Mercersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
James Buchanan
15th President of the United States 1857 - 1861
Photographed By Beverly Pfingsten, May 18, 2008
1. James Buchanan Statue
Inscription.
James Buchanan, a Representative and a Senator from Pennsylvania and the 15th President of the United States; born at Cove Gap, near Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pa., April 23, 1791; moved to Mercersburg, Pa. with his parents in 1796; was privately tutored and then attended the Old Stone Academy; was graduated from Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., in 1809; moved to Lancaster, Pa., the same year; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1812 and served in the defense of Baltimore; member, State House of Representatives 1814-1815; elected to the Seventeenth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1831); Minister to Russia 1832-1834; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William Wilkens; reelected in 1837 and 1843 and served from December 6, 1834, until he resigned on March 5, 1845, to accept a Cabinet portfolio; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Twenty-fourth through Twenty-sixth Congresses); Secretary of State in the Cabinet of President James Polk 1845-1849; Minister to Great Britain 1853-1856; elected as a Democrat President of the United States in 1856 and served from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861; retired to his home, Wheatland, near Lancaster, Pa., where he died June 1, 1868; interment in Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lancaster, Pa. , The Borough of Mercersburg gratefully acknowledges George L. Nalley and Lannie E. Gordon whose dedication and effort made this statue a reality for the community. June 17, 2000
James Buchanan, a Representative and a Senator from Pennsylvania and the 15th President of the United States; born at Cove Gap, near Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pa., April 23, 1791; moved to Mercersburg, Pa. with his parents in 1796; was privately tutored and then attended the Old Stone Academy; was graduated from Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., in 1809; moved to Lancaster, Pa., the same year; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1812 and served in the defense of Baltimore; member, State House of Representatives 1814-1815; elected to the Seventeenth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1831); Minister to Russia 1832-1834; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William Wilkens; reelected in 1837 and 1843 and served from December 6, 1834, until he resigned on March 5, 1845, to accept a Cabinet portfolio; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Twenty-fourth through Twenty-sixth Congresses); Secretary of State in the Cabinet of President James Polk 1845-1849; Minister to Great Britain 1853-1856; elected as a Democrat President of the United States in 1856 and served from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861; retired to his home, Wheatland, near Lancaster, Pa., where he died June 1, 1868; interment in Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lancaster, Pa.
The Borough
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of Mercersburg gratefully acknowledges George L. Nalley and Lannie E. Gordon whose dedication and effort made this statue a reality for the community. June 17, 2000
Erected 2000 by George L. Nalley and Lannie Gordon.
Location. 39° 49.669′ N, 77° 54.233′ W. Marker is in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in Franklin County. Marker is on S. Main Street near Seminary Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mercersburg PA 17236, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Additional commentary. 1. About James Buchanan In addition to the information on this plaque, historians speculate that James Buchanan was either gay or asexual (by current construction of those terms). As such, the tags LGBT, LGBTQ and 🏳️🌈 have been added to this marker profile.
— Submitted February 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
Additional keywords. LGBT, LGBTQ, 🏳️🌈
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 22, 2012
3. James Buchanan Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, February 16, 2015
4. James Buchanan
This 1859 portrait of James Buchanan hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
“James Buchanan entered the White House in 1857 hoping to quell the mounting sectional rancor over slavery. But the events of his administration often had the opposite effect. The Supreme Court's Dred
Scott decision, which denied Congress's power to ban slavery in the western territories, unleashed an unprecedented wave of anger in the North. When Buchanan supported proslavery forces in the Kansas Territory, that anger rose to a fever pitch. In response, the south's militance in defending slavery waxed ever stronger, and by the end of Buchanan's term, the long-feared specter of war was turning into a reality.
With the outbreak of hostilities in the spring of 1861, Buchanan became the object of vilification in many quarters. Among the milder expressions of antiBuchanan feeling was the disposition of the version of this portrait that had been painted for the White House. When artist George Healy presented his bill for the picture, Congress refused to pay it, and many years passed before the White House acquired a portrait of Buchanan.” — National Portrait Gallery
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 19, 2022
5. James Buchanan Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,695 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on July 26, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on August 23, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on July 18, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on February 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.