Naked POTUS, number 14: Franklin Pierce

"Even the President of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked" - BOB DYLAN

His nob is out but nevertheless it is the fourteenth President of the United States, Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). FACTS:

FRANKLIN PIERCE

Born 23rd November 1804, Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Died 8th October 1869, Concord, New Hampshire

Presidential Term 4th March 1853 - 4th March 1857

Franklin Pierce, whose father had fought in the Revolutionary War, saw combat himself during the Mexican-American War. His commander during that conflict was General Winfield Scott, who Pierce defeated in the 1852 Presidential Election.

Pierce was an alcoholic throughout his four years in office. He ultimately decided to not seek re-election in the 1856 poll, choosing instead to retire and care for his sick wife. She was primarily sick of him.

Franklin Pierce was pro-slavery and passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This effectively undid the Missouri Compromise by providing popular sovereignty the right to determine whether or not new territories were to be slave States or non-slave States. This caused considerable unrest, particularly in Kansas. This came to be known as Bleeding Kansas. After years of attempts to reconcile sectional differences, the Kansas-Nebraska Act meant that civil war was now almost inevitable.

So, he was a bit of a dickhead, ultimately.

N.B. Some parts of the above image have been redacted by the CIA for reasons of national security. An unexpurgated version of all the naked Presidents will be made available at the end of the project.