James Buchanan
At a Glance
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....
Essays on James Buchanan and His Administration
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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. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by James Buchanan or by another President, please click the link below.
Miller Center 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.
Click here to 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 that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.