With the reverend's death, Mrs. Appleton moved the remaining family to Amherst, New Hampshire, following up with Jane's strict religious upbringing, which she would rely on during some of the most trying moments of her life.

While in New Hampshire, Jane was caught in a sudden and violent thunderstorm. She sought shelter under a tree, when a Bowdoin graduate named Franklin Pierce noticed her and ran over to explain that by standing under the tree she was only increasing her risk of being struck by lightning. The two rushed to safety. It was 1826, and they soon became friends, she finding him kind and handsome (many were to remark that he was the handsomest man to be called President of the United States), he proclaiming his constancy to her. But they wouldn't marry until November 10, 1834, when Jane was 28, which was considered rather late for a woman to marry. There had been stumbling blocks. For one, she was shy and reserved, and disdained the boastful, gregarious, publicity-seeking life of politicians. She was also an adherent of the temperance movement, which urged abstention from hard liquor for moral and health reasons. Pierce, however, enjoyed drinking (and would soon develop a drinking problem as a Congressman, which would contribute to cirrhosis of the liver, the cause of his death). Another problem that delayed the marriage was that Jane's family disapproved of the match, citing differences between the two families relating to political parties and social backgrounds (the Appletons were a wealthier and more prestigious family than the Pierces).

But the most serious subject that caused a delay in the wedding plans politics would become a source of irritation throughout the Pierces' marriage. By the time they did marry, Franklin Pierce had become a member of the United States House of Representatives, and the couple moved to Washington D.C. Mrs. Pierce, who already was suffering from ill health, was never at ease in Washington, physically or socially. Before a year was out, she'd already began making return trips to New Hampshire, without the company of her husband. In 1836, the couple's first son, Franklin, was born. He died three days later.

Brief Years of Happiness

Early in marriage, Jane tried to dissuade her husband from following a political career but it was to no avail. In 1837 Pierce became a United States senator. Increasingly uncomfortable in Washington and the social circle which she believed encouraged her husband's drinking, Jane repeated her urges for her husband to leave politics and retire to their home in New Hampshire. In 1842 he acceded and resigned, becoming a sought-after lawyer with gifted oratorical skills. But a year later, their happiness was shattered by the death of their second child, Frank Robert, in early childhood. He died of typhus.

The Mexican War of 1846 offered Pierce a chance to get back into his passion for politics, albeit through a violent route. He called on the political alliances he'd established and received a commission as brigadier general, though inexperienced, commanding 2,000 troops. After sustaining a serious injury he returned home a war hero, which boosted his standing in the Democratic Party. For a while, he resumed his quiet family life in Concord, New Hampshire, which White House historians (as quoted on the White House official web site) call the "happiest period of their lives. With attentive pleasure, Jane watched her son Benjamin growing up." But politics was to disrupt their lives once again.

In order to win the 1852 election, the Democratic Party decided it needed a proslavery Northerner. The party's candidate of choice was Franklin Pierce. But Pierce had promised his wife that, if nominated, he wouldn't run. When informed of his acceptance, Jane fainted. Pierce took her to the seaside resort of Newport, Rhode Island, for a rest. Her empathetic young son wrote her, "I hope he won't be elected for I should not like to be at Washington and I know you would not either." But the President-elect was of the firm belief that his serving the nation's highest office could bring opportunities to their only son. Jane could only acquiesce.

Divine Retribution

Shortly before the president's inauguration in 1853, the family was traveling by train that January. Their car suffered a derailment and 11-year-old Benny was killed in the wreck. Jane, a witness to his death, was traumatized beyond recovery. While the nation mourned along with what remained of the Presidential family, the March 4 inauguration was concluded without the traditional ball and reception. Deeply depressed, Jane Pierce was not present at the inauguration of her husband and even after the official mourning period remained unable to handle the social responsibilities of First Lady. Her girlhood friend and now aunt, Abigail (Abby) Kent Means, stepped in as hostess, as did Varina Davis, wife of Pierce's secretary of war, Jefferson Davis.

Jane Pierce, thanks in part to the strength and solace she gained from her religion, was able to resume some of her duties after the first half of the President's term. She wore mourning black throughout her White House years, and escaped to New England as often as possible, which may have led to her husband's increased drinking. Presidential historians have declared her the "unhappiest First Lady ever." Visitors to state dinners and receptions made note of the "sad ghost" of her presence. One contemporary official recorded that the White House was "cold and cheerless" during the Pierce occupancy.

The public expressed sympathy for the First Lady, and Mrs. Robert E. Lee was able to characterize her in a private letter (quoted on the White House official web site) when she wrote, "I have known many of the ladies of the White House, none more truly excellent than the afflicted wife of President Pierce. Her health was a bar to any great effort on her part to meet the expectations of the public in her high position but she was a refined, extremely religious, and well-educated lady."

She spent her last years as First Lady writing letters to her son, apologizing for not being a better mother. Deep inside she believed his death was the result of her husband's political interests. Upon the completion of Pierce's presidency, Jane was infected with tuberculosis. Her husband took her to the Caribbean and Southern Europe in the hope that the climate might improve her health and her mood. It was to no avail. Though she gamely followed him around, carrying Benny's Bible and a lock of hair from each of her children, she returned to Massachusetts just before the outbreak of the Civil War with no improvement. She died on December 2, 1863.

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