When Franklin Pierce was born, Thomas Jefferson was just starting his second term as president. Franklin Pierce was the son of Benjamin Pierce, a recognized hero of the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Pierce served as a general under George Washington. Since Franklin Pierce grew up the son of a war hero, it was no wonder that Franklin's childhood fantasy was to be a war hero himself someday. He would get his chance in the war with Mexico. However, before he could go to war, his mother insisted that he go to school.