James Buchanan

James Buchanan

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...
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quick facts
Birthdate:April 23, 1791
Birthplace:Cove Gap, Pennsylvania
Date of death:June 1, 1868
Height:6' 0"
Education:Dickinson College
Religion:Presbyterianism

Governmental positions held by James Buchanan

PositionDistrict RepresentedTerm
President of the United States United States of America 1857 - 1861
United States Secretary of State 1845 - 1849
United States Senator Pennsylvania 1834 - 1845
United States Ambassador to Russia 1832 - 1833
United States Representative Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district 1823 - 1831
United States Representative Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district 1821 - 1823
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Predecessor and Successor

Franklin Pierce
1853 - 1857
#14
James Buchanan
#15
James Buchanan
1857 - 1861
Abraham Lincoln
1861 - 1865
#16

Vice president for James Buchanan

John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
January 16, 1821 - May 17, 1875
Birthplace:Lexington

John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S. history, inaugurated at age 36. In the 1860 presidential election, he...
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Presidential cabinet under James Buchanan

Cabinet MemberPositionTerm
Howell Cobb United States Secretary of the Treasury 1857-1860
Philip Thomas United States Secretary of the Treasury 1860-1861
John Adams Dix United States Secretary of the Treasury 1861-1861
Lewis Cass United States Secretary of State 1857-1860
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Presidential elections involving James Buchanan

United States presidential election, 1856
United States presidential election, 1856
Election date:1856

The United States presidential election of 1856 was an unusually heated contest that led to the election of James Buchanan, the ambassador to the United Kingdom. Republican candidate John C. Frémont condemned the Kansas–Nebraska Act and crusaded against the expansion of slavery, while...
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Candidates in this Election
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Education

Dickinson College
Dickinson College

Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
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Books about James Buchanan

America in 1857
America in 1857
Genre:History
And the war came
And the war came
Free soil, free labor, free men
Free soil, free labor, free men
Author:Eric Foner

Birthplace of James Buchanan

Cove Gap
Cove Gap, Pennsylvania

Cove Gap is a village in Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Buchanan's Birthplace State Park is located here and honors the 15th US president James Buchanan, who was born in this village on April 23, 1791.

Places James Buchanan has lived

Map showing Places Lived by James Buchanan
MarkerLocationPopulation
A Lancaster 54,626
B Pennsylvania 12,742,886
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Events while in office

Battle of Kỳ Hòa
Battle of Kỳ Hòa
February 1861

The Battle of Ky Hoa was an important French victory in the Cochinchina campaign . This campaign, fought between the French and the Spanish on the...
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Battle of Yindurupilly
Battle of Yindurupilly
January 1, 1861

The Battle of Yindurupilly was an 1861 battle fought by colonial Australian squatters against the two local united indigenous tribes the Jagera and...
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Battle of Pease River
Battle of Pease River
December 18, 1860

The Battle of Pease River occurred on December 18, 1860, near the town of Margaret, Texas in Foard County, Texas, United States. The town is located...
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Siege of Gaeta
Siege of Gaeta
(November 5, 1860 - February 13, 1861)

The Siege of Gaeta was the concluding event of the war between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It started on November 5,...
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Battle of Guayaquil
Battle of Guayaquil
September 24, 1860

The Battle of Guayaquil was the final and pivotal armed confrontation of the Ecuadorian Civil War. The battle was fought on the outskirts of the city...
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q:
    What professions highlight James Buchanan's career?
  • A:
    James Buchanan was an accomplished politician and lawyer.
  • Q:
    What caused James Buchanan's death?
  • A:
    He died from respiratory failure.
  • Q:
    Where was James Buchanan born?
  • A:
    James Buchanan was born in Cove Gap.
  • Q:
    Where did James Buchanan go to school?
  • A:
    James Buchanan went to Dickinson College.
  • Q:
    Who was James Buchanan's Vice President?
  • A:
    John C. Breckinridge was the Vice President.
  • Q:
    What faith did James Buchanan subscribe to?
  • A:
    Presbyterianism was James Buchanan's chosen denomination.
  • Q:
    What Presidency number was the United States President, James Buchanan?
  • A:
    He was the 15th President of the United States.
  • Q:
    What is a well-known quote by James Buchanan?
  • A:
    Noteworthy quotations include: "But be this as it may, it is the imperative and indispensable duty of the Government of the United States to secure to every resident inhabitant the free and independent expression of his opinion by his vote."
James Buchanan Photo Gallery

Quotes

  • Public virtue is the vital spirit of republics, and history proves that when this has decayed and the love of money has usurped its place, although the forms of free government may remain for a season, the substance has departed forever.

    - James Buchanan
  • But be this as it may, it is the imperative and indispensable duty of the Government of the United States to secure to every resident inhabitant the free and independent expression of his opinion by his vote.

    - James Buchanan
  • ...slavery in the states is beyond the reach of any human power except that of the respective states...

    - James Buchanan
James Buchanan
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