James Buchanan died on 1 June 1868 in Lancaster, aged 77. The 15th President of the United States, Buchanan was a Pennsylvania Democrat with a long diplomatic and political career, including service as secretary of state and minister to Britain. He took office in 1857 as tensions over slavery were rising. Two days after his inauguration the Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott decision, which he supported, deepening the divide, and the Panic of 1857 followed. After Lincoln's election in 1860, seven Southern states seceded while Buchanan was still in office; he argued that secession was illegal but that the federal government had no power to stop it. Historians generally rank him among the least successful presidents. He was the only president who never married.
Before and after
- 16 March 1868Birth of Maxim Gorky
- 22 March 1868Birth of Robert Andrews Millikan
- 23 March 1868Founding of University of California, Berkeley
- 18 May 1868Birth of Nicholas II of Russia
- 1 June 1868Death of James Buchanan
- 14 June 1868Birth of Karl Landsteiner
- 19 June 1868Construction of Kyoto Prefecture
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
- 6 September 1868Founding of Tokyo
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- 1815Congress of Vienna
- from October 1853 to February 1856Crimean War
- from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871Franco-Prussian War
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.