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- In office since
- March 4, 1857
- Left office
- March 4, 1861
- Born
- April 23, 1791
- Died
- June 1, 1868
- Religion
- Presbyterianism[2]
Life phases1
One octagon for each phase of the life of James Buchanan. Each of the eight axes is scored 0 to 5 against a written rubric from documented evidence, with its source; an axis without evidence is a gap, not a zero. There is no total and no ideal shape: it is a profile, not a ranking. Appearance and personality are not axes, because they cannot be scored from evidence.
No total and no ideal shape: a longer spoke means more of that axis, so a long Misconduct spoke is more documented misconduct.
Scores, rubric and sources
- 01Education3 of 5
- High confidenceGraduated with honors from Dickinson College in 1809, read law in Lancaster and passed the bar in 1812.[1]Highest attainment by then: 1 secondary school, 2 some college, 3 bachelor's degree, 4 master's or professional degree, 5 doctorate.
- 02WealthNo evidence
- Net worth or income against the national thresholds of the time: 1 below the median household, 3 top 5%, 5 top 0.1%.
- 03Position5 of 5
- High confidencePresident of the United States, 1857-1861.[4]Scope of the role held: 1 entry level, 3 senior manager or legislator, 5 head of state or government, or the top role of a major institution.
- 04Public standingNo evidence
- Public approval or favourability where it was measured: 1 under 20%, 3 35 to 50%, 5 over 65%.
- 05Health4 of 5
- Medium confidenceContracted severe dysentery in January 1857 at the National Hotel and did not fully recover for several months.[1]Documented health where an examination or disclosure exists: 5 no documented concern, 1 a serious documented condition.
- 06Misconduct2 of 5
- High confidence1 documented matter(s) in the reviewed legal record, counted as the misconduct meter counts them.[3]The documented legal and ethics record within the phase, as in the misconduct meter: 0 none documented, 1 only matters resolved in their favour, 2 an open matter, 3 one finding, 4 two or three, 5 four or more. More is more documented misconduct.
- 07Social good0.5 of 5
- Low confidenceVetoed the Homestead Act and the Morrill land-grant college act in 1859-60; supported the Lecompton pro-slavery constitution; sent the army into Utah on uncorroborated reports; seven states seceded before he left. Judgement-heavy.[4]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on health, safety, education, rights and the environment, from official statistics or peer-reviewed evidence: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
- 08Economic good1.5 of 5
- Low confidencePanic of 1857: about 1,400 state banks and 5,000 businesses failed; his policy was 'reform not relief'; the deficit was $17M when he left office; the economy recovered by 1859.[4]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on efficiency, growth and fiscal sustainability, from CBO and peer-reviewed evidence, as in the good-for-society reading: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
Legal and ethics record1
Actions by courts, regulators and ethics bodies, each with where it stands. Reviewed October 11, 2026. Only documented official actions are counted: findings, penalties and settlements, and cases still open. A charge or an investigation is not a finding, cases that ended in the person's favour are listed as such, and it is not a judgment of character.
Health, weight and religion appear only where the person, their physician or a reputable outlet has published them; each links to its source.