JUST 14 WEEKS AFTER HIS SON BENJAMIN’S DEATH IN A TRAIN WRECK ~ WHERE BOTH HIS PARENTS SAW HIM NEARLY FULLY DECAPITATED AND JUST 6 WEEKS AFTER HIS INAUGURATION AS PRESIDENT, FRANKLIN PIERCE SHOWS THE DEPTH OF HIS PERSONAL CONCERNS
PIERCE, FRANKLIN (1804-1869) 14th President of the United States. Surprisingly Scarce Autograph Letter Signed, “Fr. Pierce”, as President, on black-bordered mourning stationery. 2 1/2 pages, octavo. “Washington [D.C.], April 17, 1853. To E[phraim?]. Sargent, Boston, Mass[achusetts].” Pierce writes:
“My Dear Sir, I have just received your kind note of the 14th inst[ant] which I must regard as another evidence of your marked manliness and kind interest for me personally. I have not received your brother’s resignation, but his friend Gen[era]l Johnes informed me a day or two since that it would be here soon.
You may well expect me to act with reference to your wishes in the matter with a most cheerful will. With sincere interest in everything connected with your fortunes. I am very truly, your friend “Fr/ Pierce.
PS ~ I learned this morning that your brother John is decidingly better.”
Benjamin “Benny” Pierce, the 11-year-old son of President-elect Franklin Pierce, died in a train accident on January 6, 1853. Benjamin Pierce was the last surviving child of Franklin and Jane Pierce, following the earlier deaths of their sons Franklin Jr., who died in infancy, and Frank Robert, who died at age four from typhus
On January 6, 1853, the Pierce family was returning from a holiday visit in Andover, Massachusetts, to their home in Concord, New Hampshire. While traveling by train, one of the train’s axles fractured after striking rocks on the tracks, causing the car carrying the Pierces to derail and fall down a 15–20 foot embankment
Benjamin, who was standing at the time, was killed instantly, suffering severe trauma, while Franklin and Jane Pierce escaped serious injury The accident had a profound emotional impact on the family. Jane Pierce was so distraught that she did not attend Franklin Pierce’s presidential inauguration, and Franklin himself was deeply affected, describing the loss as crushing in personal letters and alluding to it in his inaugural address
Benjamin was buried in the Old North Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire, alongside his brother Frank. This tragedy, occurring just weeks before Franklin Pierce assumed the presidency, contributed to the somber and emotionally strained atmosphere surrounding his early presidency and had lasting effects on both his and Jane Pierce’s personal lives.
Full autograph letters of Franklin Pierce written as President are surprisingly uncommon iF not out-right rare. This letter with it’s evident compassion from a man who was clearly suffering loss and has yet has empathy for another is a remarkable testament of Presidential character. A very fine example with the added complexity of date, place, and sentiment. Just choice.
$2850.00