The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-09
-n.a,l, Of Eranklin pieres.


nounced several days previous and his death
was not unexpected. Mr.. Pierce was born in
Hllisboroush, N. H., November %, 1904, and
after completing his academical studies, en-.
tered Bowdoin College, Maine. On leaving
college he commenced his legal studies al
Northampton, Mass, but subsequently re-
| turned to his native State, and hnisheo MS
studies at Amherst. He was admitted 10 the
| bar and commenced the practice of his pro-
| f,ssion in his native town; but before the end
| oftwo wears he was elected a Representative
| in the State Legislasure, and during his second
| wears service was chosen Speaker of the
| House In 1888 he was elected to Congress.
and remained member of the House of Rep
resentatves four years. In 1887 he was elected
member of the United States Senate, but,
after five years service in that body, resigned
his seat. He settled in Concord and resumed
his practice at the bar. He adhered to his res
olution of accepting no political Office declined
to be candidate for Governor of the State, or
United States Senator, and refused the offices
of Attorney General and Secretary of War,
| which were rendered him by President Polk
| On the breaking cut of the Mexican war, how
I ever he enrolled himself as private soldier in
the New England Regiment, but President
Polk sent him a ColonePs commission, and
subsequently raised him TO the rank of Briga-
der General, in March, 1847 He was in most
of the battles which were fought between Vera
Cruz and the City of Mexico. On the restora-
ton Of peace between the two countries, he
resigned his commission and returned home,
where he remained comparatively unobserved
mill tha action Of ho
Convention gave him new Importance
throughout the Union. He was nominated by
that body as the Democratic candidate for th-
Presidency He was elected n-~Srueht Oh the
United States - srosember, 1852, and was in
-u1urated March 4, 1858, and served to the end
oihis term, after which he retired to private
life.
His nomination took the country by surprise,
but looking only to the immediate result of the
| election, it proved singularly fortunate, the
ticket literally sweeping the country, and Sc
curing every electoral vote except those of
Massachusetts,, Vermont, Kentucky and Ten
nessee; but considered with reference to the
effect of his administration upon the subse-
quent fortunes of his party, few if any will de-
ny that it was exceedingly unfortunate and dis
astrous.
Borne into Office upon great tidal wave of
| popular sympathy, he found himself the head
OF political party, united compact, well dis
clplined and flushed with victory, and made
up of a magnificent minority of his fellow
l countrym9p.--His opportunities were great.
but he lacked the courage and decision to be-
| come leader, and willingly or otherwise was
used in the advancement of measures abhor-
rent to the prevailing sentiment of The country.
Political events happening in the early part of
his administration precipitatcd crisis, which
had it been met in the interests of freedom
would have enabled him to have led the Demo-
cratic party to greater triumphs and secured
for it an rnperishable renown. But he dared
not take occasion by the hand, and yielding to
| the persuasive eloquence of Southern men
devoted to the interests of the slave holding
olgarchy, he committed the party to course
which alenated forever the ablest and truest
of his Northern friends and supporters, and
finally wrought its discontinue and ruin.
His Cabinet was composed Of William L.
Marcy, Secretary OF State; James Guthrie,
Secretary of the Treasury; Jefferson Davis,
Secretary of War; James G. Dobbin, Secreta-
ry of the Navy; Robert McClelland Secretary
of the Interior; James Campbell, Postmaster
General; and Caleb Gushing, Attorney Gen
eral. -.a
The prominent occurrences and measures of
and during his administration were the settle
ment OF the Mexican boundary dispute, by
which this country became possessed of Arizo-
ma; the settlement of the fishery dispute with
Great Britain; the Msrtin Kosta affair; the
organization of the territories of Kansas and
Nebraska, (the legislation for which included
the disastrous repeal of the Missouri Compro-
mise); the negotiation Of the Reciprocity treaty
with Great Britain, and of treaty with Japan;
the bombardment of Greytown; the fillibus-
terlng invasion of Nicaragua by Walker; a
temporary disturbance of harmonious relations
between this country aud Great Britain, grow
ing out of the enlistment here of recruits for
the British army in the Crimea, lin the course
of which the recall of the British minister was
demanded and refused, after which he was dis
missed, together with the Consuls at New
York, Philadelphia and Cncnnati); the civil
discord in Kansas; the vetoing of the bill max
ing appropriations for the repair and compile
ton of certain public works, as also bill ap-
propriating ten million acres of the public
lands to the States for the relief of the INDECENT
insane, and the French spolation bill, SO
called.
AS neighbor, citizen and friend he was
justly held in high esteem, and his private life
was without stain. i3ti aq ... l,. fi
President Grant, now the only person alive
who has been elected to the Presidency by the
people, has ordered that the customary honors
be paid to his memory, and ON Monday next at
high noon, he will be followed to the grave by
his friends and neighbors whom he loved so
well, and buried not far from the scenes of his
early struggles and later triumphs, and near
the place where he has spent the greater part
OF his active aud eventful life.