When Franklin Pierce became the 14th President of the United States, the political atmosphere of the country was that of the calm before the storm. Most people at this point of time believed that as a result of the Compromise of 1850, the separatist mentality among various territories of the Union has been curbed. However, it did not take much time for things to once again become murky. All it took were a few hasty decisions and bad policies and the stormy winds of discontent once again began to blow across the north and south of the Union, which threatened its very existence and Franklin Pierce found himself in the thick of things. Before becoming the president, Pierce had served several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, besides he was also a veteran of the Mexican-American War. Pierce also had an exemplary record as an attorney and remains the only person to become the president from the state of New Hampshire. Sadly, his personal life was filled with tragedy, as due to one or another reason he lost all of his children at a very tender age; this remained a great source of sorrow throughout his life.