Franklin Pierce

1804 – 1869

Franklin Pierce was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A Northern Democrat who regarded the abolitionist movement as a threat to national unity, he signed the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act repealing the Missouri Compromise's restrictions on the spread of slavery, igniting the violent "Bleeding Kansas" period and shattering the Whig Party. His enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act drew further outrage from Northern voters, and his own Democratic Party refused to renominate him for a second term.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM