Today in American history…Jane Pierce was born on March 12, 1806 in Hampton, New Hampshire.

Being born into a wealthy family, her education was of the highest quality, and she attended the prestigious Miss Catherine Fiske’s Young Ladies Seminary in Keene, New Hampshire. While she was naturally talented in music and enthusiastic about literature, she would rather attend Bible studies above anything else.

She wasn’t fond for a life in politics and was an extremely religious and reserved woman. Suffering from depression due to the loss of her children – she preferred to stay behind the scenes as First Lady and left her official duties in the hands of her aunt and close friend, Abby Kent-Means.

As First Lady, Mrs. Pierce insisted on adhering to religious practices in the White House and instructed the staff to attend church and holding religious services in the White House library.

While she stayed mostly in the background, she did advise her husband at times. Notably, in 1856, she convinced President Pierce to reverse the arrest of abolitionist Charles L. Robinson.

It wasn’t until the last two years of her husband’s presidency that she started to attend more social functions and enjoyed witnessing the debates in Congress.

Mrs. Robert E. Lee noted about Jane Pierce, “I have known many of the ladies of the White House, none more truly excellent than the afflicted wife of President Pierce…she was a refined, extremely religious and well educated First Lady.”