James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania and the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor. His niece Harriet Lane played the role as lady of the house. Buchanan was a popular and experienced state politician and a successful attorney before his presidency. He represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the Senate, and served as Minister to Russia under President Andrew Jackson. He also was Secretary of State under President James K. Polk. After turning down an offer for an appointment to... the Supreme Court, President Franklin Pierce appointed him Minister to the United Kingdom, in which capacity he helped draft the controversial Ostend Manifesto. Buchanan was nominated in the 1856 election. Throughout most of Franklin Pierce's term he was stationed in London as a Minister to the Court of St. James's and therefore was not caught up in the crossfire of sectional politics that dominated the country.
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| Birthdate: | April 23, 1791 |
| Birthplace: | Cove Gap, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death: | June 1, 1868 |
| Height: | 6' 0" |
| Education: | Dickinson College |
| Religion: | Presbyterianism |