Frank Pierce's (Apocryphal?) Arrest for DUI
There's a story told about Franklin Pierce and his arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the story, Pierce was coming home from drinking at a friend's house, when he struck an old woman with his carriage. Police stopped and arrested him but when they discovered his identity, they let him go. This story has been repeated in a number of anecdotal books about presidents, including Secret Lives of the U. S. Presidents by Cormac O'Brien, usually without any significant source. Last night I scoured all my biographies about Pierce, but couldn't find anything written about this incident.
The story is almost certainly false, according to historian Peter Wallner, author of Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union According to Wallner,“the fact that there are no newspaper stories about the accident and it wasn’t mentioned in any correspondence convinced me that it probably didn’t happen.”
This isn't to suggest that Pierce didn't like his liquor. He admitted as much himself. In 1856, after he lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for President, a reporter asked him what he would do after leaving office. Pierce is quoted as saying "There's nothing left but to get drunk!"
The story is almost certainly false, according to historian Peter Wallner, author of Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union According to Wallner,“the fact that there are no newspaper stories about the accident and it wasn’t mentioned in any correspondence convinced me that it probably didn’t happen.”
This isn't to suggest that Pierce didn't like his liquor. He admitted as much himself. In 1856, after he lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for President, a reporter asked him what he would do after leaving office. Pierce is quoted as saying "There's nothing left but to get drunk!"