Presidential Transition: The Election of 1852 and the Tragic Death of Benjamin Pierce
Probably no period of presidential transition was ever as sad or tragic as the one that occurred following the election of 1852. On January 6, 1853, just over two months after the election, the family of President-elect Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire were traveling from Boston by train. Tragedy struck when the rail car they were riding in derailed and rolled down an embankment near Andover, Massachusetts. Pierce and his wife Jane survived, but in the wreckage found their only remaining son, 11-year-old Benjamin, who had been crushed to death in the accident.
Benjamin Pierce, called Benny by his parents, was the third child of the Pierces that had died in childhood. Their first son, named Franklin Pierce Jr., was born on February 2, 1836, and died three days later. A second son, named Frank Robert, was born on August 27, 1839, but died on November 14, 1843 at the age of four during an epidemic of typhoid fever, succumbing to the disease. The death of her first two children caused Jane Pierce to become very devoted to Benny, who was born on April 13, 1841. Franklin Pierce was a United States Senator in 1837, but Jane Pierce hated politics and being a politician's wife. She encouraged her husband to resign his Senate seat and return to New Hampshire, which he did in 1842. She saw politics and her husband's political ambition as the cause of all the troubles in her life including the death of her child and her husband's drinking problem.
As the 1852 presidential election approached, the Democrats were a sectionally divided party because of the slavery issue. Some members of the party, known as "Barnburners", had left the party in the previous election, led by former President Martin Van Buren to form the Free Soil Party. But in 1852 many of them had returned to the fold. This was both good and bad for the Democratic Party. The good news was that the party had a wider base of support and its vote would not be diluted during the election. But it also made for a more divided convention. At the 1852 Democratic National Convention, New Hampshire Democrats, including Pierce, supported his former teacher, Levi Woodbury, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, as a compromise candidate, but when Woodbury's died in September 1851, the state delegates decided to present Pierce as a potential dark horse candidate, much like James K. Polk had been eight years earlier. Others that the party was considering as candidates included Stephen Douglas, Lewis Cass, William Marcy, James Buchanan, Sam Houston and Thomas Hart Benton.
Publicly, Pierce wrote that his nomination would be "utterly repugnant to my tastes and wishes" and let his name stand out of a purported desire to respect the wishes of his state's delegates. At the same time, he wrote letters confirmng his support for the Compromise of 1850, including the controversial Fugitive Slave Act, in order to broaden his appeal to include southern delegates. The convention assembled on June 1 in Baltimore, Maryland, and as expected it became deadlocked. On the first ballot, Cass received 116 votes, Buchanan 93, and the rest were spread out among a number of others, without a single vote for Pierce. 34 more ballots passed with no one close to victory, and still no votes for Pierce. Buchanan's supporters decided to have their delegates vote for minor candidates, including Pierce, to demonstrate that no one but Buchanan could win. It was hoped that once delegates realized this, the convention would unite behind Buchanan. This tactic backfired when Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine switched their votes to Pierce. By the 48th ballot, a wave of support for Pierce began and on the 49th ballot, Pierce received all but six of the votes, winning the nomination. Delegates chose Alabama Senator William R. King, a Buchanan supporter, as Pierce's running mate.
When word reached the Pierces in New Hampshire, Jane Pierce fainted. Their son Benjamin expressed the hope that his father's candidacy would not be successful, because he knew she would not like to live in Washington.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Millard Fillmore contemplated a run for a full term as president. The job was also coveted by Fillmore's Secretary of State Daniel Webster, who was now over seventy. Fillmore issued a letter in late 1851 stating that he did not seek a full term, was reluctant to entirely rule it out. The Whigs held their nominating convention in Baltimore, in June 1852, with the major candidates being Fillmore, Webster and General Winfield Scott. Fillmore was unpopular with northern Whigs for signing and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, but had considerable support from the South, where he was seen as the only candidate capable of uniting the party. The convention passed a party platform endorsing the Compromise as a final settlement of the slavery question. The convention deadlocked, and after a total of 46 ballots, the convention adjourned until the following Monday. On the 48th ballot, Webster delegates began to defect to Scott, and the general gained the nomination on the 53rd ballot.
Scott had been Pierce's commanding officer during the Mexican War. The Whigs also had difficulty uniting as a party and at the Whig convention, the party adopted a platform very similar to that of the Democrats. The campaign devolved into a bitter personality contest that pushed voter turnout to its lowest level since 1836. Pierce's opponents portrayed him as a coward and alcoholic, calling him "the hero of many a well-fought bottle".
In the end however, Pierce proved to have wider voter appeal, even with the goofy campaign slogan "We Polked you in '44 and we shall Pierce you in '52!" On election day Scott won only four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Vermont, finishing with 42 electoral votes compared to 254 for Pierce. Approximately 3.2 million votes were cast. Pierce won the popular vote by the margin of 50.9 to 44.1 percent. The Democrats took large majorities in Congress.
On January 6, 1853, the victorious President-elect was traveling with his family from Boston by train when their car derailed and rolled down an embankment near Andover, Massachusetts. Pierce and Jane escaped with minor injuries, but in the wreckage they experienced the horror of finding their only remaining child, 11-year-old Benjamin, crushed to death. His body was nearly decapitated. Pierce tried to hide the gruesome sight from Jane, but was unable to. Thus began a depression that Jane would endure for the rest of her life.
The tragedy likely affected Pierce's performance as president. Jane blamed the accident on divine punishment for her husband's pursuit and acceptance of high office. She wrote a lengthy letter of apology to her deceased son Benny for her failings as a mother. For nearly two years, she remained in the upstairs living quarters of the White House, spending her days writing maudlin letters to Benny. She avoided social functions her first two years as First Lady, and did not appear publicly until the public reception held at the White House on New Year's Day, 1855. She remained in New Hampshire when Pierce departed for his inauguration, which she did not attend. Many of the formal duties of the First Lady were performed by Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis who was Pierce's Secretary of War.
Pierce chose to affirm his oath of office on a law book rather than swear it on a Bible. He gave his inaugural address from memory rather than from a prepared text. He referenced his own personal tragedy, telling his audience, "You have summoned me in my weakness, you must sustain me by your strength."
For outgoing President Millard Fillmore, the final months of his term were uneventful. His Secretary of State Daniel Webster died in October 1852, and Edward Everett completed the term. Fillmore planned to lecture Congress on the slavery question in his final annual message in December, but he was talked out of it by his cabinet. His final message was a simple one, discussing the nation's prosperity and expressing gratitude for his opportunity to serve as President. Fillmore left office on March 4, 1853, immediately after Pierce's inauguration.
Benjamin Pierce, called Benny by his parents, was the third child of the Pierces that had died in childhood. Their first son, named Franklin Pierce Jr., was born on February 2, 1836, and died three days later. A second son, named Frank Robert, was born on August 27, 1839, but died on November 14, 1843 at the age of four during an epidemic of typhoid fever, succumbing to the disease. The death of her first two children caused Jane Pierce to become very devoted to Benny, who was born on April 13, 1841. Franklin Pierce was a United States Senator in 1837, but Jane Pierce hated politics and being a politician's wife. She encouraged her husband to resign his Senate seat and return to New Hampshire, which he did in 1842. She saw politics and her husband's political ambition as the cause of all the troubles in her life including the death of her child and her husband's drinking problem.
As the 1852 presidential election approached, the Democrats were a sectionally divided party because of the slavery issue. Some members of the party, known as "Barnburners", had left the party in the previous election, led by former President Martin Van Buren to form the Free Soil Party. But in 1852 many of them had returned to the fold. This was both good and bad for the Democratic Party. The good news was that the party had a wider base of support and its vote would not be diluted during the election. But it also made for a more divided convention. At the 1852 Democratic National Convention, New Hampshire Democrats, including Pierce, supported his former teacher, Levi Woodbury, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, as a compromise candidate, but when Woodbury's died in September 1851, the state delegates decided to present Pierce as a potential dark horse candidate, much like James K. Polk had been eight years earlier. Others that the party was considering as candidates included Stephen Douglas, Lewis Cass, William Marcy, James Buchanan, Sam Houston and Thomas Hart Benton.
Publicly, Pierce wrote that his nomination would be "utterly repugnant to my tastes and wishes" and let his name stand out of a purported desire to respect the wishes of his state's delegates. At the same time, he wrote letters confirmng his support for the Compromise of 1850, including the controversial Fugitive Slave Act, in order to broaden his appeal to include southern delegates. The convention assembled on June 1 in Baltimore, Maryland, and as expected it became deadlocked. On the first ballot, Cass received 116 votes, Buchanan 93, and the rest were spread out among a number of others, without a single vote for Pierce. 34 more ballots passed with no one close to victory, and still no votes for Pierce. Buchanan's supporters decided to have their delegates vote for minor candidates, including Pierce, to demonstrate that no one but Buchanan could win. It was hoped that once delegates realized this, the convention would unite behind Buchanan. This tactic backfired when Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine switched their votes to Pierce. By the 48th ballot, a wave of support for Pierce began and on the 49th ballot, Pierce received all but six of the votes, winning the nomination. Delegates chose Alabama Senator William R. King, a Buchanan supporter, as Pierce's running mate.
When word reached the Pierces in New Hampshire, Jane Pierce fainted. Their son Benjamin expressed the hope that his father's candidacy would not be successful, because he knew she would not like to live in Washington.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Millard Fillmore contemplated a run for a full term as president. The job was also coveted by Fillmore's Secretary of State Daniel Webster, who was now over seventy. Fillmore issued a letter in late 1851 stating that he did not seek a full term, was reluctant to entirely rule it out. The Whigs held their nominating convention in Baltimore, in June 1852, with the major candidates being Fillmore, Webster and General Winfield Scott. Fillmore was unpopular with northern Whigs for signing and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, but had considerable support from the South, where he was seen as the only candidate capable of uniting the party. The convention passed a party platform endorsing the Compromise as a final settlement of the slavery question. The convention deadlocked, and after a total of 46 ballots, the convention adjourned until the following Monday. On the 48th ballot, Webster delegates began to defect to Scott, and the general gained the nomination on the 53rd ballot.
Scott had been Pierce's commanding officer during the Mexican War. The Whigs also had difficulty uniting as a party and at the Whig convention, the party adopted a platform very similar to that of the Democrats. The campaign devolved into a bitter personality contest that pushed voter turnout to its lowest level since 1836. Pierce's opponents portrayed him as a coward and alcoholic, calling him "the hero of many a well-fought bottle".
In the end however, Pierce proved to have wider voter appeal, even with the goofy campaign slogan "We Polked you in '44 and we shall Pierce you in '52!" On election day Scott won only four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Vermont, finishing with 42 electoral votes compared to 254 for Pierce. Approximately 3.2 million votes were cast. Pierce won the popular vote by the margin of 50.9 to 44.1 percent. The Democrats took large majorities in Congress.
On January 6, 1853, the victorious President-elect was traveling with his family from Boston by train when their car derailed and rolled down an embankment near Andover, Massachusetts. Pierce and Jane escaped with minor injuries, but in the wreckage they experienced the horror of finding their only remaining child, 11-year-old Benjamin, crushed to death. His body was nearly decapitated. Pierce tried to hide the gruesome sight from Jane, but was unable to. Thus began a depression that Jane would endure for the rest of her life.
The tragedy likely affected Pierce's performance as president. Jane blamed the accident on divine punishment for her husband's pursuit and acceptance of high office. She wrote a lengthy letter of apology to her deceased son Benny for her failings as a mother. For nearly two years, she remained in the upstairs living quarters of the White House, spending her days writing maudlin letters to Benny. She avoided social functions her first two years as First Lady, and did not appear publicly until the public reception held at the White House on New Year's Day, 1855. She remained in New Hampshire when Pierce departed for his inauguration, which she did not attend. Many of the formal duties of the First Lady were performed by Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis who was Pierce's Secretary of War.
Pierce chose to affirm his oath of office on a law book rather than swear it on a Bible. He gave his inaugural address from memory rather than from a prepared text. He referenced his own personal tragedy, telling his audience, "You have summoned me in my weakness, you must sustain me by your strength."
For outgoing President Millard Fillmore, the final months of his term were uneventful. His Secretary of State Daniel Webster died in October 1852, and Edward Everett completed the term. Fillmore planned to lecture Congress on the slavery question in his final annual message in December, but he was talked out of it by his cabinet. His final message was a simple one, discussing the nation's prosperity and expressing gratitude for his opportunity to serve as President. Fillmore left office on March 4, 1853, immediately after Pierce's inauguration.