James Buchanan

James Buchanan
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Name	James Buchanan
Order	15th
Office	President of the United States
Term start	March 4, 1857
Term end	March 4, 1861
Vicepresident	John C. Breckinridge
Predecessor	Franklin Pierce
Successor	Abraham Lincoln
Office1	20th United States Secretary of State
Term start1	March 10, 1845
Term end1	March 7, 1849
President1	James K. Polk
Predecessor1	John C. Calhoun
Successor1	John M. Clayton
Office2	United States Minister to the United Kingdom
Term start2	August 23, 1853
Term end2	March 15, 1856
President2	Franklin Pierce
Predecessor2	Joseph Reed Ingersoll
Successor2	George M. Dallas
Office3	17th United States Minister to Russia
Term start3	June 11, 1832
Term end3	August 5, 1833
President3	Andrew Jackson
Predecessor3	John Randolph of Roanoke
Successor3	William Wilkins
State4	Pennsylvania
Term start4	March 4, 1834
Term end4	March 5, 1845
Predecessor4	William Wilkins
Successor4	Simon Cameron
Office5	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 3rd district
Term start5	March 4, 1821
Term end5	March 3, 1823
Predecessor5	James M. Wallace
Successor5	Daniel H. Miller
Office6	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 4th district
Term start6	March 4, 1823
Term end6	March 3, 1831
Predecessor6	James S. Mitchell
Successor6	William Hiester
Party	Democratic
Birth date	April 23, 1791
Birth place	Cove Gap, Pennsylvania
Death date	June 1, 1868 (aged 77)
Death place	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Restingplace	Woodward Hill Cemetery
Alma mater	Dickinson College
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink

James Buchanan. The 15th President of the United States, he served from 1857 to 1861, immediately preceding the American Civil War. His administration is most remembered for its failure to quell the escalating sectional crisis over slavery, culminating in the secession of several Southern states. A Jacksonian Democrat with a long career in public service, he remains the only president from Pennsylvania and the only president who never married.

Early life and education

Born in a log cabin at Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, he was the son of a merchant and farmer. He attended the Old Stone Academy before enrolling at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1809. After moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he studied law under prominent attorney James Hopkins and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1812. His early legal practice was successful, and he served briefly in the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812.

Political career before presidency

Buchanan began his political career in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before winning election to the United States House of Representatives in 1820, serving for a decade. A supporter of Andrew Jackson, he later served as United States Minister to Russia under Jackson, where he negotiated a commercial treaty. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1834, becoming a key figure in the Democratic Party. President James K. Polk appointed him United States Secretary of State, a role in which he helped negotiate the Oregon Treaty with Great Britain and oversaw the end of the Mexican–American War. He later served as United States Minister to the United Kingdom under President Franklin Pierce.

Presidency (1857–1861)

Buchanan’s presidency was dominated by the issue of slavery’s expansion. Two days after his inauguration, the Supreme Court of the United States issued the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, which he supported. He attempted to influence the admission of Kansas as a state under the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution, a move that bitterly divided the Democratic Party and was opposed by Senator Stephen A. Douglas. His administration was further weakened by the Panic of 1857. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Buchanan declared secession illegal but also held that the federal government had no constitutional power to stop it, leading to a passive response as states like South Carolina left the Union. He left office with the Confederate States of America formed and Fort Sumter in crisis.

Post-presidency and death

Buchanan retired to his estate, Wheatland, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He publicly defended his administration’s record in a memoir titled Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion. He largely lived in seclusion during the American Civil War, expressing support for the Union Army but remaining a critic of the Lincoln administration’s wartime policies. He died of respiratory failure at Wheatland in 1868 and was interred at Woodward Hill Cemetery in Lancaster.

Legacy and historical view

Historians consistently rank Buchanan among the nation's least effective presidents, citing his failure to prevent the dissolution of the Union. His strict constructionist view of the Constitution is often criticized as legalistic paralysis in the face of rebellion. While his extensive pre-presidential resume in roles like United States Secretary of State is acknowledged, his presidency is defined by the secession crisis. Memorials include his home as a National Historic Landmark and a statue in Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C..

Category:1791 births Category:1868 deaths Category:Presidents of the United States Category:United States Secretaries of State Category:United States senators from Pennsylvania