Basic Facts:
Birth: April 23, 1791 at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Death: June 1, 1868 at Wheatland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania of respiratory failure.
Married: Never
Children: 0
President: One term beginning March 4, 1857
Family:
In 1819, Buchanan and Ann Caroline Coleman, the daughter of an iron magnate, became engaged. Unfortunately, Ann was duped to believe that James had been unfaithful to her. Ann broke off the engagement. Heartbroken, she died only a few months later. Buchanan was absolutely shattered by this wretched turn of events. Ann’s family even said he should not attend her funeral. Grief-stricken, James vowed to never marry again. A promise that he kept until his final day.
Buchanan’s niece, Harriet Lane, served as hostess during his tenure in office.
Buchanan had a long and very close relationship with William Rufus King, the U.S. Vice President serving President Pierce. They moved in together in a house in Washington D. C. and their communion continued from 1834 to 1844. Many historians and political scientists have speculated on Buchanan’s sexuality, concluding that he was probably homosexual.
Other:
Nickname: “Old Buck”
Buchanan was 6′ tall.
1814-1816 Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Only President from Pennsylvania.
1820 U.S. House of Representatives.
1831 Minister to Russia in Jackson’s administration.
1853 Minister to Great Britain in Pierce’s administration.
1834 U. S. Senator
1845 Secretary of State in Polk’s administration.
From Fun Facts About James Buchanan.webs.com:
As President he was a “doughface”, a Northerner with Southern sympathies who battled with Stephen A. Douglas for the control of the Democratic Party. A popular and experienced politician when he took office, Buchanan’s efforts to maintain peace between the North and the South alienated both sides. As the Southern states declared their secession in the prologue to the American Civil War, Buchanan’s opinion was that secession was illegal, but that going to war to stop it was also illegal; hence he remained inactive. By the time he left office, popular opinion had turned against him and the Democratic Party had split in two. His handling of the crisis preceding the Civil War has led to his consistent ranking by historians as one of the worst Presidents in American history.
President Buchanan held tightly to his conviction that although slavery might be morally wrong, the Federal Government lacked the right to interfere with States’ rights.
Buchanan’s presidency was marked by immense partisan strife over the issue of slavery. Buchanan attempted to take a middle ground approach in an effort to appease both sides, but the result was that both sides felt alienated and viewed Buchanan’s leadership as weak and vascillating. He had promised not to run for re-election, and he kept true to that promise in 1860, retiring to his home in rural Pennsylvania. On his last day in office, Lincoln’s inauguration day, Buchanan famously told him: “If you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel upon leaving it, you are a happy man.”
Buchanan retired to his home at Wheatland, Pennsylvania
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Sources:
Internet Public Library
Factsking.com
Fun Facts About James Buchanan.webs.com
Serene-Musings.blogspot.com
Wheatland/National Park Service
Greenman, Barbara. The Timeline History of U. S. Presidents and First Ladies Thunder Bay Press, San Diego, California, 2009.