Imperfect Spouse: Jane Pierce

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone, welcome back. 

Last week I covered the life and times of fourteenth president Franklin Pierce. And as you know from listening to pod, I like to also highlight the lives of the women behind the man. A few first ladies prove more difficult than others, but I think I found enough about Jane Means Appleton Pierce to dedicate an episode to her. 

Born in New Hampshire like her husband, Jane Means Appleton was a woman who was not overly interested in being a political wife. This has led to some pretty stiff criticisms of her and her time as first lady. But why? 

This week, I diving into the life of Jane Means Appleton Pierce. Who was she? Why did she dislike politics so much? And why does she get such a harsh grade from historians?

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Born on March 12, 1806, Jane was one of six children and the third daughter born to her father Jesse Appleton, a Congregational minister, and mother Elizabeth Means Appleton. Despite being born in New Hampshire, Jane grew up in Maine as her father accepted a position as president of Bowdoin College just a year after her birth in 1807. 

Her father passed away when Jane was just 13 and her mother moved the family to Amherst New Hampshire. Pierce was always a sickly child and some believe she may have contracted tuberculosis from her father in her youth. Whatever the source, Jane was often fatigued and spent her childhood devoted to books, studying the literature of the day. She was also deeply committed to her faith and would rely on her beliefs throughout her life as she dealt with the loss of her three children. 

A quiet, reserved woman, Jane Appleton seems an odd companion for the gregarious and charming Franklin Pierce. When the two met in 1826, Franklin was studying the law and preparing to join the bar. The two seemed to be a mismatch to outsiders and Jane’s family was not in support of the courtship. Pierce had already built a reputation regarding his drinking and, was seen as socially inferior. Lastly, and perhaps most important, the Appleton’s were devoted Whig supporters and deeply opposed to slavery. As a party, the Whigs were against everything Andrew Jackson represented. A Franklin was loyal to the president and the Democratic party, this likely only served to further the tensions between he and Jane’s family. 

Perhaps these differences is what caused the delay in their courtship as, despite meeting in 1826, the two were not wed for another 8 years. Their ceremony on November 19th, 1834 in Amherst was small as Franklin was likely preparing for his return to the district. At 28, Jane was a mature bride. Considering she met Franklin at a much more respectable and expected age of 20, it remains a bit of a mystery as to what caused the delay in their union. Jane, a woman deeply dedicated to the temperance movement with a strong distaste for politics, was not overly excited to live in DC. She later wrote a letter about her experiences to her father in law, saying partially quote: “I find Washington very much as I expected both in appearance and climate - as to the former, my expectations were not very highly raised, and the latter has realized the favorable impression I had of it,” end quote. 

Many historians who studied the Pierce family make note of how odd the pairing of the couple was. Some have been harsher than others with one asserting that Jane quote: “made little effort to lighten his burdens or his spirits,” end quote. While it is no secret Jane disagreed with political life in Washington, the courtship between the two was not rushed nor forced. Just as Jane was very aware that her future husband was building a political career for himself, he too had to know her opinions about politics. The two were definitely opposites in a lot of ways, but their extended courtship I think only demonstrates that despite their differences, there was a mutual affection and deep commitment to each other. Painting Jane Pierce as some irrational, narcissistic prima donna I think ignores the nuance of any adult relationship. 

At the end of the legislative session, the newly married couple purchased a home in Hillsborough, New Hampshire where Franklin hired a couple to take on the maintenance and care of the home as Jane’s health limited her ability to oversee the chores required to run the estate. As he traveled back to the district to attend to legislative affairs, Jane went to spend time with her mother leaving their New Hampshire estate empty. Jane gave birth to their first son, Franklin Junior, on February 1st, 1836. Tragically, the young boy died just three days later. 

Despite the loss, Franklin continued with politics, being elected Senator in 1837. Jane decided against moving with her husband to DC, and instead stayed in New England to spend time with family. She apparently missed her husband though as she returned to DC by the end of the year. DC society seemed unimpressed with the quiet, austere woman, referring to her quote “wanting in cheerfulness,” end quote. For her part, Jane wished nothing more than for her husband to give up the political hustle and bustle and earn a living another way, writing quote: “Oh how I wish he was out of political life! How much better it would be for him on every account!” end quote. 

To Jane, politics and politicians were dangerous. She blamed Franklin’s chosen career path for his issues with drinking and was worried about what would become of her husband. The couple had two more children, Frank Robert in 1839 and Benjamin, who they called Bennie, in 1841. Jane apparently used the children as a reason to move out of the district, prompting Franklin to resign his Senate seat on February 16th, 1842 just before his term was set to expire. 

The Pierce’s experienced yet another loss when their son, Frank Robert, died of typhus in 1843. The parents were devastated and Jane took the loss especially hard, leading to further complications with her health. She also responded by doting on her last remaining son, likely hoping her watchful eye would protect him from any harm and instilling in him the same commitment to faith she had. When Pierce secured a commission to serve in the Mexican American Army, he hired people to help maintain the home, worried that his wife would be unable to care for both their son and the home. 

Once Franklin returned from his service in the war, Jane got to live a life of true happiness, if only for a short while. Her husband, safe from the dangers of war, was home. Even more important to Jane, he was not working in politics. Or so she thought. Despite his lack of office, Pierce still had his hand on the political pulse of the state and was seen as a party leader for his state. As the 1852 election grew closer, Pierce was seen as a good compromise candidate for president. For whatever reason, Franklin apparently neglected to inform his wife that his name was under consideration for the presidency. He might have wanted to save his wife from the anguish until he knew if he was going to be nominated. Or he may have wanted to avoid an altercation knowing how Jane felt about the field of politics. Regardless of his reasoning, Franklin failed to warn his wife and upon hearing about his nomination, Jane apparently fainted. Once she regained consciousness, her husband apparently tried to calm his wife’s nerves by stating the presidency would be good for the son, Bennie. 

And as you know if you listened to the last episode, Pierce won the presidency handedly. The family spent the holidays visiting friends and family in New England and boarded a train headed back to Boston on January 6th, 1853 when the unimaginable happened. The family’s train derailed and the couple could do nothing as they watched their last remaining child, Bennie, die right before their eyes. I can only imagine the horror at witnessing your child’s death in such a horrific manner. The death of a child is a terrible experience for any parent, however there is something truly traumatizing to losing your last remaining son to a terrible accident. 

Much like the deaths of Frank Robert and Franklin Junior, losing Bennie took a hefty toll on the couple, who interpreted the tragic accident as a sign from God. Jane withdrew into herself and did not attend her husband’s inauguration. Instead, she returned to Baltimore where she again relied on her faith to try to find inner peace about out living all three of her children. She later wrote to her husband that quote, “God decided to take our precious little boy, so that you will have no distractions as you set out to effect reconciliation between sections of our nation,” end quote. The loss of their only remaining son put significant strain on their relationship and Jane never quite forgave her husband for Bennie’s death, believing it was his desire to become president that prompted her son’s death. 

Jane eventually returned to Washington, but did not embrace the role of first lady.But unlike her predecessor Mrs. Fillmore, Pierce’s hesitation to engage in the social activities had nothing to do with her concern about how society would perceive, but entirely about her tremendous sense of loss and surely her anger at sacrifices she and her family had to make in the name of politics. She knew her husband struggled with drinking while in Washington and now her husband’s political ambitions had cost her her son. It is no wonder then that she opted to remain aloof and away from welcoming guests to the executive mansion. 

Pierce spent her time writing letters to her now deceased son Bennie and studying her bible. She remained removed and rarely left the white house, generally only doing so to attend church. Despite knowing that the Pierce family suffered such an overwhelming loss, the lack of events held at the executive mansion left a sour taste in their mouths. Some contemporaries referred to her as cheerless, but at least one woman understood her pain. Varina Davis, wife of cabinet member Jefferson Davis wrote of Jane quote: “with her sorrow pressed close to her stricken heart she bore her position with patience and gentle dignity,” end quote. 

It took longer than DC wanted, but Mrs. Pierce began scheduling White House events about two years into her tenure when her longtime friend, and Aunt by marriage Abigail Kent Means, came to stay and provide comfort. They were not extravagant and Pierce did the bare minimum, but the couple held official dinners beginning in 1856. I was unable to locate any scholarship or source material that could shed light on the conversation between the couple when Franklin decided to seek out the renomination of his party. Perhaps he took the same route as he did when he was nominated four years earlier and failed to disclose the effort. Given all that his wife had already gone through, I question why Pierce decided to move forward. Alas, I have not yet found an answer. 

Regardless of the conversation or what Pierce may have wanted, he failed to secure his party’s nomination and the couple departed the mansion as his successor, James Buchanan, got to work. The couple traveled overseas where Jane continued to write notes to her son and carried locks of his, and other deceased relatives, hair with her. Apparently the idea was to locate a suitable place to build a home, but the couple were unsuccessful, leading to their return to Concord in 1859. Pierce purchased 60 acres on the edge of town and began planning a house, but Jane ended up spending her last remaining years with the couple they’d hired earlier to care for their home. For Jane, Concord reminded her of her lost son and his memory was simply too much for her to bear.  

And despite Jane’s continued mental anguish, Franklin remained a committed and devoted spouse. It seems obvious that Jane likely suffered from anxiety, if not outright anxiety for a majority of her life. Living in constant pain, it is no wonder she was frequently in a foul mood. However, this was not a period of time when women could have bad days without the risk of being labeled as insane. The middle of the nineteenth century saw the rise of psychiatry and institutionalization in the United States. And a woman could, and often was, labeled as insane for a variety of mundane reasons including a missed menstrual cycle and, you guessed it, grieving too long. So while there are plenty of complaints and rightfully placed criticisms one could through at the 14th president, he was, if nothing else, a caring and devoted husband. 

Jane’s health continued to deteriorate in her advanced age and she was quite frail when she passed away on December 12, 1863. Her official cause of death was listed as consumption, or tuberculosis. 

Entering into a position she did not seek and paid a dear price to have, Jane Pierce joins a list of other first ladies who made little impact to the role. Like so many others, Pierce farmed out much of the hostess duties to others, preferring to grief in solitude. She was deeply committed to her faith and, though she may not have been a perfect political spouse, she offered Franklin a safe place from the chaos and, perhaps because of her disinterest in politics, an honest assessment of happenings inside Congress. 

While many have painted Jane Pierce as a bratty, selfish, unsupportive spouse, I’d like to take another approach. A woman who lived with pain, physical and mental, for a majority of her life, Pierce navigated the world the best she knew how. And with an eight year courtship, neither Franklin nor Jane could say they didn’t understand exactly who they were marrying. Franklin knew Jane was devoutly religious and committed to temperance just as Jane was more than aware that Franklin was making a career in politics. They were different in their upbringing and their approaches to life, but they shared a love and admiration for each other that seemed to persevere despite the significant challenges they lived through. 

I will be curious, dear listeners, to hear from you on your opinion about Jane Pierce. Was she a spoiled, entitled woman who was a detriment to her husband’s career? Or was she a woman who contended with chronic pain and fell in love with a man who, though different, provided her the love and support she needed? 

And speaking of you wonderful people out there, if you ever want me to cover a topic, let me know. I am on all the social channels or via my website at www dot civics and coffee dot com. The website is also where you can see source material, transcripts, and learn about ways you can support the pod. 

Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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