Franklin Pierce was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He became a lawyer in 1827 and shortly thereafter began his political career. He was elected to the state legislature in 1829. Pierce served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1833­37) and in the U.S. Senate (1837­42), where he supported the annexation of Texas. He served in the Mexican War and was promoted to brigadier general in 1847. In 1852 he was nominated for president by the Democratic Party, and he was elected by a wide margin. During his one term as president, the Gadsden Purchase was acquired from Mexico, the Missouri Compromise was repealed, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act was approved. The Democratic convention of 1856 did not renominate him. Pierce returned to New Hampshire.
