Ask Mike: The Only Bachelor President
Hey Guys,
When it comes to American presidents, no two are alike. But 97% of them share at least one common trait: They were married. Of the nation’s 44 presidents, only one of them never said “I do.”
James Buchanan was the 15th President of the United States and the only bachelor to ever hold the highest office in the land. He isn’t often remembered as one the country’s better leaders. In fact, surveys of historians regularly have him among America’s ten worst presidents. Chief among his faults: failing to prevent the Civil War. Yeah, I’d call that a pretty big blunder.
The fact the he was the only bachelor president has led to some speculation regarding his sexual orientation. Some have wondered if he had an intimate relationship with his vice president, William Rufus DeVane King. Those theories tend to originate from the fact that King and Buchanan shared a house. This may sound unusual, but this was a common practice at the time.
Buchanan was almost married at one point in his life. An excellent article from American Heritage explains the story of Buchanan’s one-time fiancée, Anne Coleman. Ms. Coleman died in 1819, shortly after Buchanan called off the engagement for an unspecified reason. According to biography.com, it isn’t known if her death was a suicide.
On a much lighter note, I’d love to hear your ideas on future columns. If you have a topic you’d like me to tackle or a question you’d really like answered, please leave a comment below. You guys always have great ideas, so please drop me a line.
Thanks for reading,
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wow I actually never ever figured out who but I always knew there was one person!
Nice post, Mike! After taking APUSH, I’ve scraped under the carpets of American history, but never has deep as you had! Interesting info. Your posts are always interesting.
Can’t think of a topic yet, but I’ll tell you once one pops into my mind. They always do
The Philippines has a bachelor president at the moment. He, too, is the first bachelor president of our country. But no, there is absolutely no rumor about romantic liaisons with his VP. That is going to be a totally ridiculous, absurd, and unthinkable concept.
That’s an interesting fact I never knew about! but I think I know why he never married, it maybe had to do with his fiancee death. He maybe loved her so much that he never wanted to love again but thats just a theory of mine
That’s pretty interesting. Does that mean he’s the only president that was never married? You would think there were some more that were once married but got the job after their wife died.
An American President that was light in his loafers unthinkable.
Hey Mike, very good article so interesting! I would like to see the future column on the myths about Adolf Hitler, like how people think he had brown eyes, he was the vegetarian, he was the atheist, etc. I see the question on these topic in History section all the time I think it make a good column.
That’s really interesting to know.
Hi Mike,
I hate to be a pedant (no, I don’t really), but there have only been 43 Presidents. Grover Cleveland had two bites at the cherry.
Regards,
Nx
Philippines also has her first ever bachelor president now, Pres. Noynoy Aquino
It took nearly 200 years for a Catholic President. It took 50 years more to get a black President. Next will be a woman President. Maybe someday in the future there will be a Muslim President. Some time after that will be a Jewish President. I doubt, however, that we will ever see another single President. Unfortunately.
Wow! How wonderful. So a man that never gets married is always gay, right? Yeah, nothing like questioning a person’s sexual orientation simply because they don’t want to get drug into a bad marital relationship. James Buchanan has been dead for about 150 years, so he’s not around to defend himself.
But just so you know, I have met many people over the years that were married and “living a lie”. Gay men and women married to the opposite sex, just for the sake of getting married.
Mike: In regard to your post on James Buchanan, and his being rated as one of the poorest presidents in U.S. history for NOT preventing the Civil War, let me say that this war was devastating in casualties was the catalyst in ending slavery. That’s a good thing. Wouldn’t you agree?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
happy go lucky and always game for a laugh .I really enjoy your input to answers keep it up thanks Mike.
There’s only 43 presidents.
Can you tell us about the State quarters? I just completed my collection a couple days ago and would like to hear more about them.
Are there any books or websites that talk about what was happening politically or economically during the Civil War?
Gotta love it Mike. Just because a man never marries, society needs to question his sexuality.
Could it be that some of us have looked for exactly what we wanted in a spouse, and simply refused to settle for less?
These days, more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. When you add in the new social phenomena of “living together”, the numbers are much bleaker.
Of course, there was another bachelor elected President of the United States – Grover Cleveland, who had never been married in 1884 when he was first elected to the office, but was married in the White House in 1886. (And so, he was no longer a bachelor when he elected to his second term in 1892.)
obamma is the 44th president, but the 43rd man to be president, grover cleveland was president twice, 22nd&24th
Grover Cleveland was also a bachelor when first elected. He married while in office. Woodrow Wilson also remarried while in office.
“When it comes to American presidents, no two are alike. But 97% of them share at least one common trait:”
Hello! What trait do 100% of them have in common?
100% have been MALE!
Time for a change!!!!
How about two and a half centuries of only women Presidents, to even the score and balance the influence of the sexes on this country? (Of course, along with 2 1/2 centuries of over 80% women in both houses of Congress, and an equal amount/proportion of women in the judiciary.
William Rufus King was vice president under Franklin Pierce, not James Buchanan.
Wow that makes him easy to remember for sure. I will never forget him although I remember Lincoln because he is my favorite number of president 16.
If anything we are all very curious of his wife and how she died if it was suicide over something he had done like cheated or lied to her.
It is really hard to imagine the times of that president and interesting to really know if he made out with the vice president. Really love to know that. It would be the most priceless of information.
King wasn’t Buchanan’s VP. He was Pierce’s VP
Some say he was too heartbroken to ever get married. As to preventing the Civil War, it didn’t START until after him. The Southern States didn’t leave until AFTER he left office. Let’s realize the blunder was LINCOLN.
LOVE president trivia. Which president had his presidential tub replaced with with an oversized claw tub?
Mike, Just how was Buchanan supposed to prevent the Civil War? Should he have used force against the seceding states? Even Lincoln did not do that. Lincoln waited until the South fired the first shot (on Fort Sumter) before responding with troops.
“Harriet Lane, niece of bachelor President James Buchanan was the first woman to be called First Lady while actually serving in that position.
The phrase appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Monthly in 1860, when he wrote, “The Lady of the White House, and by courtesy, the First Lady of the Land.” Once Harriet Lane was called First Lady, the term was applied retrospectively to her predecessors”.
this info came from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady
How about the man who was president for one day?
David Rice Atchinson.
James Buchanan (Taft married Helen Herron)
James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). He was the only bachelor president and the only resident of Pennsylvania to hold the office of President. As president he was a “doughface” (a northern Democrat allied with the South) who battled Stephen A. Douglas for control of the Democratic Party; Douglas won. Buchanan was a Jeffersonian strict constitutionalist and opposed federal appropriations for most internal improvement projects. Scholars consistently rank him as one of the two or three worst American presidents; although he claimed secession was illegal, he claimed going to war to stop it was also illegal. This inaction laid the grounds for President Abraham Lincoln to fight the American Civil War.
yeah already knew that. lol
I know he wasn’t that great, but I look up to our 15th president. Why? Because I’m related to him. Not directly, of course, because of his lack of children, but through a sibling of his. He is my great-great-great-uncle or something along those lines. And as his great-great-great-niece, I don’t appreciate people talking smack about him. If you look it up, you’ll find a family by the name of Jago related to him. That’s us. Maybe if anyone reading this could search for me because I’m having problems creating a family tree and finding answers and sources myself, that would be great. And no, just because HE didn’t prevent the civil war doesn’t mean I wouldn’t if I were in his shoes, so don’t judge me or my immediate family just because of our relative!
There were a few omissions and inaccuracies in your story Mike – Breckenridge was Buchanan’s VP. This is the same Breckenridge who later would run against Lincoln representing the Southern Democrats in the 1860 election. He later became an officer in the Confederate Army. Buchanan’s love interest was actually a Senator from Alabama who was nicknamed “Aunt Nancy” by Washington insiders (including the late Andrew Jackson!!) and their relationship was an open secret. One more thing in history that you have to dig for, but was not taught in history class in school. There is enough testimony and witnesses to safely say that Buchanan is also the only gay president. This is not said to disparge him, even though he was a poor president. The main issue at the time was keeping the country together and united, not slavery. And Buchanan wrongly believed that the Federal government had no right to prevent states from breaking away. Slavery did not become a bona fide rallying issue until after the war started. Most politicians (including Lincoln) were willing to let slavery continue if it meant keeping the country united. Many believed (wrongly) that slavery would eventually die out on its own, but Southern slaveholders reacted by holding onto slavery even more strongly, to the point of actually breaking away from the U.S.
Actually, there were 2 bachelor presidents. Grover Cleveland was a bachelor when elected, and got married while in office. The only wedding to ever take place in the White House.
I think its soooo funny that it took a single man to decide that ending slavery and giving industry and ingenuity a chance. It takes a big woman to support that at that time. Women weren’t as vital in decision making back then as now but still, maybe the rationality of a wife back then still prevented revolution and renaissance among humanity. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me.
And I think his cabinet may have only made it look like he didn’t do enough to prevent war. Maybe his heart’s intent was in progression all along. Maybe just maybe this can support a theory of a man’s interest lying in progression and a woman’s in safety and security. Ya I said it.
Good post; I like stuff about our Presidents.
How about the topic of the sources of standards of measure; the yard stick, the meter, the mile? The word for the big toe, in Spanish is the same as the word for “inch”.
My view is demographics of the voters
You have the biased people that will only vote their bias
plus who really votes out of how many voters there are my guess again is around 15%
That is why special interest groups have sababatagued (okay I can’t spell)
every democoracy
most popular vote wins here in Canada we are not imune either but we do have the first past the post post
person with the most votes win
The problem we endure is vote spliting.
More Independants are necessary this would level the playing field but the powers that be are in no way willing to go to the popular vote.
Parties get paid by each vote
the candidates get some money compensated if they have (I am guessing here) more then 5% of the ridings vote
That is why Big money has special interest groups and controls lobbiest.
Again thank God we in Canada have Laws for lobbiest they suck but are much better then no laws
Okay Finally it is 5:30 am i’ve been up sinc 1:30 Time for breakfast
Peter
Evil Genius
Observe Analyze
Adapt & Evolve
PS did I mention Canada tops the US????
Look on the globe or World Map
And now we have a President who’s father was a bachelor.
This is a Nice Article !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Abraham Lincoin was also rumored to be in a same sex relationship. First lady Elennor {?} Roosevelt definitely was. Given the times they lived in not surprising it was covered up.
@Keith
Did you just call Obama a bastard? XD
Mike is factually wrong.
Again.
Ugh, I knew it was a James! I couldn’t remember which President it was, and there are eight Jameses, so that didn’t help me much. Oops. Well, at least now I know; it was driving me crazy.
The Philippine president is aso a bachelor.
They are both the 15th president of their countries.
Coincidence, huh.
David Rice Atcheson was not President. The claim is based on the fact that James Polk refused to sworn in on Sunday, so his inauguration was postponed until Monday. Supposedly, because neither Polk nor his Vice President, Taylor, had taken the oath of office, the job fell to Atcheson, who was President pro tempore of the Senate, and thus next in line under the law then in force. The problem with that analysis is that if not taking the oath prevented Polk and Taylor from being President, then how did Atcheson become President, since he never took the oath either?
Actually, of the “44 presidents,” two of them were exactly alike, since Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms and is therefore counted as the 22nd and the 24th President.
I personally think there should be anothr “Bachelor” President. However, the media these days wouldn’t let hime have a personal life. They’d be all up his yingyang trying toscoop who he was sleeping with in this age of decreasing privacy. It is one reason the BEST and brightest shy away from the spotlight of “public service” these days.
mike i’m so proud of you to be a president of bachelor and nice article………………..im happy…im happy……
yeaaa \m/ Nice
Good job
good topic mike Go On
lthink that democary get they vote and win but just dont sit they and do noting for our people get thing going for our america people and now thing are bad but it well get bettur for us thank you