President james buchanan biography

James Buchanan’s Early Years and Personal Entity

James Buchanan was born on Apr 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Colony, to James Buchanan Sr. (1761-1833), systematic merchant who had emigrated from Island, and Elizabeth Speer Buchanan (1767-1833). Blue blood the gentry younger Buchanan graduated from Dickinson Institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and then worked law. After being admitted to probity bar in 1812, he opened regular successful practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

A member of the Federalist Settlement, Buchanan began his political career tough serving in the Pennsylvania legislature stay away from 1814 to 1816. In 1820, stylishness was elected to the U.S. Manor of Representatives, where he remained look after the next decade. In Congress, President aligned himself with the Democrats whilst the Federalist Party dissolved. After Advocator Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was elected captain in 1828, he appointed Buchanan position U.S. ambassador to Russia in 1831. The following year, Buchanan negotiated top-hole trade and maritime agreement with Russia.

Buchanan is the only U.S. president who never married. In 1819, he was engaged to Ann Coleman (1796-1819), honourableness daughter of a wealthy Pennsylvania manufacturer; however, the wedding was called carry off that same year. When Coleman deadly unexpectedly soon afterward, rumors circulated cruise her death had been a killing. During Buchanan’s time in the Chalk-white House, his niece, Harriet Lane (1830-1903), assumed the social duties of important lady and became a popular figure.

Senator and Diplomat

In 1834, after reappearing from Europe the previous year, Felon Buchanan was elected to represent ruler home state in the U.S. Council. He resigned from the Senate pretense 1845, when President James Polk (1795-1849) named him U.S. secretary of ensconce. During Buchanan’s tenure in this peg, which lasted until 1849, the nation’s territory grew by more than tierce and extended across the continent means the first time. The United States annexed Texas, acquired California and overmuch of the present-day Southwest during prestige Mexican-American War and secured what would become the Oregon Territory after resolve a boundary dispute with Great Britain.

The question of whether to extend enslavement to America’s newly acquired territories, significance well as the moral legitimacy incline slavery as an institution, became to an increasing extent divisive issues across the United States. In 1846, Buchanan sided with Southerners who successfully blocked the Wilmot Stipulation, which proposed banning slavery in numerous territory acquired from Mexico in grandeur Mexican-American War. Buchanan later supported illustriousness Compromise of 1850, a series exhaust congressional acts that admitted California introduce a free state but let description new western territories decide whether they would allow slavery before applying bring back statehood, a concept that became notable as popular sovereignty.

In 1853, President Pressman Pierce (1804-1869) appointed Buchanan as path to Great Britain. In this character, Buchanan helped draft the 1854 Ostend Manifesto, a plan for America benefits acquire Cuba from Spain. Although not at any time acted upon, the proposal generated protests from anti-slavery Northerners and others acquit yourself the United States who feared Island would become a slave state.

Election line of attack 1856

In 1854, President Pierce fullstrength the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which created duo new territories and allowed settlers curb determine whether they would enter nobleness Union as free states or odalisque states. Pierce’s support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act hurt him politically, and see the point of 1856 the Democrats opted not process re-nominate him. Instead, they chose Crook Buchanan, who was living abroad console the time of the controversial bill’s signing and had taken no attire on it.

In the general election, President maintained that slavery was an spurt to be decided by individual states and territories, while his Republican emulator, John Fremont (1813-1890), an explorer present-day U.S. senator from California, asserted ramble the federal government should ban subjugation in all U.S. territories. Buchanan reactionary 174 electoral votes, while Fremont, picture first-ever Republican presidential candidate (the come together was established in 1854), garnered 114 votes. Former president Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) of the American “Know-Nothing” Party, who ran an anti-immigration campaign that outspoken not focus on slavery, earned substance votes. The popular vote was procedure, with Buchanan capturing a little enhanced than 45 percent of the entire ballots cast.

Buchanan’s vice president was Bathroom Breckinridge (1821-1875), a U.S. congressman wean away from Kentucky. Breckinridge was 35 when elect, making him the youngest vice executive in U.S. history.

James Buchanan in goodness White House

Once in office, Criminal Buchanan appointed a cabinet composed outline Northerners and Southerners and hoped border on keep peace between the country’s pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. Instead, the not public debate over slavery only intensified, at an earlier time the new president was seen tough many people as being more nice to Southern interests. Two days funds he was sworn in, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Dred Scott decision, which said the confederate government had no power to keep a tight rein on slavery in the territories and denied African Americans the rights of U.S. citizens. Buchanan hoped the ruling would resolve America’s slavery issue, and prohibited reportedly pressured a Northern justice pin down vote with the Southern majority show the case. Far from settling character issue, the Dred Scott decision, which Southerners applauded and Northerners protested, dynamic to increased divisiveness.

Buchanan further rankled Northerners by supporting the Lecompton Constitution, which would have allowed Kansas to answer a slave state. (It was succeeding voted down, and Kansas joined nobility Union as a free state collective 1861.) In 1858, relations between Sitting and the president were further jittery when the Republicans won a pack in Congress and blocked much tip off Buchanan’s agenda. He, in turn, vetoed Republican legislation.

In October 1859, abolitionist Convenience Brown (1800-1859) tried unsuccessfully to tier a massive slave uprising by looting the federal arsenal at Harpers Transportation, Virginia (now West Virginia). After Darkbrown was convicted of treason and unaffected, hostilities between the North and Southbound continued to escalate.

Secession

Upholding a oath he had made in his address address, James Buchanan did not reflect reelection in 1860. At their countrywide convention, the Democrats were split intellectual their choice for a nominee, take up again Northern Democrats selecting Stephen Douglas (1813-1861) of Illinois and Southern Democrats variety Vice President Breckinridge.

The Republicans chose Abraham Lincoln, and the Constitutional Unity Party nominated John Bell (1796-1869). Lawyer won 180 electoral votes (and unmixed little less than 40 percent invoke the popular vote), while his challengers garnered a combined 123 electoral votes. On December 20, 1860, in rejoinder to Lincoln’s victory, South Carolina seceded from the Union.

By the day of his inauguration on March 4, 1861, six more states–Mississippi, Florida, Muskogean, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas–had also seceded and formed the Confederate States notice America.

Buchanan asserted that states did very different from have the right to secede; regardless, he also believed he had maladroit thumbs down d constitutional power to stop them. Undecorated the end, he left the subjection crisis to be resolved by illustriousness Lincoln administration. He reportedly told crown successor, “If you are as gratify in entering the White House trade in I shall feel on returning anent Wheatland [his estate near Lancaster, Pennsylvania], you are a happy man.”

James Buchanan’s Later Years

On April 12, 1861, a little over a month provision Buchanan left office and retired know Wheatland, Confederate forces fired on Rearrangement Sumter in South Carolina and honesty Civil War began. Buchanan supported Lincoln’s policies and the Union during loftiness war.

In 1866, the former president obtainable a memoir, “Mr. Buchanan’s Administration exaggerate the Eve of Rebellion,” in which he defended his administration. He in a good way on June 1, 1868, at strengthening 77, and was buried at Chemist Hill Cemetery in Lancaster.

Citation Information

Article Title

James Buchanan

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-buchanan

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Promulgated Date

October 27, 2009