American President
James Buchanan (1791–1868)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 15th President of the United States (1857–1861)
- Born
- April 23, 1791, Cove Gap (near Mercersburg), Pennsylvania
- Nickname
- “Old Buck”
- Education
- Dickinson College (graduated 1809)
- Religion
- Presbyterian
- Marriage
- None
- Career
- Lawyer
- Political Party
- Democrat
- Writings
- Mr. Buchanan’s Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion (1866); Works of James Buchanan (12 vols., 1908–1911), ed. by John Bassett Moore
- Died
- June 1, 1868, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Buried
- Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- A Life in Brief
- In the 1850s, the question of slavery divided the United States. Hopes ran high that the new President, “Old Buck,” might be the man to avert national crisis. He failed entirely. During his administration, the Union broke apart, and when he left office, civil war threatened. More »
- Having determined not to become a candidate for reelection, I shall have no motive to influence my conduct in administering the Government except the desire ably and faithfully to serve my country and to live in grateful memory of my countrymen.
- March 4, 1857
Essays on James Buchanan and His Administration
- James Buchanan
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Harriet Lane
- Vice President
- John C. Breckinridge (1857–1861)
- Secretary of State
- Lewis Cass (1857–1860)
- Jeremiah S. Black (1860–1861)
- Secretary of War
- John B. Floyd (1857–1860)
- Joseph Holt (1861–1861)
- Postmaster General
- Aaron V. Brown (1857–1859)
- Joseph Holt (1859–1861)
- Horatio King (1861–1861)
- Secretary of the Interior
- Jacob Thompson (1857–1861)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Howell Cobb (1857–1860)
- Philip F. Thomas (1860–1861)
- John A. Dix (1861–1861)
- Attorney General
- Jeremiah S. Black (1857–1860)
- Edwin M. Stanton (1860–1861)
- Secretary of the Navy
- Isaac Toucey (1857–1861)
Consulting Editor: William Cooper
Professor Cooper is the Boyd Professor of History at Louisiana State University. His writings include:
The American South: A History (with Thomas T. Terrill, McGraw-Hill College, 3d., 2002)
Jefferson Davis: American (Alfred A. Knopf, 2000)
Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860 (Alfred A. Knopf, 1983)
The South and the Politics of Slavery (Louisiana State University Press, 1978)
The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877–1890 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1968)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s James Buchanan speech collection.
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on James Buchanan.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Presidential Nominating Process and its relationship to Buchanan.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on James Buchanan’s Private and Public Papers
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