tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37134418602309960202024-02-02T01:48:31.831-08:00Getting PiercedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-80334982314354905562016-04-22T06:14:00.002-07:002016-04-22T06:33:00.531-07:00Pierce and Indigenous People<div style="text-align: center;">
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Alyssa Landry has written a nice article about the relationship between the <a href="http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/04/05/franklin-pierce-fierce-protector-white-settlers-indian-territory-163991">Pierce administration and American Indians</a>. As you may suspect, given the general attitudes during Pierce's lifetime, the relationship was one of antagonism of the government toward the Indians, as whites coveted Indian lands for settlement and expansion of the railroads. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was signed by Pierce, aided westward expansion, as well as stoking the conflict over slavery. He also aided western expansion with the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, acquiring 30,000 square miles of territory in the current southwest U.S. from Mexico. He wanted to add Alaska, Hawaii, and Cuba to the U.S., but those efforts failed.<br />
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Ironically, the U.S. Mint issued "peace medals" featuring a bust of Pierce on the obverse, with the reverse showing a scene of a settler in front of an American flag, instructing an Indian on the values of "LABOR, VIRTUE, HONOR," which are engraved above the flag.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-91840158916275839452015-08-24T11:07:00.002-07:002015-08-24T11:07:41.447-07:00Scott and Pierce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Library of Congress has a fairly sizable <a href="http://www.loc.gov/search/?q=franklin+pierce&sp=1&st=gallery">digital collection related to Franklin Pierce</a>. One piece I hadn't seen before is this cartoon of presidential candidates Winfield Scott and Franklin Pierce in 1852.<br />
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The LOC description of the lithograph is as follows:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">T</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">he artist anticipates a Whig victory in the 1852 presidential contest. The scene takes place in an interior, carpeted or tiled with a grid-and-star pattern. At left, Whig candidate Winfield Scott, in military uniform, pulls the "Presidential Chair" out from under Democratic nominee Franklin Pierce (also in military dress). Pierce, having fallen to the floor, exclaims, "Look out there! what you bout General? do you want to Knock a fellers brains out?" Scott replies, "Sorry to disappoint you Pierce; but <u>the people</u> wish <u>me</u> to take <u>this chair</u>."</span></span></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-28649036066712429092015-03-10T03:24:00.001-07:002015-03-10T03:41:11.498-07:00Pierce Briefly Honored, Then Dissed<br />
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<span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: OpenSansRegular; line-height: 14.0799999237061px;">Col. Paul Hutchinson and Pierce Brigade member Nancy Hartford place a wreath next to the grave of President Franklin Pierce during an annual graveside ceremony at Old North Cemetery in Concord to honor the president, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. Photo by </span><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: OpenSansRegular; line-height: 14.0799999237061px;">ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Concord Monitor</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: OpenSansRegular;"><span style="line-height: 14.0799999237061px;">The dedicated members of the Pierce Brigade laid a wreath at the grave of Franklin Pierce on his birthday on November 25, 2014, as detailed in an <a href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/14533192-95/photos-annual-graveside-ceremony-honors-president-franklin-pierce">article</a> in the Concord Monitor.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: OpenSansRegular;"><span style="line-height: 14.0799999237061px;">Alas, by the time Presidents' Day 2015 rolled around, reverence for the 14th President was replaced in the news by the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/02/16/new-ranking-of-u-s-presidents-puts-lincoln-1-obama-18-kennedy-judged-most-over-rated/">annual rankings</a>, which always place Handsome Frank among the worst leaders of the U.S. This is nothing new--witness a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/leadership/schlesinger.html">1997 article</a> by Arthur Schlesinger.</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-35600055703203216822013-03-01T12:01:00.001-08:002013-03-01T12:01:17.052-08:00Frank in Wax<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQO7uU4XBJkRVuR1-qGTqESmNDec5Qb98RBiMHA2zlG3nGMON8Ajrrd14ScAqI0wgCacddvAypBIKoUmeuyvm-WgG7CyYXug00NEHObm4WYKNAoYnOIteSTlgAr4ZLsPUAVu0pIQGaI9mj/s1600/Franklin-Pierce-MTWDC-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQO7uU4XBJkRVuR1-qGTqESmNDec5Qb98RBiMHA2zlG3nGMON8Ajrrd14ScAqI0wgCacddvAypBIKoUmeuyvm-WgG7CyYXug00NEHObm4WYKNAoYnOIteSTlgAr4ZLsPUAVu0pIQGaI9mj/s320/Franklin-Pierce-MTWDC-2010.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
A realistic wax figure of <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2nG1Kc/www.redgage.com/photos/Kinderhook/franklin-pierce-at-mme-tussauds.html">Franklin Pierce at Mme. Tussaud's</a> Wax Museum in Washington, D.C. comes complete with awesome coiffure.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-25591496330380976272013-03-01T01:36:00.000-08:002013-03-01T01:36:19.014-08:00Fair and Balanced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSfY79s3lV0lutQksSMKK1LUvW1GtEcOuxTUGCW2g9MNWIS31I9jdMrOLMIVLtbz-rs6iIcvgxoeKbS9XqHY7ck-3hhemsEJqi6VB4MY-Zgz8_qEPKws4_2k00_zCuoYsoPioPea_WAcX/s1600/Franklin+PIerce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSfY79s3lV0lutQksSMKK1LUvW1GtEcOuxTUGCW2g9MNWIS31I9jdMrOLMIVLtbz-rs6iIcvgxoeKbS9XqHY7ck-3hhemsEJqi6VB4MY-Zgz8_qEPKws4_2k00_zCuoYsoPioPea_WAcX/s320/Franklin+PIerce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Concord (NH) Monitor is to be commended for presenting different opinions on Franklin Pierce. In "<a href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/4552479-95/pierce-hampshire-slavery-president">My Turn: Franklin Pierce Day? No Way!</a>" Paul Mirski responds to legislation proposed to make November 23 Franklin Pierce Day in New Hampshire. Mirski calls Pierce's presidency "a New Hampshire embarrassment." In the same issue, Kathleen Braden paints a more sympathetic portrait of Handsome Frank in her article, "<a href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/4604828-95/pierce-president-davis-war">Busting the Myths of Franklin Pierce's Legacy</a>."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-54146987034671914462013-01-14T11:27:00.000-08:002013-01-14T11:29:02.559-08:00Pierce Left Behind<br />
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Buchanan's Inaugural Parade, 1857</div>
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President Obama's supporters, apparently not in a celebratory mood, are not coming across with as much money as the organizers of his second inauguration had hoped. It's OK, Barry. At least you're getting a second term, which is something Franklin Pierce never had. On top of that, the inauguration of his successor, James Buchanan, had to be delayed for twenty minutes when it was discovered that poor old Handsome Frank had been totally forgotten at the Willard Hotel.
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From <i>President James Buchanan: A Biography</i> by Philip Klein:<br />
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By noon the three groups of parade marshals, with their white,yellow or blue scarfs and saddle cloths trimmed with rosettes had the thirty-
odd fire companies, militia battalions, bands, floats, and groups of artisans
in line; and the procession started down Pennsylvania Avenue to the
National Hotel. There Buchanan was joined by vice-president-elect
Breckinridge, and all were ready to proceed when it was found that President Pierce was not on hand. A twenty-minute delay ensued until someone
on the arrangements committee discovered that through an oversight,
Pierce had been completely forgotten. After a flurry of excitement and
consultation, the committee picked Pierce up at the Willard Hotel and at
last the waiting crowds were relieved of their impatience by the sight of an
elegant, four-horse barouche, containing the president and the president-
elect. Ahead of them, leading the procession, was a huge float drawn by
six white horses bearing a lady symbolizing the Goddess of Liberty on a
high platform. Members of the Keystone Club rode beside the open
presidential carriages, and behind them came a float with a large model
of a warship. </blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-4925868143666636662012-06-03T03:00:00.000-07:002012-06-03T03:01:02.095-07:00UK POTUS Poll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudwQ-wUm5lsfctbuXZaT6bwLmRBXjpdn2oY27h1p_J6WRLouRNasoYFVO44oqmqyJZdaUSECWFOFYQY4vJn3_KetwJDFj6zG6B9eXaTTYQrxUq1Q-cqeX5EEAfto6MYlapMlkdt9MZXCB/s1600/Franklin+PierceThumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudwQ-wUm5lsfctbuXZaT6bwLmRBXjpdn2oY27h1p_J6WRLouRNasoYFVO44oqmqyJZdaUSECWFOFYQY4vJn3_KetwJDFj6zG6B9eXaTTYQrxUq1Q-cqeX5EEAfto6MYlapMlkdt9MZXCB/s1600/Franklin+PierceThumb.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now even the British are getting in on ranking U.S. presidents. As expected, Franklin Pierce is near the bottom in a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12195111">poll of UK academics</a>. Only his pathetic successor, James Buchanan ranked lower.<br />
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In other news, a company called Life Size Legends is offering a 6 foot tall <a href="http://lifesizelegend.com/product_info.php?products_id=644">cardboard cutout of Franklin Pierce</a>, along with all the other U.S. presidents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-70818295538660789452012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:002012-01-12T08:17:20.657-08:00Romney and Pierce Related<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN27VD1KQdcIe1vOUNB6C1RKsnchtzdp9-ARl_WMHiHF_FH_lqojKpw4y5QWuatyMWWXHxTEplm4jDgHlU17evEr9WHuPp5ATiDf6lIXQi56KbJdd38qJRMBTCOIcLPoCo5o7hyWjJTWn/s1600/franklin-pierce-picture.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaN27VD1KQdcIe1vOUNB6C1RKsnchtzdp9-ARl_WMHiHF_FH_lqojKpw4y5QWuatyMWWXHxTEplm4jDgHlU17evEr9WHuPp5ATiDf6lIXQi56KbJdd38qJRMBTCOIcLPoCo5o7hyWjJTWn/s400/franklin-pierce-picture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696780003353887666" /></a><center>The Best Presidential Hair Ever</center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaR212bKD9aaDbBO7CsKHAoamLCKt5mB_hjqj-JQU-fIOqfwmMrj9SLWwpMSKg5G0HU_h3KslEaMEwnjIaPTGS_Er_AgyE1gPiPrbdXjy7vVWGISoTaz8x4VorijadjC9LG31tX-D4pGH/s1600/romney+hair"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaR212bKD9aaDbBO7CsKHAoamLCKt5mB_hjqj-JQU-fIOqfwmMrj9SLWwpMSKg5G0HU_h3KslEaMEwnjIaPTGS_Er_AgyE1gPiPrbdXjy7vVWGISoTaz8x4VorijadjC9LG31tX-D4pGH/s400/romney+hair" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696778092374876306" border="0" /></a><center>The Hair Apparent?</center><br />Let's face it, if you look hard enough, everybody is related to everybody else. Since there isn't much else interesting about Mitt Romney, I will relay the <a href="http://deadlinelive.info/2012/01/11/romney-and-huntsman-are-both-bush-cousins/">news</a> announced by ancestry.com--that Mitt and Handsome Frank Pierce are sixth cousins four times removed. The big question is: which one has or had better hair?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-21719424427858956042011-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:002011-11-02T17:46:33.751-07:00POTUS PumpkinsIf not for the Thompson family, this blog would be bereft of new material. The previous post "<a href="http://gettingpierced.blogspot.com/2011/08/franklin-pierce-on-futurama.html">Franklin Pierce on 'Futurama'</a>" sprang from the keen observation by Ryan Thompson of Franklin Pierce in a contemporary cartoon. Now his sister, Jenny Mais, has documented another appearance of Handsome Frank in popular culture. While on a visit to <a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6890">Pumpkin Fantasyland</a> in Ligonier, Indiana, Jenny took these photographs of the the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) exhibit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgdFn-RWeMmp7hH-w30LPIbDWIJlyfR3vGs1zWCeLZ7s2erixwq5vuI8k6IqaCNueuAljm7YWPcJbSQDQr4Y2eCvMjxUggKW2tqPXkYkoWrsN-GIttiiOjRnWx73-TSOzJzi4lj7_ztB1/s1600/POTUS_pumpkins.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgdFn-RWeMmp7hH-w30LPIbDWIJlyfR3vGs1zWCeLZ7s2erixwq5vuI8k6IqaCNueuAljm7YWPcJbSQDQr4Y2eCvMjxUggKW2tqPXkYkoWrsN-GIttiiOjRnWx73-TSOzJzi4lj7_ztB1/s400/POTUS_pumpkins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670187331192277378" /></a>Presidential Pumpkins, replete with identical plastic top hats and seemingly superfluous jackets<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs18ZZUgn2ZmyWOkCXyeDjkqZfJZPiNuyHJDmxtPWF50zud5Pb4umwJZZ0gsW1-8W-dk_0cbucap5Sc59wOAxGywfUTYqYSZX1wiNq4aocLw9dojhChYvUXJyeao2TIIVd4hgQ_xnYsc3i/s1600/Pierce_pumpkin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs18ZZUgn2ZmyWOkCXyeDjkqZfJZPiNuyHJDmxtPWF50zud5Pb4umwJZZ0gsW1-8W-dk_0cbucap5Sc59wOAxGywfUTYqYSZX1wiNq4aocLw9dojhChYvUXJyeao2TIIVd4hgQ_xnYsc3i/s400/Pierce_pumpkin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670187329033955394" /></a><center>Closeup of Young Hickory of the Granite Hills, AKA Franklin Pierce</center><br />A tip of the plastic hat to Ms. Mais for supplying these pictures!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-56370338227333584042011-08-29T18:53:00.000-07:002011-08-29T19:02:51.403-07:00Franklin Pierce on "Futurama"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids428XdRXpdOG0gqPpCzecWoGYrUHk9ma7UISK9OSEriUzGgrV2W4_zhuukPSAd3r45DjCst9hvLq4htb30E0OWepeKMDn6gW5lUHZWzOXZ5HfTR_5LQZZX4JBGFRrgyLilTAz_eI0exW/s1600/Franklin+Pierce.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids428XdRXpdOG0gqPpCzecWoGYrUHk9ma7UISK9OSEriUzGgrV2W4_zhuukPSAd3r45DjCst9hvLq4htb30E0OWepeKMDn6gW5lUHZWzOXZ5HfTR_5LQZZX4JBGFRrgyLilTAz_eI0exW/s400/Franklin+Pierce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646461502876918978" border="0" /></a>Thanks to Futurama fan Ryan Thompson for alerting me to the appearance of Franklin Pierce in Season 6, Episode 20 of the series Futurama. The episode is "All the Presidents' Heads." Handsome Frank makes a cameo appearance in a museum where the heads of U.S. Presidents are on display. The Futurama writers missed a golden opportunity to riff on Pierce's head being pickled in alcohol.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-67475745499223329002011-04-19T15:15:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:45:20.808-07:00Pierceton, Indiana<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmLuM7m1T0xSlFjN9ns0a4cxGuraCv0yxv7zv7qSpgTH6-UCoeUKMm0_hoOmRqU4xdeJoxICvhTkT0AFahMtySSlUq1TuIuABhVxYpacR112jH_Ql38kKTjdiW6zbgPevno305gm10J7-/s1600/Downtown-Pierceton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmLuM7m1T0xSlFjN9ns0a4cxGuraCv0yxv7zv7qSpgTH6-UCoeUKMm0_hoOmRqU4xdeJoxICvhTkT0AFahMtySSlUq1TuIuABhVxYpacR112jH_Ql38kKTjdiW6zbgPevno305gm10J7-/s400/Downtown-Pierceton.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597451952269101634" /></a>Image from <a href="http://www.koscvb.org/">Kosciusko Visitors Bureau</a><br /><br />OMG (as the youngsters are so fond of texting these days), I grew up not far from a town named after Franklin Pierce, and didn't know it till today. I still subscribe to the <span style="font-style:italic;">Mail-Journal</span>, the weekly newspaper which covers Milford, Syracuse, and North Webster in Kosciusko County, Indiana. Last week's edition included a supplement about the county and its towns. One of the factoids included about Pierceton was that it was named after the snakebit 14th President of the U.S.<br /><br />Subsequently, I found this at the website <a href="http://yesteryear.clunette.com/150yearspart1.html">yesteryear.clunette.com:<br /></a><blockquote>Pierceton, the second largest town in the county, was laid out Dec. 6, 1852, by Lewis Keith and John B. Chapman on the north part of the northwest quarter of Section 27, and christened Pierceton in honor of President Franklin Pierce.<br /><br />John B. Chapman, one of its founders, inaugurated business enterprise by opening a general stock of merchandise in a small log house, on a farm outside the now corporate limits of the town.<br /><br />In 1853, three frame buildings were erected and in the one that occupied the site of the building formerly owned by Lawrence Spayde & Co., a post office was established in 1854, with O.P. Smith as postmaster. Dr. William Hayes, one of the first medical men in the town, succeeded Smith as postmaster in 1855.</blockquote>Note that the town was laid out shortly after the election in 1852 and before Pierce embarked on his tenure as one of the worst presidents in history after being sworn in on March 4, 1853.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-420463736893629862010-11-13T15:54:00.000-08:002010-11-13T16:06:37.906-08:00Just in Time for the Holidays: Ham-some Frank<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNJjx1vI26R9R9qVPWkjD23ehheTlqQqyRG-JUcfsqL66ZNcU031LiDwwUie1-deyOGR7J8XPcJCFq2dvBKXJ77VGHEb2EndZxuI9DBhYvbMKZYwff1frQvNmp3cdzOlAzPfVNp6HR_B7/s1600/14-franklin-pierce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNJjx1vI26R9R9qVPWkjD23ehheTlqQqyRG-JUcfsqL66ZNcU031LiDwwUie1-deyOGR7J8XPcJCFq2dvBKXJ77VGHEb2EndZxuI9DBhYvbMKZYwff1frQvNmp3cdzOlAzPfVNp6HR_B7/s400/14-franklin-pierce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539187465810088322" /></a>For reasons not entirely clear to me, the artist <a href="http://presidentialham.com/shop/">Bijijoo</a> has produced a series of prints featuring U.S. Presidents holding hams. Now you know what to get for Christmas for the person who has everything.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-73624515330965448362010-10-20T23:53:00.000-07:002010-10-21T00:04:55.183-07:00Coloring Pierce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsbI9DfObifGviA6GUgB4Z4F6eWqxrsMs8TVdSWssVhujtEHYso3LhsIh4LD6NLCYUZI50n0MKh8Wn4QVMDHtS2NOtRPmz8XVlSzp9DrD56KgjbpIR4LAGbUeomf_7DUbuBiSTwigCptN/s1600/American_Presidents_Franklin_Pierce.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 77px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsbI9DfObifGviA6GUgB4Z4F6eWqxrsMs8TVdSWssVhujtEHYso3LhsIh4LD6NLCYUZI50n0MKh8Wn4QVMDHtS2NOtRPmz8XVlSzp9DrD56KgjbpIR4LAGbUeomf_7DUbuBiSTwigCptN/s400/American_Presidents_Franklin_Pierce.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530391044417147794" /></a>What youngster wouldn't want to download his own Franklin Pierce coloring page in pdf format at the <a href=http://www.freekidscoloring.com/american_presidents_franklin_pierce-1435.php>Free Kids Coloring</a> web site?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-91558692651002180692010-06-28T13:48:00.000-07:002010-06-28T13:52:37.395-07:00Pierce Coin and Medal Set<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_tfUe1u-UKCpOP6RWzFiuOUuGbSCFQ8pmjEWRR4hWv5uoN8yMpiwozliz8W4xrWIY79z2VRzDI61QgIaH7F8Bzhf03CDsdvEJBc4jOvFH0VP-0zF0tjuiMLtzIuG6zBVmJTknVzP3iv3/s1600/Pierce-Set.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_tfUe1u-UKCpOP6RWzFiuOUuGbSCFQ8pmjEWRR4hWv5uoN8yMpiwozliz8W4xrWIY79z2VRzDI61QgIaH7F8Bzhf03CDsdvEJBc4jOvFH0VP-0zF0tjuiMLtzIuG6zBVmJTknVzP3iv3/s400/Pierce-Set.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487930188764898290" /></a><br />On June 24, the U.S. Mint introduced the new <a href="http://news.coinupdate.com/franklin-and-jane-pierce-presidential-1-coin-and-first-spouse-medal-set-0336/">Franklin and Jane Pierce Presidential Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Set</a>. I just ordered mine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-65025835644768551272010-05-28T13:03:00.000-07:002010-05-28T13:17:18.546-07:00Pierce a Loser Again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBhVlwJ0Cr-V-QbUKua5qdL1vTjcSrguIcVssLoNRNCrqNGHxMOt2l5va0R4h2yF2FlyCmMhtwoxKV61TpcFVpRrj4ECdkt6RNZNgLCkJGrZ3CI1t2vBp1SN1_Cvp_LlBF7dzzVWG7HuJ/s1600/Franklin-Pierce-Dollar1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBhVlwJ0Cr-V-QbUKua5qdL1vTjcSrguIcVssLoNRNCrqNGHxMOt2l5va0R4h2yF2FlyCmMhtwoxKV61TpcFVpRrj4ECdkt6RNZNgLCkJGrZ3CI1t2vBp1SN1_Cvp_LlBF7dzzVWG7HuJ/s400/Franklin-Pierce-Dollar1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476414887978073922" /></a><center>Franklin Pierce Dollar</center><br />From <a href=http://news.coinupdate.com/>Coin Update News</a>:<br /><blockquote>Franklin Pierce Presidential Dollar Rolls went on sale at the US Mint on May 20, 2010. In the debut period, sales of 23,960 of the Philadelphia Mint rolls and 24,160 of the Denver Mint rolls were recorded. These amounts are 2,048 and 1,261 behind the debut figures for the previously released rolls featuring Millard Fillmore, suggesting that collector's attention may have faded.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-83559257902782507252010-05-17T05:24:00.000-07:002010-05-17T05:31:01.075-07:00Franklin Pierce Gallery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNpyB4NLbJc2k96ICdAsmS0WFWTqR_1hJERRoDXdjoFTlqkRBvdKD8KHtvHwMbPyFOBzApGsqbwM-cdBISmTBPKchw7jd1eaXSrlcWYk8v5Rj39WQbjNvouTBQ0bLz3oGT_JHufTqdR20/s1600/4359537713_32365ef50f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNpyB4NLbJc2k96ICdAsmS0WFWTqR_1hJERRoDXdjoFTlqkRBvdKD8KHtvHwMbPyFOBzApGsqbwM-cdBISmTBPKchw7jd1eaXSrlcWYk8v5Rj39WQbjNvouTBQ0bLz3oGT_JHufTqdR20/s400/4359537713_32365ef50f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472215272738116690" /></a>Photo attribution: <div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/4359537713/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/</a> / <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a></div><br />I've gone trolling at Flickr.com and found 18 pictures relating to Franklin Pierce, which I've put in a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14841959@N06/galleries/72157623550601837/">gallery</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-52982348943262863922010-02-27T06:02:00.000-08:002011-11-02T17:52:57.035-07:00Cut Fainting Frank Some Slack<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rl5eGYL_m8mjghK3x2q1lEFlv9G-r4RjLP19nZ_0ABw6AGkMHCxeL_CYyTacmVENS8tRQovFDKhoKokniAzRF00XgHYur9QnXl8R0PNvdmq2oy9tHPwxz6qb40UBxIRj7BrRyjm-ICHv/s1600-h/General_Franklin_Pierce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rl5eGYL_m8mjghK3x2q1lEFlv9G-r4RjLP19nZ_0ABw6AGkMHCxeL_CYyTacmVENS8tRQovFDKhoKokniAzRF00XgHYur9QnXl8R0PNvdmq2oy9tHPwxz6qb40UBxIRj7BrRyjm-ICHv/s400/General_Franklin_Pierce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442927844198641906" /></a><br />Poor old Franklin Pierce took a lot of flack for fainting in battle during the Mexican War. His detractors failed to mention that a painful injury preceded his loss of consciousness.<br /><br />To dismiss Pierce as a coward is unfair, in my humble opinion. In his campaign biography of Pierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne excerpted the journal Pierce kept during the war. On July 21, 1847, General Pierce wrote:<br /><blockquote>Colonel Bonham's horse was shot near me, and I received an escopette ball through the rim of my hat, but without other damage than leaving my head, for a short time, without protection from the sun. The balls spattered like hailstones around us, at the moment the column advanced; and it seems truly wonderful that so few took effect. A large portion of them passed over our heads, and struck between the rear of Colonel Bonham's command and the main body of the brigade, two or three hundred yards behind, with the train; thus verifying what has so often been said by our gallant fellows, within the last forty days, that the nearer you get to these people in fight, the safer.</blockquote>So we see that Pierce came perilously close to being shot in the head, but took it in stride without fainting or otherwise chickening out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-15660596653776138902010-02-15T12:44:00.000-08:002010-02-15T16:57:29.841-08:00Happy Presidents' Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYCBReIJRq4SCDMbMhIWhGv18-zVdE2Bi492ZUZbYD7S9wsNmmwKs9_x6BZvilNQ1_tOI0CH569QZyfcZON-EKVORYAlSks-K04heft_TS_seixrzBn3RqJ4ZWIRlwwH7rGVZcrwpa_Qi/s1600-h/Pierce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYCBReIJRq4SCDMbMhIWhGv18-zVdE2Bi492ZUZbYD7S9wsNmmwKs9_x6BZvilNQ1_tOI0CH569QZyfcZON-EKVORYAlSks-K04heft_TS_seixrzBn3RqJ4ZWIRlwwH7rGVZcrwpa_Qi/s400/Pierce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438637648139397394" /></a>Drawing of Franklin Pierce from the book <a href="http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/blackwell/blackwell.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">Original Acrostics on all the States and Presidents of the United States, and Various Other Subjects, Religious, Political, and Personal</span></a><br />© This work is the property of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.<br /><br />Well, I guess somewhere along the line, after we stopped celebrating Lincoln and Washington's birthdays separately, the melded holiday became a celebration of all US Presidents, good, bad, and indifferent.<br /><br />So, Pierce fans, we find several references to the 14th President today:<br /><blockquote>1. Though not dedicated exclusively to the tonsorial splendor of Franklin Pierce, his famous hair appears in the illustrated New York Times opinion piece, <a href=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/15/opinion/20100215_OPART.html>"Heads of State"</a>.<br /><br />2. The editors of the web site Nerve.com rank Franklin Pierce #5 in their list of <a href=http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/the-top-43-sexiest-us-presidents/>"The Top 43 Sexiest US Presidents"</a>, stating "There's not much to say about this obscure president, except that he's gorgeous. He's like Johnny Depp, but without as much to show for himself." (Thanks to colleague and sometime reader Ed Yang for alerting me to this reference to Handsome Frank).<br /><br />3. The New Hampshire Historical Society is releasing audio and text versions of a collection of essays titled "Revealing Relationships: The Family and Friends of Franklin Pierce" which appeared in <em>Historical New Hampshire</em>, Volume 59, No. 1, Spring 2005. These are available for free download in pdf or mp3 format at <a href=http://www.nhhistory.org/publications/audio-RevealingRelationships.html> the NHHS web site</a>.<br /><br />4. And of course, there is the obligatory <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/6867267.html">survey of presidential historians</a>, wherein Pierce is cited as one of the least productive presidents. </blockquote>That's it. Go forth and enjoy the holiday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-59272566610502611952010-01-25T12:10:00.001-08:002010-01-25T12:24:08.256-08:00Handsome Frank Is Coming to a Pocket Near You<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz8rtIpO41hIxAgRcwpF9bCGTxf483QOlfGbPan9tHVpG3efOfGpC2RJPPecfZiyVa_55vLETCYwMw2UIHdmGIRaf39B1wMAKw6y9FhMUAYXfEDQ_aLWY5tfnLT_uJp983qy1w7WJYCGI/s1600-h/Franklin-Pierce-Presidential-Dollar-Design.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz8rtIpO41hIxAgRcwpF9bCGTxf483QOlfGbPan9tHVpG3efOfGpC2RJPPecfZiyVa_55vLETCYwMw2UIHdmGIRaf39B1wMAKw6y9FhMUAYXfEDQ_aLWY5tfnLT_uJp983qy1w7WJYCGI/s400/Franklin-Pierce-Presidential-Dollar-Design.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430772381953049186" /></a><br />In case you missed the announcement from the Federal Reserve Banks on the wildly popular web site, <a href=http://www.frbservices.org/fedflash/fedcash/fedcash_services_1209_02.html>Fedflash</a>, on December 15, 2009, the distribution schedule for the 2010 Franklin Pierce Dollar is:<br /><br /><blockquote>Special order period: April 29, 2010 – June 3, 2010. Public release date: May 20, 2010</blockquote>Can't you feel the anticipation building? I can--or maybe its the shredded wheat I had for breakfast.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-52082032904103480312010-01-02T01:28:00.000-08:002010-01-02T01:58:29.961-08:00Franklin Pierce in the Top Five!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOXF9pmtV9lV3TaItmfNSwTpbwAd7mHPgHe-rp5F45WgRKuwUYRmFF8avqTsEobI1uFYfK3KkRmr5vuyLAwa9AdNoxn5zN7Rlk_F-8MGxzf9x3nTp7ZBFCqjFSGFruS4M45ETTOUJyZ0X/s1600-h/LeedhamMilestones.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOXF9pmtV9lV3TaItmfNSwTpbwAd7mHPgHe-rp5F45WgRKuwUYRmFF8avqTsEobI1uFYfK3KkRmr5vuyLAwa9AdNoxn5zN7Rlk_F-8MGxzf9x3nTp7ZBFCqjFSGFruS4M45ETTOUJyZ0X/s400/LeedhamMilestones.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422079274823122610" /></a><br />Let's face it--trying to find new or interesting information about someone as obscure as Franklin Pierce is a Herculean task. Therefore, the author takes some topical license, and publishes the occasional post about Handsome Frank's namesake university. While President Pierce's name perpetually dwells near the bottom of any ranking of U.S. presidents, the women's basketball team at FPU continues to enjoy unbridled success. Led by English standout Johannah Leedham, the Lady Ravens are now 10-0 this season and are ranked number two in the USA Today ESPN Division II Coaches' Poll, behind the Michigan Tech Huskies (an unfortunate moniker for a women's team, don't you think?). When I went to the Michigan Tech web site, I had a pretty good idea the campus was on the upper pennisula when I saw the title of the lead news story on the home page: "Can Snowmobiles Adapt in the Age of Ethanol?"<br /><br />Seriously.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-50840269363951932182009-12-09T17:10:00.000-08:002009-12-09T17:23:41.957-08:002010 Pierce Dollar Coin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLH9YP-8psSvetAIGhHBo21YzxDJp2ssWXgr69sJ_6gBkYnE1fTgjQeGGjIo80VqheJligEqIzfeprw87i737KawWymS6R42oIoO4KH3wAQt7uwKrRPBq5uRyVu2sO5MaNs-Q3pYY1z2n/s1600-h/pierce-dollar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLH9YP-8psSvetAIGhHBo21YzxDJp2ssWXgr69sJ_6gBkYnE1fTgjQeGGjIo80VqheJligEqIzfeprw87i737KawWymS6R42oIoO4KH3wAQt7uwKrRPBq5uRyVu2sO5MaNs-Q3pYY1z2n/s400/pierce-dollar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413408657725987026" /></a><center>Franklin Pierce Dollar<br />Designer: Susan Gamble<br />Engraver: Charles Vickers</center><br />The US Mint has released the <a href="http://mintnewsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010-presidential-dollar-designs.html">2010 Presidential Dollar Coin</a> designs. Three of the biggest losers in Presidential history--Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan--will be featured, along with perennial favorite, Abraham Lincoln.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-12537664128932976022009-12-03T16:35:00.000-08:002009-12-03T21:58:12.451-08:00Ain't Nothin' Funny 'Bout the Death of Franklin PierceIn a stunning turn of events, yet another song about Franklin Pierce has been unleashed on an unsuspecting public, complete with the lamest--and possibly the only--tenor guitar guitar solo ever performed. As evidence, ladies and gentlemen, I submit this video of The Two Man Gentlemen Band at the Brass Heart Inn in Chocorua, NH on November 21, 2009.<br /> <br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8PhAPJksVww&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8PhAPJksVww&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-34914118138942642652009-11-03T12:45:00.000-08:002009-11-03T12:49:59.354-08:00Pierce BiographyBob Timmermann has posted a good <a href="http://allthepresidentsbooks.com/2009/10/20/the-presidency-of-franklin-pierce/">summary</a> of the life of Franklin Pierce at his blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-42808428854788433082009-10-20T10:07:00.000-07:002009-10-20T16:50:13.768-07:00Another Ostend-tatious Musical InterludeIncredible as it may seem, 2009 may be remembered as the year when not one, but <em>two</em> songs concerning the Ostend Manifesto were written.<br /><br />Although the document is not explicitly mentioned in "<a href="http://www.allopinionsarenotequal.com/search/label/franklin%20pierce">Why Franklin Pierce Sucked: The Song</a>," by Eric Olson, the lyrics obviously refer to the notorious Ostend Manifesto, the scheme cooked up by Franklin Pierce's minions to take Cuba from Spain, by purchase or force.<br /><br /> <object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HMb8fudNazc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HMb8fudNazc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />For information on the other song, see my previous post "<a href="http://gettingpierced.blogspot.com/2009/09/franklin-pierces-miserable-legacy.html">Franklin Pierce's Miserable Legacy Celebrated in Song</a>."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713441860230996020.post-78761312964077141762009-10-10T00:06:00.000-07:002009-10-10T00:28:23.915-07:00Pierce on TVFranklin Pierce will be the subject of a television program, or at least a segment of a television program, and this time he will not appear as the question to a <span style="font-style:italic;">Jeopardy</span> answer.<br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1bowdoincampus/006719.shtml">Campus News</a> section of the Bowdoin College web site:<br /><blockquote>Prof. Patrick Rael, Scott Ogden '10 to Discuss Franklin Pierce on WCSH Saturday, Oct 17<br /><br />Story posted October 09, 2009<br /><br />Franklin Pierce, fourteenth President of the United States (1853-1857) and a member of the Class of 1824, is to be the focus of a segment on the WCSH program Bill Green's Maine Saturday, October 17, 2009.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFljURM0jFrEN1-YqMBqY6nk2OXxg9RPb389iRL-yKzyYsDNdTSVoB_Urvd6xE9YjK0HVeOQyKPgQsJsZVERYR1zNBgzC9JXB4gR5hFBgaPoFJ98XYeBLAVzFC8pTZHcP24KMb1t_T1zE/s1600-h/Franklin+PierceThumb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFljURM0jFrEN1-YqMBqY6nk2OXxg9RPb389iRL-yKzyYsDNdTSVoB_Urvd6xE9YjK0HVeOQyKPgQsJsZVERYR1zNBgzC9JXB4gR5hFBgaPoFJ98XYeBLAVzFC8pTZHcP24KMb1t_T1zE/s400/Franklin+PierceThumb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390865112839462450" /></a>Host Bill Green interviewed Associate Professor of History Patrick Rael and Scott Ogden '10, who is working on an honors project about Pierce's life.<br /><br />The crew also photographed some of the Pierce-related materials held in the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives.<br /><br />Bill Green's Maine airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on WCSH (Channel 6).<br /></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0