James Buchanan
By: Andrew Wolff
Early Life:
- He was born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania in Franklin County
- He was born on April 23, 1791
- In 1979 his family moved to Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
- He attended the Old Stone Academy in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and almost got expelled
- In 1809 he moved to Lancaster to study law with attorney James Hopkins
Political Career:
- He was a elected as a member of the Federalist Party to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- In 1834 he won a seat in the Senate as a Democrat. He held that position for 10 years
- On March 4, 1857 he was sworn in as the 15th president of the United States
- He defeated Republican candidate John C. Fremont
Presidency:
- After his inauguration the Dred Scott decision was delivered
- He also tried to resolve the slavery dispute in Kansas
- Towards the end of his presidency the slavery issue was about to tear the country apart
- During his retirement he devoted much of his time to defending his handling of events leading to the civil war
Final Years:
- In 1819 he got engaged to Ann Caroline Coleman
- Their engagment was unhappy so Colemen ended it
- Buchanan never married again and he was the only bachlor president in U.S. history
- He died on June 1, 1868 of old age
- He was 78 years old
- He died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania