James Buchanan: the record

Old Buck. The 15th president, 1857-1861, from Pennsylvania. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 15th
In office: 1857-1861
Home state: Pennsylvania
Party: Democratic
Height: 6'0"

The record

RecordIn January 1861, as Southern states were leaving the Union, an unarmed ship called the Star of the West tried to bring supplies to Fort Sumter and was fired on. Buchanan didn't respond. He left the crisis to the next president.Source: White House Historical Association, James Buchanan
RecordIn 1856 Buchanan said ten cents a day was a fair wage for a laborer. Republicans started calling him Ten-Cent Jimmy. His own side went with Old Buck.Source: Miller Center, Buchanan: Campaigns and Elections
RecordBefore the Supreme Court ruled on Dred Scott, Buchanan privately urged a Northern justice to side with the Southern majority. Then he told the country in his inaugural address to accept whatever the Court decided.Source: Miller Center, Buchanan: Domestic Affairs
RecordAs a young lawyer, Buchanan answered the militia call in the War of 1812. His unit never saw a fight.Source: Miller Center, Buchanan: Life Before the Presidency
RecordBefore the White House, Buchanan held a long list of offices: the Pennsylvania legislature, the U.S. House and Senate, and minister to both Russia and Britain.Source: White House Historical Association, James Buchanan

What he cared about

Settling the slavery fight through courts and legal compromise instead of confrontation.
Expansion toward Cuba and Central America.
Holding his party's Northern and Southern wings together.

The full record

He helped steer the Dred Scott ruling, which said Black Americans could not be citizens, and backed a pro-slavery constitution for Kansas that most Kansans rejected.

How he fights in POTUS KO

Tall, stiff and hard to read

Buchanan's way was to wait and hope the crisis would pass, right up to the edge of the Civil War. In the ring he keeps his distance and never commits.

See POTUS KO

Questions about James Buchanan

What did James Buchanan do when Fort Sumter was threatened?

In January 1861, as Southern states were leaving the Union, an unarmed ship called the Star of the West tried to bring supplies to Fort Sumter and was fired on. Buchanan didn't respond. He left the crisis to the next president.

Why was James Buchanan called Ten-Cent Jimmy?

In 1856 Buchanan said ten cents a day was a fair wage for a laborer. Republicans started calling him Ten-Cent Jimmy. His own side went with Old Buck.

Did James Buchanan influence the Dred Scott decision?

Before the Supreme Court ruled on Dred Scott, Buchanan privately urged a Northern justice to side with the Southern majority. Then he told the country in his inaugural address to accept whatever the Court decided.