The saddest president:
His oldest child, a son also named Franklin, lived only a few days. He never even saw his firstborn, because the child was born, died, and was buried while Franklin was in Washington, away from his wife.
His second son only lived four years.
After Franklin had been elected, but before he assumed office, a train the Pierce family was traveling on derailed and their car rolled down a hill. Benjamin Pierce, twelve years old, was the only fatality of the accident.
He was a soldier who was killed in action during World War One.