Egan, Pierce, 1772-1849, English sports writer. He was the author of Life in London, a lively account of the sporting gallants of the Regency. With its rough humor and colloquial style, it was popular from its first installment (1820). He also wrote (1812-24) Boxiana, a classic work on boxing.

Pierce, Franklin, 1804-69, 14th President of the United States (1853-57), b. Hillsboro, N.H., grad. Bowdoin College, 1824. Admitted to the bar in 1827, he entered politics as a Jacksonian Democrat, like his father, Benjamin Pierce, who was twice elected governor of New Hampshire (1827, 1829). He served in the New Hampshire general court (1829-33), being speaker in 1831 and 1832, and had an undistinguished career in the U.S. House of Representatives (1833-37) and in the U.S. Senate (1837-42). On resigning from the Senate, he achieved success as a lawyer in Concord, N.H., and continued to be important in state politics. A strong nationalist, he vigorously supported and then served in the Mexican War, becoming a brigadier general of volunteers.

In 1852 the Democratic party was split into hostile factions led by William L. Marcy, Stephen A. Douglas, James Buchanan, and Lewis Cass, none of whom could muster sufficient strength to secure the presidential nomination. Pierce, personally charming and politically unobjectionable to Southerners since he favored the Compromise of 1850, was made the "dark horse" candidate by his friends. He won the nomination (on the 49th ballot) and went on to defeat the Whig candidate, Gen. Winfield Scott, his commander in the Mexican War.

Pierce's desire to smooth over the slavery quarrel and unite all factions of the Democratic party was reflected in the composition of his cabinet, for which he chose such outstanding sectional representatives as Marcy, Jefferson Davis, and Caleb Cushing. A vigorous expansionist foreign policy was adopted, but it failed in most of its objectives. After the Black Warrior affair (1854), which brought the United States to the brink of war with Spain, Pierce authorized his European ministers, Pierre Soulé, John Y. Mason, and Buchanan, to confer on the means by which the United States might acquire Cuba. Their report, the so-called Ostend Manifesto, was leaked to the press and caused such an uproar that the administration was forced to disavow it. Troubled relations with Great Britain were not improved by the U.S. naval bombardment (1854) of San Juan del Norte, British protectorate in Nicaragua; the filibustering activities of William Walker further aggravated Central American affairs. Moves to annex Hawaii, acquire a naval base in Santo Domingo, and purchase Alaska ended fruitlessly. One achievement, the successful Japanese expedition of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, had been initiated in Millard Fillmore's administration.

On the domestic scene Pierce stood for development of the West (the Gadsden Purchase was made during his administration), but plans for a transcontinental railroad fell through. The Kansas-Nebraska Act enraged many Northerners and precipitated virtual civil war between the pro- and antislavery forces in Kansas. Pierce, by that time very unpopular, was passed over by the Democrats for renomination, and Buchanan succeeded him. Pierce's opposition to the Civil War made him more than ever disliked in the North, where he died in obscurity.

Pierce, John, 1910-2002, American electrical engineer, b. Des Moines, Iowa, grad. California Institute of Technology (Ph.D. 1936). Pierce worked at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he proposed (1954) a communications satellite three years before Sputnik I was launched and worked on the Echo and Telstar communications satellites. He also was involved in many advances in digital music, and coined the word transistor [from transfer across a resistor]. After his retirement (1971), Pierce served on the faculty at the California Institute of Technology and Stanford Univ. until 1983. He was a prolific author of science-fiction short stories, essays, articles, and poems under the pseudonyms J. J. Coupling and John Roberts.

Butler, Pierce, 1866-1939, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1923-39), b. Dakota co., Minn. Admitted (1888) to the bar, he practiced in St. Paul, specialized in railroad law, and became an expert in railroad-valuation cases, serving (1913-22) both the U.S. and Canadian governments. On the Supreme Court, to which he was appointed by President Harding, he was generally considered a conservative.

(born Nov. 23, 1804, Hillsboro, N.H., U.S.—died Oct. 8, 1869, Concord, N.H.) 14th president of the U.S. (1853–57). He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837 and in the Senate from 1837 to 1842. At the deadlocked Democratic Party convention of 1852, he was nominated as a compromise presidential candidate; though largely unknown nationally, he unexpectedly trounced Winfield Scott in the general election. For the sake of harmony and business prosperity, he was inclined to oppose antislavery agitation. His promotion of U.S. territorial expansion resulted in the diplomatic controversy of the Ostend Manifesto. He reorganized the diplomatic and consular service and created the U.S. Court of Claims. Pierce encouraged plans for a transcontinental railroad and approved the Gadsden Purchase. To promote northwestern migration and conciliate sectional demands, he approved the Kansas-Nebraska Act but was unable to settle the resultant problems. Defeated for renomination by James Buchanan in 1856, he retired from politics.

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(born Aug. 30, 1893, near Winnfield, La., U.S.—died Sept. 10, 1935, Baton Rouge, La.) U.S. politician. Despite an impoverished background, he managed to obtain enough formal schooling to pass the bar in 1915. Politically ambitious, he was elected state railroad commissioner at 25. His call for state regulation of the utilities and his attacks on the Standard Oil Company won him widespread popularity. As governor (1928–31) of Louisiana, he became nationally famous for his fiery oratory and unconventional behaviour, and his nickname, “Kingfish,” became widely known. He implemented public works projects and education reform but used autocratic methods to control the state government. Elected to the U.S. Senate (1932–35), he sought national power with a Share-the-Wealth program. In 1935 he was assassinated by Carl A. Weiss, whose father Long had vilified. His brother Earl K. Long (1895–1960) later served as governor (1939–40, 1948–52, 1956–60).

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(born Aug. 30, 1893, near Winnfield, La., U.S.—died Sept. 10, 1935, Baton Rouge, La.) U.S. politician. Despite an impoverished background, he managed to obtain enough formal schooling to pass the bar in 1915. Politically ambitious, he was elected state railroad commissioner at 25. His call for state regulation of the utilities and his attacks on the Standard Oil Company won him widespread popularity. As governor (1928–31) of Louisiana, he became nationally famous for his fiery oratory and unconventional behaviour, and his nickname, “Kingfish,” became widely known. He implemented public works projects and education reform but used autocratic methods to control the state government. Elected to the U.S. Senate (1932–35), he sought national power with a Share-the-Wealth program. In 1935 he was assassinated by Carl A. Weiss, whose father Long had vilified. His brother Earl K. Long (1895–1960) later served as governor (1939–40, 1948–52, 1956–60).

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(born Nov. 23, 1804, Hillsboro, N.H., U.S.—died Oct. 8, 1869, Concord, N.H.) 14th president of the U.S. (1853–57). He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837 and in the Senate from 1837 to 1842. At the deadlocked Democratic Party convention of 1852, he was nominated as a compromise presidential candidate; though largely unknown nationally, he unexpectedly trounced Winfield Scott in the general election. For the sake of harmony and business prosperity, he was inclined to oppose antislavery agitation. His promotion of U.S. territorial expansion resulted in the diplomatic controversy of the Ostend Manifesto. He reorganized the diplomatic and consular service and created the U.S. Court of Claims. Pierce encouraged plans for a transcontinental railroad and approved the Gadsden Purchase. To promote northwestern migration and conciliate sectional demands, he approved the Kansas-Nebraska Act but was unable to settle the resultant problems. Defeated for renomination by James Buchanan in 1856, he retired from politics.

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Pierce is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census. The town is a rural agricultural community located on the Colorado Eastern Plains along U.S. Highway 85 north of Greeley. It was founded in 1869 and incorporated in 1918. It was named in honor of John Pierce, then president of the Union Pacific Railroad, in anticipation of the construction of an extension of the Union Pacific line southward into Colorado. The following year in 1870 it became a watering stop for steam locomotives on the newly built Denver Pacific Railroad . A box car was used as the first town post office, depot, and telegraph office. A depot was constructed in 1905 and demolished in 1963. As a railroad stop, it became a local shipping point for cattle, sheep, potatoes, beans, and sugar beets. The town underwent a decline in population (from 1,000 in 1976) and its economic base during the latter 20th century with the construction of highways that allowed more direct shipping of agricultural products. The town today consists of a small grid of gravel streets, with one paved thoroughfare (Main Street) west of U.S. Highway 85. The principal businesses in town include a grain elevator, as well as a grocery store, tavern, and other businesses along Main Street. The town also has a school, a volunteer fire station, a church, and a town park.

Geography

Pierce is located at (40.635134, -104.754574).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 884 people, 312 households, and 249 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,198.7 people per square mile (461.2/km²). There were 318 housing units at an average density of 431.2/sq mi (165.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.99% White, 0.45% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 9.73% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.48% of the population.

There were 312 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,944, and the median income for a family was $44,265. Males had a median income of $33,611 versus $22,174 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,412. About 4.6% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

In Popular Culture

• The opening scene of the 2000 science fiction film Titan A.E. takes place in Pierce, Colorado.

See also

• Colorado municipalities
• Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
• Front Range Urban Corridor
• Greeley Metropolitan Statistical Area
• State of Colorado
• Weld County, Colorado

See also

• State of Colorado
• Colorado cities and towns
• Colorado municipalities
• Colorado counties
• Weld County, Colorado

References

External links

• Town of Pierce contacts
• CDOT map of the Town of Pierce