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James Buchanan

15th President of the United States
(March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861)

Nickname: "Old Buck"

Born: April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap (near Mercersburg), Pennsylvania
Died: June 1, 1868, at Wheatland (near Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

Father: James Buchanan
Mother: Elizabeth Speer Buchanan
Married: Never married. The White House hostess was his niece Harriet Lane (1830-1903)
Children: None

Religion: Presbyterian
Education: Graduated from Dickinson College (1809)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democrat
Other Government Positions:

Member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1815-16
Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1821-31
Minister to Russia, 1832-34
United States Senator, 1834-45
Secretary of State, 1845-49 (under Polk)
Minister to England, 1853-56

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

**Presidential Election Results:**
Year		Popular Votes	Electoral Votes
1856	James Buchanan	1,832,955	174
John C. Fremont	1,339,932	114
Millard Fillmore	871,731	8

Vice President: John C. Breckinridge (1857-61)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State: Lewis Cass (1857-60); Jeremiah S. Black (1860-61)
Secretary of the Treasury: Howell Cobb (1857-60); Philip F. Thomas (1860-61); John A. Dix (1861)
Secretary of War: John B. Floyd (1857-60); Joseph Holt (1861)
Attorney General: Jeremiah S. Black (1857-60); Edwin M. Stanton (1860-61)
Postmaster General: Aaron V. Brown (1857-59); Joseph Holt (1859-61); Horatio King (1861)
Secretary of the Navy: Isaac Toucey (1857-61)
Secretary of the Interior: Jacob Thompson (1857-61)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Associate Justice: Nathan Clifford (1858-81)

Notable Events:

Internet Biographies:

James Buchanan — from The Presidents of the United States of America: Compiled by the White House.
James Buchanan — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN: Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
James Buchanan — from The American President: From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
James Buchanan — from the Lancaster County Historical Society: Brief biography from the Wheatland mansion’s Web site.
James Buchanan’s Obituary — from Dead Presidents: The text from page 5 of The New York Times, June 2, 1868. Placed on the web by Manus Hand.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1857)

Other Internet Resources:

Wheatland: The home of James Buchanan located near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Tourist information, biographies of Buchanan and Harriet Lane, and information on the mansion.

Points of Interest:

Previous President: Franklin Pierce | Next President: Abraham Lincoln