Check History Unspun's President Profile Of The Day: James Buchanan!
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Term of Presidency: 1857-1861
Party: Democratic
Age Upon Taking Office: 65
Vice President: John C. Breckenridge
Ran Against: John C. Breckenridge
Height: 6’
Nicknames: “Ten-Cent Jimmy,” “Bachelor President,” “Old Buck”
Sound Bite: “My dear sir, if you are as happy on entering the White House as I on leaving it, you are a very happy man indeed” (to Abraham Lincoln in 1861).
Fun Facts:
1. James Buchanan remains the only President of the United States never to have married.
2. James Buchanan was a whiskey-lover. On his way to church, his carriage often stopped at the Jacob Baer’s distillery, where he would purchase a ten-gallon cask of “Old J.B.”
3. James Buchanan’s administration was incredibly corrupt. Buchanan and his supporters offered cash to those who voted with him during the litigious fight over the passage of the Lecompton Constitution. One estimation concluded James Buchanan spent up to $30,000 in cash-incentives.