The 262nd birthday of New Hampshire’s only president was celebrated Tuesday at the Old North Cemetery in Concord with the laying of a wreath sent from the White House.
The celebration of the 14th president comes as questions continue about whether his name should continue to be attached to colleges in the state, including Franklin Pierce University in Rindge and the UNH law school in Concord.
Tuesday’s socially distanced celebration at the graveside of Franklin Pierce featured members of the New Hampshire Army National Guard and the Pierce Brigade, who laid the wreath, presented the colors and a salute.
Pierce was born in a log cabin in Hillsborough in 1804. His election in 1853 made him the first president to be born in the 19th century. He remains the only president to be born in New Hampshire. Before becoming president, Pierce served in the state Legislature and in Congress. His father, Benjamin, served two terms as governor of New Hampshire.
Pierce served one term as president. His legacy has been tainted by his support of slavery, in particular his backing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which inflamed national divisions over the expansion of slavery into western territories. The vice president under Pierce, William King, was a member of the largest slaveholding family in Alabama.
That history has led to a rethinking of the many places in New Hampshire named after him, including the former Franklin Pierce Law School in Concord, now the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.
The National Black Law Student Association, based in Washington, D.C., spoke out against UNH School of Law’s name change in June 2019, in a statement published by the National Jurist.
“Pierce’s support for the Fugitive Slave Act and the Kansas-Nebraska Act were abhorrent,” the statement said. “…We do not believe that students are best served by attending a law school named after someone whose legacy was based on maintaining the institution of slavery.”
The school’s Task Force on Racial Justice, Diversity and Inclusion is studying the issue, after a group of students and then some faculty supported the removal of “Franklin Pierce” from the law school’s name.
Any change of the school’s name must be approved by the board of trustees.