James Buchanan
15th President of the United States
James Buchanan
• Born: April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap near
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
• Died: June 1, 1868 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• Education: Dickinson College
• Occupations: Soldier and Lawyer
• Married: none
• Home: Wheatland – in Lancaster, PA
• Political Party: Democrat
• Inauguration: March 4, 1857 in Washington
D.C.
Important Information
• He was elected five times to the House of
Representatives.
• Then, after an interlude as Minister to Russia, served
for a decade in the Senate.
• He became Polk's Secretary of State and Pierce's
Minister to Great Britain.
• Service abroad helped to bring him the Democratic
nomination in 1856 because it had exempted him from
involvement in bitter domestic controversies.
• Before his White House years, his fiancée died, and he
vowed never to marry. During many of his years,
especially at the White House, his niece Harriet Lane
became served as his hostess and became quite
popular.
Important Information
• As President-elect, Buchanan thought the crisis would
disappear if he maintained a sectional balance in his
appointments.
• The Supreme Court was considering the legality of
restricting slavery in the territories, and two justices
hinted to Buchanan what the decision would be.
• Two days after Buchanan’s inauguration, Chief Justice
Roger B. Taney delivered the Dred Scott decision,
asserting that Congress had no constitutional power to
deprive persons of their property rights in slaves in the
territories.
• When Republicans won a plurality in the House in
1858, every significant bill they passed fell before
southern votes in the Senate or a Presidential veto.
The Federal Government reached a stalemate.
As President
• Sectional strife rose to such a pitch in 1860 that the
Democratic Party split into northern and southern wings,
each nominating its own candidate for the Presidency.
• Consequently, when the Republicans nominated Abraham
Lincoln, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be
elected even though his name appeared on no southern
ballot.
• President Buchanan denied the legal right of states to
secede but held that the Federal Government legally could
not prevent them.
• Then Buchanan took a more militant tack and sent the Star
of the West to carry reinforcements to Fort Sumter. On
January 9, 1861, the vessel was far away.
As President
• Dred Scott Decision (1857) - Ruled that a slave could
not sue for his freedom because he was not a citizen,
but property. Declared the Missouri Compromise
unconstitutional saying that Congress cannot decide
which states permit or outlaw slavery. He vetoed every
bill passed by the Republican majority in Congress
1859-1861.
• Buchanan decided to end the troubles in Kansas by
urging the admission of the territory as a slave state.
• Minnesota became the 32nd state in 1858.
• Oregon became the 33rd state in 1859.
As President
• John Brown's raided Harper's Ferry in 1859 to steal
guns and ammunition. He failed miserably, and was
caught and executed for his involvement in Bleeding,
Kansas.
• The Pony Express was organized in 1860 creating a
mail service between Missouri and California.
• Kansas became the 34th state. The admission of
Kansas on January 29, 1861, was extremely
controversial, as Buchanan proposed it as a slave state.
• Before Buchanan left office, seven states beginning
with South Carolina seceded forming the Confederate
States of America in 1861. Jefferson Davis was chosen
as their president.
Interesting Facts
• In March 1861, he retired to his Pennsylvania home
Wheatland--where he died seven years later--leaving
his successor to resolve the frightful issue facing the
Nation.
• James Buchanan was the only President who never
married.
• Major Political Opponents – John Fremont (Republican)
and Millard Fillmore (Whig)
• Vice Presidents – John C. Breckenridge
• Nickname “Old Buck”
Elections
1856 - The major issue surrounding the 1856
election was that a new party, bearing the
name of Jefferson's old organization,
Republican, had entered the election against
slavery in the territories. Buchanan received a
plurality of the popular votes, defeating John
Fremont the Republican Candidate, and former
President Millard Fillmore from the American
Party. Buchanan won the electoral vote with
174 to Fremont’s 114 and Fillmore’s 8.
Famous Quotes
• "I desire to come between the factions as a
daysman with one hand on the head of each,
counseling peace."
• "I acted for some time as a breakwater
between the North and South, both surging
with all their forces against me."
• "There is nothing stable but Heaven and the
Constitution."
• "The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes
among freemen."