Political Party: Democrat Previous Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Elected From: New Hampshire Vice President: William R. King (1853-57) Cabinet Members:view list
Other Government Positions:
· Served in New Hampshire Legislature, 1829-33
· Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1833-37
· Unites States Senate, 1837-42
Presidential Highlights:
· Approved the Kansas-Nebraska Act (gave local governments control to new territorial governments, enabling Kansas and Nebraska to establish slavery) which threatened the uneasy peace in the Union.
· Approved the Gadsden Purchase (the United States purchased 45,000 square miles from Mexico for $10 million to build a railroad to the Pacific Ocean) which fixed the boundary between Mexico and the United States.
· Negotiated the first commercial treaty with Japan.
Franklin Pierce