James Buchanan

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Fifteenth president, 1857–1861 An experienced politician, James “Old Buck” Buchanan had served as a congressman, as secretary of state, and as minister to Russia and Great Britain before assuming the presidency. Two days into his term, the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case that African Americans could never be U.S. citizens and that the federal government could not prohibit the practice of slavery in any territory. Buchanan subsequently tried but failed to admit Kansas as a slave state, heightening regional divides. After Buchanan declined to seek reelection as part of the Democratic ticket in 1860, the party split into Northern and Southern wings, each with their own presidential candidate. Republican Abraham Lincoln’s narrow victory led to “Secession Winter,” as seven Southern states left the Union. Prior to Lincoln’s inauguration, Buchanan maintained that while secession violated the Constitution, he had no authority to prevent it. The Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861, shortly after he left office. Congress commissioned George Peter Alexander Healy to paint this portrait but refused to purchase it once it was complete. After Buchanan also declined to buy it, Healy conceded, “Let us forget the incident,” and left the painting to hang on his studio wall.

Evidence state

2 observed sales · 0 comparable sales · 5 structured provenance events · 2 structured exhibitions.