James Buchanan

James Buchanan Jr. was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). He previously served as secretary of state (1845–1849) and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He was a states' rights advocate, and minimized the role of the federal government in the nation's final years of slavery. Modern historians and critics condemn Buchanan for not addressing the issue of slavery or forestalling the secession of the Southern states over it. Historians and scholars consistently rank him as one of the country's worst presidents.