Benjamin Pierce (governor)

Benjamin Pierce was a man of the 18th century whose life was defined by the birth of a nation. He fought as a young man in the American Revolution, seeing action at the pivotal battles of Bunker Hill and Saratoga, a service that earned him lasting local prestige. After the war, he parlayed that respect into a political career in his home state of New Hampshire, serving as sheriff, councilor, and finally as a Jacksonian Democrat governor. His two non-consecutive terms were marked by the rough-and-tumble politics of the era. History remembers him less for his governance, however, and more as the formidable father who instilled a sense of public duty in his children. His son Franklin would ascend to the presidency, a achievement that served as the ultimate validation of the elder Pierce's life of military and civic service.