An original C-SPAN feature series telling the stories of America’s 45 First Ladies through conversations with top experts, video tours of historic sites, and questions from C-SPAN’s audience.

Jane Pierce
First Lady: 1853 - 1857

Biography

Jane Pierce

Franklin Pierce
Quote about Jean Appleton Pierce: "No story in the history of the White House is more melancholy than that of Jane Pierce."

Born - March 12, 1806 in Hampton, New Hampshire

Parents - Jesse Appleton & Elizabeth Means Appleton

Married - November 19, 1834 to Franklin Pierce

Children - Franklin (1836),
Frank Robert (1839 – 1843),
Benjamin (1841 – 1853)

Died - December 2, 1863 in Andover, Massachusetts

Click here to see full bio of Jane Pierce

 
Did You Know IconDid You Know...
  • Early in their marriage, Mrs. Pierce discouraged her husband from politics.
  • Just months before the Inauguration, the Pierce’s suffered the loss of their youngest son in a train accident. Mrs. Pierce did not attend the inauguration and they did not hold an inaugural ball.
  • Mrs. Pierce refused to fulfill her responsibilities at the White House, so her uncle’s wife, Abby Means, served as hostess until 1855.

First Ladies Book

Welcome to the White House