James Buchanan

James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861). He was the only President from Pennsylvania and the only President to never marry. As president he was a "doughface" who battled Stephen A. Douglas for control of the Democratic Party. Scholars consistently rank him as one of the two or three worst American presidents; although he claimed secession was illegal, he claimed going to war to stop it was also illegal. This inaction laid the grounds for President Abraham Lincoln to fight the American Civil War.