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James Buchanan

President of the United States from 1857 to 1861 · United States · Politicians · Lived 1791 to 1868 · aged 77

James Buchanan is read about 2,708 times a day, in 132 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026

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The only president historians consistently rank as the worst. Buchanan watched the Union fracture and did almost nothing - advocated for states' rights on slavery, intervened to tilt the Dred Scott case, then froze as the South seceded.

PoliticiansPoliticianPoliticsLawFoundersUnited StatesAmericas19th Century

A life in dates

1868Died1 June 18681861“Sir, if you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed.”In their words4 March 1861Said to Abraham Lincoln on the ride back from Lincoln's inauguration as president (4 March 1861); as quoted in James Buchanan (2004) by

“It is said that serious apprehensions are to some extent entertained (in which I do not share) that the peace of this District may be disturbed before the 4th of March next.”In their words8 January 1861Speech to Congress (8 January 1861).

1857“All agree that under the Constitution slavery in the States is beyond the reach of any human power except that of the respective States themselves wherein it exists.”In their words4 March 1857Inaugural address (4 March 1857).

President of the United StatesOffice1857-18611856President-elect of the United StatesOffice1856-18571845United States Secretary of StateOffice1845-18491844“I am now ‘solitary and alone,’ having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them.”In their wordsLetter sent to a friend regarding his loneliness following his friend, William R. King, leaving for Paris. (1844). -

1834United States senatorOffice1834-18451832United States ambassador to the Russian EmpireOffice1832-18331821United States representativeOffice1821-18311814Member of the Pennsylvania House of RepresentativesOffice1814-18161791Born23 April 1791

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Photos 12

Buchanan's birthplaceBuchanan's birthplace1834 portrait of Buchanan at age 42-43 by Jacob Eichholtz1834 portrait of Buchanan at age 42-43 by Jacob EichholtzBuchanan (second from the left) in Polk's cabinet, 1849Buchanan (second from the left) in Polk's cabinet, 1849Bust of James Buchanan by Henry Dexter at the National Portrait GalleryBust of James Buchanan by Henry Dexter at the National Portrait Gallery1856 map of electoral votes1856 map of electoral votesPresident Buchanan and his Cabinet, photograph by Mathew Brady (c. 1859).From left to right: Jacob Thompson, Lewis Cass, John B. Floyd, James Buchanan, Howell Cobb, Isaac Toucey, Joseph Holt and Jeremiah S. BlackPresident Buchanan and his Cabinet, photograph by Mathew Brady (c. 1859).From left to right: Jacob Thompson, Lewis Cass, John B. Floyd, James Buchanan, Howell Cobb, Isaac Toucey, Joseph Holt and Jeremiah S. BlackThe balance of free and slave states and territories in 1858, after the admission of MinnesotaThe balance of free and slave states and territories in 1858, after the admission of Minnesota

In their own words 8

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James Buchanan
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8 statements, newest first

  1. Sir, if you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed.

    Mar 4, 1861, Said to Abraham Lincoln on the ride back from Lincoln's inauguration as president (4 March 1861); as quoted in James Buchanan (2004) by, Own words

  2. It is said that serious apprehensions are to some extent entertained (in which I do not share) that the peace of this District may be disturbed before the 4th of March next.

    Jan 8, 1861, Speech to Congress (8 January 1861)., Own words

  3. All agree that under the Constitution slavery in the States is beyond the reach of any human power except that of the respective States themselves wherein it exists.

    Mar 4, 1857, Inaugural address (4 March 1857)., Own words

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About this person

Born in Pennsylvania in 1791, Buchanan was a lawyer who climbed steadily: five terms in the House, eleven years in the Senate, secretary of state under Polk, minister to Russia and later to the United Kingdom. He chased the Democratic nomination for years before finally winning the presidency in 1856. Two days after his inauguration in 1857, the Supreme Court handed down Dred Scott - a pro-slavery ruling he'd quietly lobbied for. He pushed to admit Kansas as a slave state under the Lecompton Constitution and pledged to serve only one term. In 1860 he backed his vice president, but the Democratic Party splintered and Lincoln won. During his lame duck months, as Southern states seceded, Buchanan supported the Corwin Amendment and tried once to reinforce Fort Sumter, then largely stood still. He left office in 1861, weeks before the Civil War began, and spent his remaining years defending what he'd done. He died in 1868.

Country
United States
Category
Politicians
Type
Politician
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1791 to 1868 · aged 77

Politicians from the United States 6

Cory Booker76.0William McKinley76.0Marsha Blackburn76.0John Tyler76.0James K. Polk76.1Zachary Taylor75.8

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