He was and continues to be considered the worst ever, but is he still? Today marks the birthday of former US President James Buchanan, the one many consider one of the worst of all time.
James Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States. He served from 1857 to 1861, during the build-up to the Civil War.
Buchanan was single for his entire presidency; he’s the only guy from Pennsylvania and held the presidency just before Abraham Lincoln. It’s that final black mark that Buchanan's presidency appeared to show indifference to the onset of the US Civil War.
Abe's a hard act to precede or to follow: Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson is usually cast as Buchanan’s biggest rival for the title of worst president along with the scandal-plagued Warren Harding from the early 1920s.
Buchanan came to the presidency under somewhat traditional but trying circumstances. He was not a novice to politics. As a five-time congressman, secretary of state and the U.S. minister to Great Britain.
Do you have any candidates who you consider to be worse than these fellas?