History UsefulNotes / JamesBuchanan

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst; his only real rivals for the position are UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who was publicly disgraced in 1974 and resigned from the presidency after his role in the 1972 Watergate Scandal was made apparent, and UsefulNotes/AndrewJohnson, Lincoln's successor. While Buchanan's "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

Even before his infamous last months in office, however, he earned the justified scorn of modern historians by endorsing the outrageously racist ''Dred Scott'' v. ''Sandford'' decision -- which declared African Americans did not have or deserve any rights as citizens, and legalized slavery in all the territories that had yet to earn statehood -- before it was handed down, after Chief Justice Roger B. Taney told him the way the verdict would go at his inauguration. Worse, it emerged years later than the court were originally simply going to rule that slaves could not be automatically freed in territories where slavery was outlawed, due to the lack of a majority for a more wide-ranging decision ... until Buchanan persuaded Robert Grier, a justice from his native Pennsylvania, to support the decision that was eventually made. It could have gone FromBadToWorse, as Buchanan was allegedly leaning on the Supreme Court to make a decision in another case (''Lemmon'' v. ''New York'') that would have legalized slavery nationwide, but the Civil War ended up breaking out before the case could be heard.

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst; his only real rival for the position is UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who was publicly disgraced in 1974 and resigned from the presidency after his role in the 1972 Watergate Scandal was made apparent, and UsefulNotes/AndrewJohnson, Lincoln's successor. While Buchanan's "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst; his only real rival for the position is UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who was publicly disgraced in 1974 and resigned from the presidency after his role in the 1972 Watergate Scandal was made apparent, and AndrewJohnson, Lincoln's successor. While Buchanan's "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst; his only real rival for the position is UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who was publicly disgraced in 1974 and resigned from the presidency after his role in the 1972 Watergate Scandal was made apparent. While Buchanan's "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

James Buchanan, Jr. (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth president of the United States, serving from [[TheWildWest 1857 to 1861]], and the fifth representing the Democratic Party. He immediately followed UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, but, more notably, preceded UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. He was the last president born in the 18th century and the only president from UsefulNotes/{{Pennsylvania}}, although that state currently isn't very proud of that. Buchanan remains the only president never to marry; his niece Harriet Lane fulfilled the duties hostess at TheWhiteHouse. He ''was'' engaged to Anne Caroline Coleman at one point, but they broke up and she died (likely suicide) shortly after. Buchanan wrote to ask Anne's father, Robert Coleman, a wealthy iron manufacturer, for permission to attend Anne's funeral, but her father refused to allow it. Is often believed (including during his lifetime) to have been a closeted gay man, who allegedly had a long relationship with Alabama Senator William Rufus King, who died six weeks into his term as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. When attending social functions together, UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson called King "Miss Nancy", and Democrat Aaron V. Brown referred to King as Buchanan's "better half", "wife", and "Aunt Fancy", the last being a 19th-century euphemism for an effeminate man. Buchanan described King as "among the best, the purest and most consistent public men I have known." The truth died with Buchanan, since his relatives burned his diaries and personal documents upon his death, as per his request. During his presidency, Buchanan's adopted orphaned niece, Harriet Lane, served as the White House hostess.

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst; his only real rival for the position is UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who was publicly disgraced in 1974 and resigned from the presidency after his role in the 1972 Watergate Scandal was made apparent. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to maintain merely the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his all but openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

'''James Buchanan''' (April 23, 1791 -- June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States, serving from [[TheWildWest 1857 to 1861]], and the fifth representing the institution known as the Democratic Party. He immediately followed UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, but, more notably, preceded UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. He was the last president born in the 18th century and the only president from Pennsylvania, although that state currently isn't very proud of that. Buchanan remains the only President to never marry; his niece fulfilled the duties of First Lady. He ''was'' engaged to Anne Caroline Coleman at one point, but they broke up and she died (likely suicide) shortly after. Buchanan wrote to ask Anne's father, Robert Coleman, a wealthy iron manufacturer, for permission to attend Anne's funeral, but her father refused to allow it. Is often believed (including during his lifetime) to have been a closeted gay man, who allegedly had a long relationship with Alabama Senator William Rufus King, who died six weeks into his term as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. When attending social functions together, UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson called King "Miss Nancy", and Democrat Aaron V. Brown referred to King as Buchanan's "better half", "wife", and "Aunt Fancy", the last being a 19th-century euphemism for an effeminate man. Buchanan described King as "among the best, the purest and most consistent public men I have known." The truth died with Buchanan, since his relatives burned his diaries and personal documents upon his death, as per his request. During his presidency, Buchanan's adopted orphaned niece, Harriet Lane, served as the White House hostess.

Buchanan began his political career in the House of Representatives in 1814. He was not popular with fellow politicians. UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson gave him the position of [[ReassignedToAntarctica Minister to Russia]] in an attempt to [[KickedUpstairs keep him out of the country]], where he would, in Jackson's words, "do the least harm. I would have sent him to the North Pole if we had kept a minister there." [[ReassignmentBackfire Unfortunately]], this lead to the impression that he had serious diplomatic/political credentials. This post was followed by time in the Senate, as Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/JamesKPolk, and as Minister to Great Britain. Part of the reason he won the election in 1856 was because he was out of the country during the unpopular presidency of UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce and couldn't be blamed for any of the administration's hated policies, particularly the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. It also helped that the main opposition party of the last two decades, the Whigs, had disintegrated since the previous election, and the opposition vote was divided between former president UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore's "Know Nothing" party and the newly-formed Republican Party. The Republican Party also hurt their chances by running a relatively unknown Radical who had made his name out west - John C Frémont and who was such a boogeyman that even UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant voted for Buchanan saying later he feared Frémont's election would lead to civil war. And yes that's ominous foreshadowing music you hear right there.

Those who know their American history dates know full-well what happened during his presidency. Tensions between the North and the South reached their peak, and it would have taken a skilled executive to reach a compromise that could have avoided conflict. Buchanan's policy was, to put it bluntly, to do nothing and either let everyone calm down or wait until someone else came up with a solution. Needless to say, [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar it didn't work]]. He was a notorious doughface (Northerner with Southern sympathies) and his Cabinet was dominated by Southerners like his Secretary of War John Floyd. After the election of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln in 1860, seven southern states seceded from the Union during the last few months of the Buchanan presidency (and four would later follow). Although each of the three previous Presidents had played a part in creating the circumstances that led to the Civil War (UsefulNotes/ZacharyTaylor's belligerent approach to the slave states got things off on the wrong foot, UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore signed an ultimately ill-advised compromise agreement, and UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce proceeded to piss off the free states by breaking the terms of said agreement), the final, fatal lurch towards the conflict happened on Buchanan's watch. It didn't help that he ordered the invasion of Utah for the purpose of persecuting [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} an unpopular Christian denomination]] (to be fair, he did this after receiving false information about Mormons taking over every post in the territory), or that the economy entered a panic the year he entered office.

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his more or less openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case".

Even before his infamous last months in office, however, he earned the justified scorn of modern historians by endorsing the outrageously racist Dred Scott decision -- which declared African Americans did not have or deserve any rights as citizens, and legalized slavery in all the territories that had yet to earn statehood -- before it was handed down, after Chief Justice Roger B. Taney told him the way the verdict would go at his inauguration. Worse still, it emerged years later than the court were originally simply going to make a ruling that would have prevented slaves being automatically freed in territories where slavery was outlawed, due to the lack of a majority for a more wide-ranging decision... until Buchanan persuaded a justice from his native Pennsylvania to support the decision that was eventually made. It could have gone FromBadToWorse, as Buchanan was allegedly leaning on the Supreme Court to make a decision in another case (Lemmon vs. New York) that would have legalized slavery nationwide, but the Civil War ended up breaking out before the case could be heard.

%%!!Tropes as portrayed in fiction:
----

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his more or less openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case". Even before his infamous last months in office, however, he earned the justified scorn of modern historians by endorsing the outrageously racist Dred Scott decision -- which legalized slavery in all the territories that had yet to earn statehood -- before it was handed down, after Chief Justice Roger B. Taney told him the way the verdict would go at his inauguration. It could have gone FromBadToWorse, as Buchanan was allegedly leaning on the Supreme Court to make a decision in another case (Lemmon vs. New York) that would have legalized slavery nationwide, but the Civil War ended up breaking out before the case could be heard.

'''James Buchanan''' (April 23, 1791 -- June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States, serving from [[TheWildWest 1857 to 1861]], and the fifth representing the institution known as the Democratic Party. He immediately followed UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, but, more notably, preceded UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. He was the last president born in the 18th century and the only president from Pennsylvania, although that state currently isn't very proud of that. Buchanan remains the only President to never marry; his niece fulfilled the duties of First Lady. He ''was'' engaged to a woman at one point, but they broke up and she died (likely suicide) shortly after. Is often believed (including during his lifetime) to have been a closeted gay man, who allegedly had a long relationship with Alabama Senator William King, who died six weeks into his term as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. The truth died with Buchanan, since his relatives burned his diaries and personal documents upon his death, as per his request.

->''"Meanwhile the nation's chief executive, James Buchanan, did nothing."''
-->--'''Creator/KenBurns''', ''"The Civil War"''

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his more or less openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case". Even before his infamous last months in office, however, he earned the justified scorn of modern historians by endorsing the outrageously racist Dred Scott decision -- which legalised slavery in all the territories that had yet to earn statehood -- before it was handed down, after Chief Justice Roger B. Taney told him the way the verdict would go at his inauguration. It could have gone FromBadToWorse, as Buchanan was allegedly leaning on the Supreme Court to make a decision in another case (Lemmon vs. New York) that would have legalised slavery nationwide, but the Civil War ended up breaking out before the case could be heard.

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst. While his "wait and see" approach ''might'' be excusable in not willing to saddle a successor with a war he started as a lame duck, his absolute unwillingness to do anything to counter his more or less openly treasonous secretary of war or to protect federal property in the South that was taken over by Southerners is not. Not only that, but he ignored advice to move weapons and ammunition stores out of the South "just in case". Even before his infamous last months in office, however, he earned the justified scorn of modern historians by endorsing the outrageously racist Dredd Scott decision before it was handed down (Chief Justice Roger B Taney had told him the way the verdict would go).

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history, if not the absolute worst.

Buchanan began his political career in the House of Representatives in 1814. He was not popular with fellow politicians. UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson gave him the position of [[ReassignedToAntarctica Minister to Russia]] in an attempt to [[KickedUpstairs keep him out of the country]], where he would, in Jackson's words, "do the least harm. I would have sent him to the North Pole if we had kept a minister there." [[ReassignmentBackfire Unfortunately]], this lead to the impression that he had serious diplomatic/political credentials. This post was followed by time in the Senate, as Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/JamesKPolk, and as Minister to Great Britain. Part of the reason he won the election in 1856 was because he was out of the country during the unpopular presidency of UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce and couldn't be blamed for any of the administration's hated policies, particularly the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. It also helped that the main opposition party of the last two decades, the Whigs, had disintegrated since the previous election, and the opposition vote was divided between former president UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore's "Know Nothing" party and the newly-formed Republican Party.

'''James Buchanan''' (April 23, 1791 -- June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States, serving from [[TheWildWest 1857 to 1861]], and the fifth representing the institution known as the Democratic Party. He immediately followed UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, but, more notably, preceded UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. He was the last president born in the 18th century and the only president from Pennsylvania, although that state currently isn't very proud of that. Buchanan remains the only President to never marry; his niece fulfilled the duties of First Lady. He ''was'' engaged to a woman at one point, but they broke up and she died (likely suicide) shortly after. Is often believed to have been a closeted gay man, who allegedly had a long relationship with Alabama Senator William King, who died six weeks into his term as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. The truth died with Buchanan, since his relatives burned his diaries and personal documents upon his death, as per his request.

Buchanan began his political career in the House of Representatives in 1814. He was not popular with fellow politicians. UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson gave him the position of [[ReassignedToAntarctica Minister to Russia]] in an attempt to [[KickedUpstairs keep him out of the country]], where he would, in Jackson's words, "do the least harm". [[ReassignmentBackfire Unfortunately]], this lead to the impression that he had serious diplomatic/political credentials. This post was followed by time in the Senate, as Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/JamesKPolk, and as Minister to Great Britain. Part of the reason he won the election in 1856 was because he was out of the country during the unpopular presidency of UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce and couldn't be blamed for any of the administration's hated policies, particularly the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. It also helped that the main opposition party of the last two decades, the Whigs had disintegrated since the previous election, and the opposition vote was divided between former president UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore's "Know Nothing" party and the newly-formed Republican Party.

Those who know their American history dates know full-well what happened during his presidency. Tensions between the North and the South reached their peak, and it would have taken a skilled executive to reach a compromise that could have avoided conflict. Buchanan's policy was, to put it bluntly, to do nothing and either let everyone calm down or wait until someone else came up with a solution. Needless to say, [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar it didn't work]]. After the election of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln in 1860, seven southern states seceded from the Union during the last few months of the Buchanan presidency (and four would later follow). Although each of the three previous Presidents had played a part in creating the circumstances that led to the Civil War (UsefulNotes/ZacharyTaylor's belligerent approach to the slave states got things off on the wrong foot, UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore signed an ultimately ill-advised compromise agreement, and UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce proceeded to piss off the free states by breaking the terms of said agreement), the final, fatal lurch towards the conflict happened on Buchanan's watch. It didn't help that he ordered the invasion of Utah for the purpose of persecuting [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} an unpopular Christian denomination]] (to be fair, he did this after receiving false information about Mormons taking over every post in the territory), or that the economy entered a panic the year he entered office.

->''"If you are as happy to be accepting this office as I am to be leaving it, then you are a very happy man."''\\
--'''James Buchanan''' "welcoming" UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln.

->''"Meanwhile the nation's chief executive, James Buchanan, did nothing."''\\
--'''Creator/KenBurns''', ''"The Civil War"''

'''Tropes he embodied:'''

* AmbiguouslyGay: As noted above, he's often speculated to have been gay. Made fun of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG8WMwda968 here]].
* EmbarrassingNickname: several.
** "The Old Public Functionary" was one he [[SelfDeprecation accidentally gave himself]] during a State of the Union Address
** Old Buck - because Buchanan can be hard to say.
** AndrewJackson referred to Buchanan and Senator King as "Miss Nancy and Aunt Fancy". This is actually even more of a blatant innuendo than it seems: both nicknames were [[GetTheeToANunnery contemporary euphamisms]] for gay men and [[TheDandy dandies]]. Could represent an InsultOfEndearment, however, because despite their conflicts Jackson never [[AbominationAccusationAttack openly accused them of being homosexuals, which would have destroyed both men at that time]]. [[note]]Despite records of the time suggesting that [[EverybodyKnewAlready everyone sort of assumed]] they ''were'' and just didn't care, an open accusation coming from someone with Jackson's popularity and connections, in that era, would not merely have been embarrassing and politically damaging, but a social and financial death sentence.[[/note]]
** [[MaliciousMisnaming Ten Cent Jimmy]]- for his rather lukewarm attitude toward the idea of a minimum wage, which he considered should be about 10 cents a day (even at that time, fairly low- 25 cents was considered a good day's pay at a decent job)
* HiddenDepths: During his presidency, he secretly bought nearly a hundred slaves and set them free in Pennsylvania with 100 dollars for each to start their lives as freemen.
* TheNamesake: His cousin named her son [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan_Eads James Buchanan Eads]] (who later became a famous engineer, [[{{Irony}} building more than thirty ironclads for the Union]] during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar) after him in 1820 - of course, at that point he was still a young Pennsylvania politician and [[FromNobodyToNightmare hadn't reached his full flower of ineptitude]].
* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: President Focus Group, definitely, with maybe a touch of President Buffoon
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After he screwed up the House of Representatives impeachment trial of heavily corrupt Judge James H. Peck, then President AndrewJackson appointed him as Ambassador to Russia, believing that it would be a position where Buchanan would "do the least harm". Buchanan proceeded to screw up a trade agreement by erroniously sending a boat to America with Russian goods that hadn't been purchased yet and nearly caused an international incident. Whoops.
* SpiritedYoungLady: Not Buchanan himself, obviously, but rather his orphaned niece, Harriet Lane. Due to him being unmarried, she served as his First Lady and helped create the modern role of the First Lady (in fact, the term "First Lady" was coined to describe her, since she couldn't be called "the President's wife"). She was very popular with the public, even after her uncle had become very unpopular.
* TransparentCloset / OpenSecret: While it will probably forever be left a RiddleForTheAges, there is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan#Personal_life quite a bit of evidence]] that Buchanan was likely homosexual. Buchanan's effeminacy and general non-interest in women aside, if Buchanan and King were not life partners, they certainly did nothing to discourage others from making that assumption. They openly shared an apartment, attended dinners and public events together, adopted each other's mannerisms, traveled together constantly, and the two planned to run as President and Vice President together prior to King's death (four years before Buchanan assumed office). Years later in a letter to a friend Buchanan wrote the following:
-->"I am now 'solitary and alone,' having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone, and [I] should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection."
::In a time when the social convention regarding sexuality was "Don't ask, don't tell", Buchanan seems to have done everything ''but'' tell.
* VindicatedByHistory: The day prior to his death, Buchanan said "History will vindicate me". [[EpicFail It did not]].
* WhileRomeBurns: History has judged him guilty of this.

** AndrewJackson referred to Buchanan and Senator King as "Miss Nancy and Aunt Fancy". This is actually even more of a blatant innuendo than it seems- both nicknames were [[GetTheeToANunnery contemporary euphamisms]] for gay men and [[TheDandy dandies]] ). Could represent an InsultOfEndearment, however, because despite their conflicts Jackson never [[AbominationAccusationAttack openly accused them of being homosexuals]]. Despite records of the time suggesting that [[EverybodyKnewAlready everyone sort of assumed]] they ''were'' and just didn't care, an open accusation coming from someone with Jackson's popularity and connections, in that era, would not merely have been embarrassing and politically damaging, but a social and financial death sentence.[[/note]]
** [[MaliciousMisnaming Ten Cent Jimmy]]- for his rather lukewarm attitude toward the idea of a minimum wage, which he considered should be about 10 cents a day (even at that time, fairly low- 25 cents was considered a good days pay at a decent job)

* TheNamesake: His cousin named her son [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan_Eads James Buchanan Eads]] (who later became a famous engineer, [[{{Irony}} building more than thirty ironclads for the Union]] during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar) after him in 1820 - of course, at that point [[FromNobodyToNightmare he was still a young Pennsylvania politician and hadn't reached his full flower of ineptitude]].

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst presidents in US history.

Shortly before his death in 1868, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst, if not ''the'' worst, president in US history.

* TheNamesake: His cousin named her son [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan_Eads James Buchanan Eads]] (who later became a famous engineer, [[{{Irony}} building more than thirty ironclads for the Union]] during the AmericanCivilWar) after him in 1820 - of course, at that point [[FromNobodyToNightmare he was still a young Pennsylvania politician and hadn't reached his full flower of ineptitude]].

Buchanan began his political career in the House of Representatives in 1814. He was not popular with fellow politicians. UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson gave him the position of [[ReassignedToAntarctica Minister to Russia]] in an attempt to [[KickedUpstairs keep him out of the country]], where he would, in Jackson's words, "do the least harm". [[ReassignmentBackfire Unfortunately]], this lead to the impression that he had serious diplomatic/political credentials. This post was followed by time in the Senate, as Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/JamesKPolk, and as Minister to Great Britain. Part of the reason he won the election in 1856 was because he was out of the country during the unpopular presidency of UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce and couldn't be blamed for any of the administration's hated policies, particularly the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

* [[EmbarrassingNickname Lame Nickname]]: "The Old Public Functionary". That's it. Seriously.
** AndrewJackson referred to him and Senator King as "Miss Nancy and Aunt Fancy". [[AmbiguouslyGay Yeah.]]

'''James Buchanan''' (1791-1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States, serving from [[TheWildWest 1857 to 1861]], and the fifth representing the institution known as the Democratic Party. He immediately followed UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, but, more notably, preceded UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. He was the last president born in the 18th century and the only president from Pennsylvania, although that state currently isn't very proud of that. Buchanan remains the only President to never marry; his niece fulfilled the duties of First Lady. He ''was'' engaged to a woman at one point, but they broke up and she died (likely suicide) shortly after. Is often believed to have been a closeted gay man, who allegedly had a long relationship with Alabama Senator William King, who died six weeks into his term as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. The truth died with Buchanan, since his relatives burned his diaries and personal documents upon his death, as per his request.

The day before he died, Buchanan said "[[VindicatedByHistory History will vindicate me.]]" [[ForegoneConclusion It didn't.]] Buchanan's desire to merely maintain the status quo (he said that secession was illegal but using military force to stop secession was ''also'' illegal) did nothing to mend a bitterly divided nation. By the end he was only interested in holding off the by-now inevitable civil war long enough for him to get out of office and leave the problems to the next president. He also once admitted after he left office that he didn't try to stop the South because he was afraid that hostile African Americans would try to take over the nation. Today, he is considered to be one of the worst, if not ''the'' worst, president in US history.