James Buchanan

He was engaged to be married to Ann Caroline Coleman in 1819, who was the heiress of a wealthy businessman who dealt in iron.

Ann broke off the engagement, due to long absences on Buchanan’s part and rumor mills linking him to a number of other women.

Highly depressed, she died on December 9, 1819 and her family held Buchanan responsible and hence he was not allowed to attend her funeral. As a result he vowed never to get married, a promise he kept till the end.

Born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, James Buchanan was the second oldest of the eleven children of James Sr. and Elizabeth.

His father was a well established merchant, whereas his mother was an educated woman, this ensured that he got better opportunities than most other people of his time.

He received his early education in his village at the Old Stone Academy and later enrolled at Dickinson College from where he graduated with honors in 1809.

After graduation he went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to gain proficiency in law and was granted admission to the bar in 1812.

He was an ardent Federalist and was not in favor of the United States going to war in 1812; however, when British troops marched into the neighboring Maryland, he joined the defense force created to protect Baltimore.

Buchanan’s long political career began in 1814, when he won an election and became the member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a delegate of the Federalist Party.

Later from 1821 to 1831, he served back to back five successive terms as the member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1832, Buchanan was appointed as American envoy to Russia by the then President Andrew Jackson. This posting gave Buchanan a chance to showcase his diplomatic skills.

He returned back to America in 1834 and contested for a Senate seat as a Democrat and won.

He served as a Senator for almost 10 years till 1845, when he resigned from the post, as he had been made the Secretary of State by the then President James K. Polk.

He was the only unmarried president in the history of the United States of America. During his presidency, the responsibilities of the first lady were essayed by his niece Harriet Lane.

He has the distinction of being the last American President, who had an eighteenth century birth date.

He was personally against slavery and at times bought slaves so that he could set them free.

After his retirement, he went into depression, since he could not handle the large-scale criticism meted out to him by the masses, however later he began to defend himself.

He published a memoir in 1866, in which he blamed the Civil War on abolitionists and Republicans.