His niece, Harriet Lane, acted as his first lady. history to remain unmarried throughout his life. PersonalĪs of 2018, Buchanan was the only president in U.S. Before dying in 1868, he wrote a memoir that said Republicans and abolitionists were responsible for the Civil War. Post-presidencyīuchanan retired to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after leaving office in 1861. His election led seven southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas) to secede from the Union and started the Civil War. Lincoln, who ran on an anti-slavery platform, was elected with a majority of electoral votes but not a majority of the popular vote. Republican Abraham Lincoln and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell also ran. Stephen Douglas of Illinois running as the Northern Democratic candidate. Breckinridge running as the Southern Democratic candidate and U.S. The Democratic Party split regionally, with Vice President John C. īuchanan did not seek re-election in 1860. Major legislation signed by Buchanan included the Morrill Tariff of 1861 and the Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860. The country experienced an economic downturn during the Panic of 1857. anti-slavery violence in the Kansas Territory that broke out in 1854. citizens, abolitionist John Brown's attempted slave uprising in Harpers Ferry, and the continuation of pro-slavery vs. Sandford that African-American slaves were not U.S. The major events that defined Buchanan's presidency were those that helped bring about the U.S. Most of Buchanan's support was concentrated in the southern and mid-Atlantic states. Former President Millard Fillmore ran as the candidate for the American Party and won eight electoral votes. He received 174 electoral votes to Frémont's 114. Frémont of the newly-formed Republican Party. īuchanan was elected president in 1856, defeating John C. Pierce was elected president and appointed Buchanan to be the ambassador to England in 1853. In 1852, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination, losing out to Franklin Pierce (D). secretary of state by President James Polk (D). He served in the Senate until 1845, when he was appointed to be the U.S. He returned to the United States in 1834 and was elected to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. In 1832, President Andrew Jackson (D) appointed Buchanan to be the ambassador to Russia. He changed his party affiliation to Democratic following the dissolution of the Federalist Party. House of Representatives as a Republican-Federalist. In 1814, Buchanan was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party. He joined the military during the War of 1812 and participated in the defense of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1809 and was admitted into the Pennsylvania bar in 1812. 1860: Abraham Lincoln (R) was elected to replace Buchanan, who did not seek re-electionīuchanan was born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, in 1791 to James Sr.1856: Elected president of the United States.
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secretary of state by President James Polk (D) 1835-1845: Represented Pennsylvania in the U.S.1832: Appointed as ambassador to Russia by President Andrew Jackson (D).1824: Joined the Democratic Party after the election of Andrew Jackson as president.1821-1831: Represented a Pennsylvania district in the U.S.1814: Elected to the Pennsylvania state House as a member of the Federalist Party.1812: Became a lawyer and served in the military during the War of 1812.
#James buchanan professional#
Below is an abbreviated outline of Buchanan's professional and political career: