According to some historians (e.g. Nathan Miller in his book Star-Spangled Men) President Franklin Pierce came from a family where the surname was pronounced "Purse." Our own Pierce County was named in honor of the 14th President. So, accordingly, we should start calling the county between King and Thurston "Purse County." And the college up there "Purse College."

Pierce usually ranks near the bottom when historians rank the presidents. His personal life was dark and tragic, not unlike some of the stories written by one of his best friends, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne congratulated Pierce on his election with, "Frank, I pity you--indeed I do, from the bottom of my heart!"

After failing to attain renomination for a 2nd term, Pierce supposedly said, "There's nothing left to do but get drunk." And he did just that for over a decade. His friendship with his old Sec. of War, Jefferson Davis, didn't help his popularity in the North during the Civil War. He died in Concord, NH in 1869, but a true memorial site for him was not constructed until decades later.

So the least we could do to show some respect for this forgotten political figure is to pronounce Pierce County the way it was meant to be pronounced. Purse County.