The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-10-14
OBEGUARY--Deaah of Ex-PreS:-
dent Pierce.

franklin Pierce, which occurred at his resi-
dence III Concord I,Newhampshire, at an ear y
hour yesterday morning, from chronic inha-
nation of the stomach, with which he has
suffered for some time.
MIR. Pierce the fourteenth President of the
United States was born in Ililsborough. n.
H.. N ". %, 1904 His father. Benjamin
Pierce, Il native Of Massachusetts,, WAS one
OF the earliest settlers in the town of Hills
burough and served as a soldier and officer
throughout the revolutionary war. He was
an influential Democratic politician in 1927
aud 1929 w 5 &c ted Governor Of the State
and died in 1889 at the age OF ST.
Franklin Pierce receive his early educa-
tion at the AGA letnies Of uancCck and Fran
ce, town, and III 1920 he entered Bowdoin
,llege, at Brunswi. k Maine. His addition
at this period was of miiisary cast, and lie
was Jealous officer in college company OF
| lGiers. He graduated in 1924, was ad
mitted to tne bar in 1927. and began prac-
tice at HillsborouGh He did not at first
succeed as an advocate and his first case was
| a marked ia r. He remarked 20 friend
who clndOed with him
II will try nine hundred and ninety nine
! cases if clients will continue to trust me, and
! if | fail just as | have to-day will try the
thoUsAndth. | shall live to argue cases in
| this Court House in manner that will NOR
! tify neither myself nor my friends"
He was an ardent advocate of the election
! Of General jackson to the Presidency, and in
! 1929 was himself elected by the town Of
/ HillsbOrough, its representative in the State
| Legislature. He served four years in that
| body, and in the last two was chosen Speak
1 er In 1888 he was elected member of
! Congress. He remained member of the
! IIpn-a nntil 1897 hot, bn alpRfa1 fn
the United States Senate, in which he took
| his seat as the youngest member, having
barely reached the legal age for the position.
In 1842 he resigned his seat and returned to
the practice of his profession at CoucoId, N.
Ii. In 1916 President Polk offered him the
post of United States Attorney General,
which he declined.
In lS47, when the State was called upon
to furnish troops for the Mexican War, he
enrolled himself member Of one Of the first
volunteer companies of Concord, but did not
remain long in the ranks. He was appoint
ed Colonel of the Ninth Regiment and short
Iy after was commissioned Brigadier General
of the Army In the battle of Contreras he
was scve, ely hurt by the falling of his horse.
but continued during the day at the head IF
his brigade. In the battle of Churubu9co,
while leading his men against the enemy, he
fell fainting from the pain OF his injuries, but
refused to quit the field. After the battle
the Mexican commander having opeLeI ne
gotiatlons Of peace, General Scott appointed
General Pierce ole OF the commissioners to
arrange the terms of an armistice. The
truce was Of short duration. and the battle
oc Moino del Ray and Chapultepec follow
ed, and soon afterward the city of Mexico
capitu!ated. Gen. Pierce remained in the
II IL, l. Inn
ed, he returned home, and resigned his COM
mission and again practiced law.
In 1850 he was elected member of The
Convention called by the people Of New
Hampshire to revise their State Constitution
and was chosen President by an almost
unanimous vote. In this position he exert
cd himself to procure the removal from the
Constitution of the tests by which Catholics
are excluded from certain offices. In 1852
at the Baltimore National Democratic Con
ventiou, on the 26th ballot his name was
brought forward by the Virginia delegation
for President of the United States and on the
cath ballot he was nominated by 232 votes
to l for all the other caudidatec. His
principal competitors were james Buchanan,
Lewis Cass. Wm. L. Marcy and Stephen A
Douglass, all Of whom have since died. At
the ensuing Presidential election he received
the votes Of all the States except Massachu-
setts Vermont, kentucky and Tennessee
whose sufrages were given to Gen. Winfield
Sc tt. OF the votes Of the electoral college
Pierce received 25i to Scott AZ.
At an early period of his administration,
President Pierce was called upon to deal
with a serious question respecting the boun- |
Diary liLe between the United States and
Mexico. The dispute was finally settled by
Il, a at2-it =
CIR at Britain on the subject of the fisheries !
was anicably settled by mutual concessions. |
In 1854, a treaty Vas negotiated at Wash |
ingtou between the Uaited States aud Great |
Britain providing for commercial reciprOsity !
between this country and the British Pro- |
vnces. The treaty with Japan was also |
ratified. In the spring of 1854 property be- |
longing to American citizens at Graytown, |
in Nicaragua, having been stolen and repa- |
ration refused the place was bcmbarded and |
most Of it burned. In 1856 occurred the |
filibuster invasion of Nicaragua by General |
William Walker. In 1885 circumstances |
occurred which for a time seriously disturb |!
ed the harmony between the United States /
and Gaeat Britain. Enlistments for the /
British army were made secretly in this /
and the President demanded the re- |
call Of the British Minister, MIR. Campton. |
= his was refused, and Mr.. Pierce dismissed |
not only the minister, but the British con-
suls at New York, Philadelphia, and Cincin- |
natti. The matter was finally settled.
After Mr.. Pierce's Presidential term ex-
pired in 1857, he visited Madeira, travelled |
in Europe, and returned in 1860. |
In 1861 he made speech at a mass meeting /
in Concord, and declared in favor of the |
Union against the Southern Confederacy,
and urged the people to give the administra-
ton cordial support. Since then he has !
led retired lie, most Of his time on his
farm in New hampshire. During the past
few years he has suffered great deal with
the disease which caused his death. He
leaves a wife, but no children; his only son,
a lad of ten years. having been killed in
railroad accident in Massachusetts during
the early part of his Presidential career and
in which he, himself, was badly injured.
The death of Mr. Pierce leaves but two
living ex- Presidents of the United States,
viz Fillmore and johnson. who were made
Presidents by the death of Taylor and Lin
coin, and. as stated above. Mr.. Pierce was
the only living ex-President who was chosen
TO the positian by the votes of his country
men.
The demise of this American statesman