James Buchanan was born in 1791 near Mercersburg in south-central Pennsylvania. His dad James Buchanan was a well-to-do businessman, and his mom was Elizabeth Speer Buchanan. Buchanan attended school in Mercersburg, and he entered Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1808. He began the study of law two years later after he graduated from Dickinson.

Buchanan was admitted for practice in 1812. Before long Buchanan became a prosperous lawyer at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Buchanan fell in love and wanted to get married but his fiancee Ann Coleman died shortly after breaking off the engagement. James Buchanan stay a bachelor for the rest of his life.

Buchanan held his first public office when he was 23 years old, when he was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature. He also was a volunteer in the defense of Maryland and Baltimore, against the British during the War of 1812. In 1818 Buchanan ran as Federalist Party candidate for the United States Congressman, but was defeated at his first attempt. Two years later he won the election. When the Federalist Party disintegrated in the 1820’s he became a leader in the political faction that became the Democratic Party.

Also he became a supporter of General Andrew Jackson.

Buchanan was so good at organizing the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania that the grievance against him was soon forgotten. After ten years in the House of Representatives, Buchanan was planning on Retiring from Politics, but Jackson who had been elected in 1828 persuaded him to accept the past of United States diplomatic representative to Russia. Buchanan served at the Russian capital (Now Saint Peters Burg now) for two years, from 1832 to 1834. During that time he negotiated a valuable commercial treaty with Russia.

After returning to the United States in 1834. Buchanan was elected to the United States Senate (the upper chamber of Congress of the United States) by the Pennsylvania Legislature. Buchanan became a leading spokesman for the Democratic Party in the senate consistently supported the policies of Jackson and, later, of President Martian Van Buren. Buchanan was offered to be appointed as United States attorney general in 1839, but Buchanan refused, and instead remained in the Senate where after 1841 he opposed the Whig Party administrations of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.

Buchanan took his stand on slavery where he said it was maintained that slavery was wrong, but he also believed that the Federal Government had an obligation to protect it (slavery) in the Southern States where it already existed. Buchanan tolerated the existence of Slavery on the grounds that the Constitution of the United States permitted it. Therefore he argued it was the duty of the Federal Government to protect the institution of Slavery where ever it existed in the Country.

In the election year of 1844 Buchanan hoped to receive the Democratic nomination for President. He was disappointed when James Knox Polk was nominated instead, but he supported Polk in his successful campaign. After taking office, Polk appointed Buchanan as Secretary of State. Buchanan had been reelected to the Senate, but he resigned to accept the new post in 1845.

Buchanan made significant contributions to United States foreign affairs, particularly with regard to two major problems facing the Country: The Oregon boundary claim and the dispute with Mexico over Texas. With regard to the Oregon Boundary claim Buchanan showed Diplomatic skill in negotiating a compromise treaty that gave the United States most of the territory south of the 49 degree north latitude. The dispute with Mexico, Buchanan carried out the president's orders that the United States envoy to Mexico take a firm stand. The envoy John Slidell did take a firm stand. Slidell pressed for the Mexican territory lying between Texas and the Pacific Ocean. The American demands were not met by Mexico and soon afterwards the Mexican War broke out in 1846.

While Buchanan was Secretary of State he tried to further one of his favorite projects, the purchase of Cuba from Spain. Spain turned down the offer of $120 million. However for the remainder of his public career Buchanan continued to urge that the United States acquire Cuba.

When Polk's administration ended Buchanan retired to his home at Wheatland outside Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1853 Buchanan was appointed as U.S. envoy to Great Britain. Buchanan had been out of the Country and did have support of his home state of Pennsylvania and was acceptable to the South because of his record of compromise on the slavery issue.

He was not involved in the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which was a problem for other possible candidates. Buchanan because of the strong and skillful support of Southern backers gained the Democratic nomination. His campaign was based on a conservative platform and stressed that Congress should not interfere with slavery in the territories. There two other candidates that opposed him. Even though his opponents gained more votes than he; Buchanan won the election because he had 174 electoral and 1,832,955 popular votes. Buchanan owed his victory to the support he received in the South, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and California. John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was Buchanan's Vice President.

Buchanan’s last year as President ended when the elected Lincoln President on an inauguration day in March. Buchanan told his neighbors that he parted from Lincoln with this comment: "If you are as happy, my dear sir, on entering this house as I am in leaving it and returning home, you are the happiest man in this country."

Buchanan lived in Wheatland and wrote a vigorous defense of his own administration. It was published in 1865, the title they gave it was "The Administration on the Eve of Rebellion. Buchanan died in Wheatland 1868.

1. My one and only source of information was Encarta97.