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Volume CXXXIII, Number 2 |
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Fessenden & Hyde Series: Part 1: Fessenden
and Pierce go to Bowdoin
KID WONGSRICHANALAI
Staff Writer
It is amazing to see the number of remarkable people that
pass through the gates of Bowdoin. Indeed, in the years from 1823 to 1825,
five individuals who would, in the course of their lives, play a significant
role in matters of politics, education, and literature would graduate
from the College. But, there was barely a college then. Presided over
by President William Allen, the three buildings that were in use were
Massachusetts Halls, Winthrop Hall, Maine Hall, and the Chapel. Given
the fact that the class of 1824 had a mere nineteen students, the facilities
were probably quite adequate.
There were but six faculty members and the tuition for one
semester was less than seven dollars. The small size of the College certainly
did not hamper the quality of the education that the students received.
In fact, the Bowdoin of those days was probably quite a nice spot to sit,
read, write poetry, and dream. Pine trees, not people, ruled the state
of Maine. The Androscoggin, flowing as it flows today, snaked past the
small college town and lent its presence to the scholars who came to Bowdoin.
William Pitt Fessenden was born to Samuel Fessenden and
Ruth Greene on October 16, 1806. Young Fessenden was named after William
Pitt, the British politician. His father never married his mother, and
the young boy would never get to know the woman who bore him, for he was
given to Samuel's mother to be raised. These uneventful years for young
William went by rather swiftly. His father soon married another lady,
who bore him many children. In addition, the senior Fessenden was also
advancing in the military. During the War of 1812, he was bestowed the
rank of major general in the Maine militia.
In 1818, Pitt (as he was referred to by his friends) tried
his hand at entering Bowdoin College. In those days, the requirements
for getting into the College were extensive and included knowledge of
arithmetic, geometry, Latin and Greek. Ill prepared at his first attempt,
young Pitt Fessenden was sent home. Reading and work occupied most of
the young boy's time and his education at North Yarmouth Academy (later
in the century to be attended by Civil War great Oliver Howard of the
Bowdoin class of 1850) did not go to waste. A year later, at the mere
age of thirteen, William Pitt Fessenden began his Bowdoin career in the
class of 1823.
Fessenden jumped right into the Bowdoin experience (whatever
it might have been in the early decades of the nineteenth century) and
was active in public speaking as well as earning decent grades in class.
Fessenden's quick mind enabled him to complete work quickly and then spend
the rest of the time on sports or other activities. As far as friends
were concerned, Fessenden was a likable chap who liked his friends and
hated his enemies. However, during his junior year, Fessenden found himself
with poor standing in his class and thus resolved to work harder.
Entering the class behind William Pitt Fessenden was a young
lad from New Hampshire. His name was Franklin Pierce and, as the son of
the Revolutionary War general Benjamin Pierce, he had a big name to live
up to. Young Pierce, however, did not seem to care. He was a troublemaker,
known for his fighting and damaging of property. Indeed, the strict rules
of Bowdoin did not prevent the future president from trying his very best
to get as close to being expelled as possible. The young Pierce even became
entangled in a mini-sized mutiny over the issue of military drill.
Bowdoin president Allen certainly was not a fan of young
Mr. Pierce. In the classroom he was no better. Once, coming into Alpheus
Packard's math class, he copied the homework assignment from his classmate
Calvin Stowe's slate. When Professor Packard asked Pierce to present the
problem he did so. When the professor further asked the troublemaker where
he had acquired this homework, he answered with an honest and humored
face, "Why, from Stowe's slate, of course!"
Later in his life, Calvin Stowe would marry Harriet Beecher
and bring her to Brunswick, Maine where, in the First Parish Church, she
would have a vision and thereafter write one of the most amazing books
in American history, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Calvin Stowe, aside from supporting
his wife's endeavors, would also lead a crusade for free public education
in America.
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| The Pierce reading room in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. (Liesl Finn, Bowdoin Orient) |
In Franklin Pierce's junior year at Bowdoin, he stood last
in his class. Like William Pitt Fessenden in the class ahead of him, he
would gear up for his last year in college. With a rigorous study schedule
beginning at four a.m., the future president fought his way up till he
stood fifth in his class. His friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne '25
would be lifelong, Pierce having begun it at Bowdoin. Hawthorne and his
classmate Longfellow would leave Bowdoin and make names for themselves
as literary geniuses. That's a lot more that can be said for Franklin
Pierce's future, but that part is yet to come.
William Pitt Fessenden had some trouble with the College
in his final year. The faculty accused him of going to a tavern without
permission. The faculty members proclaimed that for his "disrespectful
conduct" and "profane swearing", he should be punished
by not being allowed to graduate. With the help of his father, however,
Pitt was later given his Bowdoin degree.
Franklin Pierce had no trouble graduating the following year, for he was
number five in his class of fifteen remaining students. That year's ceremony
was supposed to be spectacular- the Marquis de Lafayette had been invited
to accept an honorary degree from Bowdoin. However, neither the Frenchman,
nor General Pierce, young Franklin's father, were able to attend. As disappointing
as that may have been, Pierce was on his way out from college. That was
really all that mattered.
Thus, two political figures were headed out into the world
from the gates of Bowdoin. One was William Pitt Fessenden, soon to grace
the steps of the United States Senate. The other was Franklin Pierce,
whose path would lead him to the Senate as well as to a four year stay
at the White House.
Next Week: The Early Days in Politics for Fessenden.
Author's Note: The author would like to extend belated birthday
greetings to General Joshua Chamberlain, born on the 8th of September,
1828. Happy Birthday General!
To view a full version of the entire series (including source
citations) please visit my website. (This site includes the Chamberlain
and Howard Series and is updated weekly during the school year) at: http://www.bowdoin.edu/~kwongsri
Also, please send comments and ideas to: kwongsri@bowdoin.edu