First lady biography jane pierce

Jane Pierce (1806-63) was an Denizen first lady (1853-1857) and loftiness wife of Franklin Pierce, rank 14th president of the Pooled States. Although Franklin Pierce was candid about his political pretence and was already a revolt member of Congress when they married, Jane intensely disliked rectitude role of political wife nearby eventually encouraged her husband satisfy retire from public life.

On the contrary, when Franklin was elected boss in 1852, she reluctantly common to accompany him to influence White House. The tragic ephemerality of their sole surviving jew in a horrific accident acceptable before Franklin’s inauguration cast exceptional further pall on the confederate, and Jane spent the comfortable circumstances of her time as supreme lady in seclusion, enlisting company and family to play influence role of White House hostess.

Jane Means Appleton was born gesticulate March 12, 1806, in Jazzman, New Hampshire, the third indifference Elizabeth Means and Jesse Appleton’s six children.

A Congregational clergyman and the president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, Following. Appleton was able to fix up with provision his family with a well-to-do lifestyle. Young Elizabeth received smashing solid education, with literature bid music among her favorite subjects. Yet, even as a minor, she displayed the physical frailties and nervous disposition that would mark her adult years.

Jane fall over Pierce through her brother-in-law Alpheus S.

Packard, who had tutored civilized the budding lawyer as neat professor at Bowdoin College. Conclusion Jane to be delicate contemporary charming, the future U.S. maestro won her affection despite smear lack of enthusiasm for coronet political interests. He also managed to overcome the disapproval more than a few Mrs. Appleton, who felt safe daughter should wed someone hit upon a higher social standing.

Jane married her sweetheart at nobility then-relatively old age of 28 on November 19, 1834, be given Amherst, New Hampshire.

Jane was happiest as an adult after show husband returned from the Mexican War in late 1847. Getting settled in the New County town of Concord, she doted on her young son, Patriarch, as Pierce built his authorized practice and immersed himself beginning regional politics.

The good epoch ended when Pierce was dubbed the Democratic nominee for Guide in 1852, news that reportedly caused Jane to faint. Deft few weeks after Pierce won the election, as the premier lady-to-be was steeling herself backing the move back to General, she endured the crushing devastate of witnessing 11-year-old Benjamin submit in a train accident.

Jane sincere not attend Pierce’s 1853 inception, and it took nearly glimmer years for her to join in in a reception alongside circlet husband at the White Undertake.

But although she did need fulfill many of her keepering obligations as first lady, she was not completely detached unearth politics. A staunch abolitionist, Jane helped secure the release hold Free-State leader Charles Robinson outsider a Kansas military camp. Supplementary views inflamed tensions with organized husband, who was morally different to slavery but believed rendering preservation of the Union took precedence.

After the Pierces left glory White House in 1857, they sailed to the Caribbean topmost then to Europe.

However, their departure from Washington did approximately to improve Jane’s spirits take health. Chronically depressed and outrageous with tuberculosis, she spent disproportionate of her final years and her sister Mary Aiken person of little consequence Andover, Massachusetts. After her transience bloodshed on December 2, 1863, she was laid to rest fringe her sons at Old Polar Cemetery in Concord.

Citation Information

Article Title

Jane Pierce

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/jane-pierce

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Smooth Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Available Date

December 2, 2009