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James Buchanan Presidential $1 Coin — 15th President, 1857 - 1861
• Born: 23 April 1791
• Birthplace: Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
• Died: 1 June 1868 (Pneumonia)
• Best Known As: President of the United States, 1857-61
James Buchanan was the last American president born in the 18th century, and his term (1857-61) was the last before the Civil War.
Buchanan came to the presidency after a distinguished public career: 10 years as a U.S. representative and another 10 as a senator, ambassadorships to both Russia and Great Britain, and service as James K. Polk's secretary of state.
In the 1856 elections he whipped both former president Millard Fillmore and frontier hero John C. Fremont, no small feat. But as president Buchanan couldn't handle the bad blood between North and South; his attempts to find a legalistic solution were never effective. By the election of 1860 Buchanan was tired of the presidency and did not seek re-election. Rightly or wrongly, "Old Buck" has been tagged as one of history's least effective presidents. He was succeeded by Republican Abraham Lincoln.
Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor and the only president never to marry... His vice-president, John Cabell Breckinridge of Kentucky, was the youngest ever: just over 36 years old when he was inaugurated.
James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. President, was born on April 23, 1791, near Mercersburg, Pa. The oldest of 11 children, he began a successful law career in 1812. During the War of 1812, he helped defend Baltimore against British attack.
A gifted orator, he became a state legislator, and later served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and as U.S. minister to Russia. In 1845, he became President James K. Polk's secretary of state. His later service abroad as U.S. minister to Great Britain helped insulate him from the growing domestic controversy over slavery, which was reaching a crescendo by 1856, helping him secure the Democratic Party's nomination for President. He served one term in office, 1857-1861. He did not seek re-election in 1860.
Two days after Buchanan was inaugurated, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the controversial Dred Scott decision, which effectively legalized slavery in all U.S. territories, which served as another factor to further propel the Nation toward civil war.
He was successful in opening and securing ports on the West Coast, which enhanced trade with Asian countries. In December 1860, in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's election as President, 11 southern states declared secession from the union and formed the Confederate States of America.
Former President Buchanan died on June 1, 1868, in Lancaster, Pa.