PRESIDENT 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 Points of Interest: The Democrats nominated Buchanan in 1856 largely because he was in England during the Kansas-Nebraska debate and thus remained untainted by either side of the issue. He was nominated on the 17th ballot. First president to send a transatlantic telegram: on August 16,1858, he exchanged greetings with Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Buchanan, a large robust man, reportedly took great pride in his tiny feet. James Buchanan was the first unmarried man to be elected president. By the time Buchanan's presidential term ended, seven states had seceded from the Union. Buchanan's niece and hostess, Harriet Lane, was more popular than her President-uncle. The well-known song "Listen to the Mocking Bird" was one of dozens of popular entertainments dedicated to her. An active Freemason during his lifetime, he was master of a Masonic Lodge in Lancaster and a District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

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