Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Mercersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

James Buchanan

15th President of the United States 1857 - 1861

 
 
James Buchanan Statue image. Click for full size.
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
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
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.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #11 James K. Polk, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #15 James Buchanan series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1770.
 
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.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. John Darby, Lot 14, 1786 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Irwin House (within shouting distance of this marker); Col. Murphy's Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Ambush at Mercersburg (within shouting distance of this marker); Citizens Seized (within shouting distance of this marker); Buchanan House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lane House (about 300 feet away); President Buchanan’s Home (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mercersburg.
 
Also see . . .
James Buchanan Statue image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Beverly Pfingsten, May 18, 2008
2. James Buchanan Statue
 James Buchanan at FindAGrave.com. (Submitted on July 19, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
 
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, 🏳️‍🌈
 
James Buchanan Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 22, 2012
3. James Buchanan Marker
James Buchanan image. Click for full size.
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
James Buchanan Marker image. Click for full size.
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.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=202788

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024