Statue of Franklin Pierce
Statue in Concord, New Hampshire / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Franklin Pierce is a monumental statue on the grounds of the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire, United States. The monument, consisting of a bronze statue atop a granite pedestal, honors Franklin Pierce, the only person from New Hampshire to be the president of the United States, serving in the 1850s. It was designed by sculptor Henry Augustus Lukeman and unveiled in 1914.
43°12′25″N 71°32′12.5″W | |
Location | New Hampshire State House, Concord, New Hampshire, United States |
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Designer | Henry Augustus Lukeman |
Fabricator | Jno. Williams, Inc. |
Material | Bronze Granite |
Length | 48 inches (120 cm) |
Width | 62 inches (160 cm) |
Height | 13 feet 3 inches (4.04 m) |
Weight | 2,230 pounds (1,010 kg) (Statue only) |
Beginning date | 1913 |
Completion date | October 15, 1914 |
Dedicated date | November 25, 1914 |
Dedicated to | Franklin Pierce |
The idea of a statue honoring Pierce was first proposed in 1888 by United States Senator William E. Chandler of New Hampshire. However, the proposal was opposed by Republicans and members of the Grand Army of the Republic, who viewed Pierce, a Democrat, as a bad president whose pro-Southern United States and anti-abolitionist policies contributed to sectional tensions that ultimately led to the American Civil War. Over the next several decades, Republicans, who dominated New Hampshire's politics, blocked numerous attempts to memorialize Pierce. however, a rift in the Republic Party during the 1912 elections gave Democrats control of New Hampshire's government for the first time in several decades, and in 1913, the government finally approved a bill to honor Pierce with a statue on the grounds of the state house. The statue was dedicated on November 25, 1914. According to historian Michael J. Connolly, the statue's creation coincided with a changing view of the Civil War wherein the focus on slavery was downplayed and attention instead focused on national reconciliation.