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Hi all,
I'm glad you liked the history lesson Mike.
J.D., as someone has put down (actually two people - Stan made a similar comment), the supposed "Gay President" was James Buchanan.
Up to about twenty years ago, the story was that Buchanan was our only bachelor President. Actually he was one of two bachelors elected to the Presidency - the other was Stephen Grover Cleveland, who was our second bachelor President for about one third of his first term (1885-1886), when he married his deceased partner's daughter Frances Folsom. She was in her early 20s (and was one of our most attractive looking First Ladies). He was 50 at the time. The marriage produced about five children, one a young girl name Ruth, was honored by a confection known as "BABY RUTH" to this day
(no it was not named for the famed "Sultan of Swat" George Herman "Babe" Ruth). Cleveland died in 1908. Frances remarried in 1913 a professor named Sayre. She died in 1948.
Buchanan had been engaged in his younger days, and then something occurred that his biographers and historians can't explain. The engagement was broken without warning, and within a month the girl died. The girl's family never forgave Buchanan - there has been suspicion that the girl may have committed suicide due to the collapse of the engagement. In any case Buchanan never sought another female companion. His niece, Harriet Lane (not to be confused with the female victim of original Whitechapel murderer - dismemberer Henry Wainwright), was his First Lady from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan's niece was supposedly very gifted as a substitute First Lady.
Now, was James Buchanan gay? The evidence suggesting he was is based on his relationship (while a Senator from Pennsylvania - Buchanan remains the only President born in Pennsylvania, and his home "Wheatland" still stands there) with a fellow bachelor Senator, William Rufus King of Alabama.
King and Buchanan shared bachelor digs in Washington for over a decade.
Keeping in mind that homosexuality was not openly discussed in polite society
(the most notable exception was some of the escapades of Lord Byron), King and Buchanan were soon surreptitiously referred to in Washington social circles (apparently from President Jackson on down) as "Ms Fancy and Aunt Nancy". But no surviving letters suggest anything completely.
In the Polk Administration Buchanan served as our Secretary of State. In the 1850s he would be our Minister to Great Britain. While there his old friend
King was elected Vice President with Frankilin Pierce in 1852. But King was dying of tuberculosis. The wisdom of this nomination and election (a total disaster as it turned out - Pierce is one of our weakest Presidents) was seen in January 1853, just before Pierce could arrive in Washington for the inauguration. Pierce and his wife Jane and his only surviving son Benjamin were on a train that was wrecked. Franklin and Jane survived, but Benjamin was crushed to death before their eyes (Jane always felt this was God's punishing her husband for his ambition - it ruined the marriage and helped ruin Pierce's chances for a stable administration). News of the disaster reached Washington, and was told in the Senate and House of Representatives. But the news was garbled, and it was believed Pierce had been killed (not Benjy). Both houses declared a national period of mourning for the President-Elect.
Now, if it had been true - than on March 4, 1853 President Fillmore would have been attending the inauguration of Vice President William Rufus King in Washington, who was dying of tuberculosis! Think of it.
It did not happen - Franklin and a reclusive and sad Jane arrived in Washington and Franklin delivered the first inauguration speech delivered by a President named Franklin (four more would subsequently be delivered from 1933 to 1945 by a better President named Franklin). King, once he was award that he would not have to struggle along forming his own cabinet and such, retreated to Cuba. It was believed the sultry climate of Havana would help the poor man. By special order of Congress King was inaugurated Vice President of the U.S. and President of the U.S. Senate in Havana (the only time this has ever happened). He lasted nine weeks before he died in his office.
Imagine - if Franklin Pierce had been killed in that train wreck, and William Rufus King had been inaugurated President (in Washington or Havana) the King administration would have lasted until May - about two months, making it twice as long as the William Henry Harrison administration of March - April 1841!!
King was in the news recently when the state of Oregon voted to save the name of one of their counties as "King" County, but to say it was named for Reverend Martin Luther King, not for Vice President William Rufus Devane King.
The reason - despite King's temporary holding of the second highest elected office in the U.S., he was a committed Southern racist and supporter of Slavery. This issue was the subject of comment in the New York Times a year or two ago.
Buchanan's four year term followed Pierce's and was equally poor. The South seceeded in his term, and he did not show any strength in stopping the crisis (he felt they had no right to seceed, but that the Federal Government had no right to stop them).
By the way, one of Buchanan's cousins was the composer Stephen Foster. I discovered this when I read several biographies about Foster a number of years ago.
Best wishes,
Jeff
I'm glad you liked the history lesson Mike.
J.D., as someone has put down (actually two people - Stan made a similar comment), the supposed "Gay President" was James Buchanan.
Up to about twenty years ago, the story was that Buchanan was our only bachelor President. Actually he was one of two bachelors elected to the Presidency - the other was Stephen Grover Cleveland, who was our second bachelor President for about one third of his first term (1885-1886), when he married his deceased partner's daughter Frances Folsom. She was in her early 20s (and was one of our most attractive looking First Ladies). He was 50 at the time. The marriage produced about five children, one a young girl name Ruth, was honored by a confection known as "BABY RUTH" to this day
(no it was not named for the famed "Sultan of Swat" George Herman "Babe" Ruth). Cleveland died in 1908. Frances remarried in 1913 a professor named Sayre. She died in 1948.
Buchanan had been engaged in his younger days, and then something occurred that his biographers and historians can't explain. The engagement was broken without warning, and within a month the girl died. The girl's family never forgave Buchanan - there has been suspicion that the girl may have committed suicide due to the collapse of the engagement. In any case Buchanan never sought another female companion. His niece, Harriet Lane (not to be confused with the female victim of original Whitechapel murderer - dismemberer Henry Wainwright), was his First Lady from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan's niece was supposedly very gifted as a substitute First Lady.
Now, was James Buchanan gay? The evidence suggesting he was is based on his relationship (while a Senator from Pennsylvania - Buchanan remains the only President born in Pennsylvania, and his home "Wheatland" still stands there) with a fellow bachelor Senator, William Rufus King of Alabama.
King and Buchanan shared bachelor digs in Washington for over a decade.
Keeping in mind that homosexuality was not openly discussed in polite society
(the most notable exception was some of the escapades of Lord Byron), King and Buchanan were soon surreptitiously referred to in Washington social circles (apparently from President Jackson on down) as "Ms Fancy and Aunt Nancy". But no surviving letters suggest anything completely.
In the Polk Administration Buchanan served as our Secretary of State. In the 1850s he would be our Minister to Great Britain. While there his old friend
King was elected Vice President with Frankilin Pierce in 1852. But King was dying of tuberculosis. The wisdom of this nomination and election (a total disaster as it turned out - Pierce is one of our weakest Presidents) was seen in January 1853, just before Pierce could arrive in Washington for the inauguration. Pierce and his wife Jane and his only surviving son Benjamin were on a train that was wrecked. Franklin and Jane survived, but Benjamin was crushed to death before their eyes (Jane always felt this was God's punishing her husband for his ambition - it ruined the marriage and helped ruin Pierce's chances for a stable administration). News of the disaster reached Washington, and was told in the Senate and House of Representatives. But the news was garbled, and it was believed Pierce had been killed (not Benjy). Both houses declared a national period of mourning for the President-Elect.
Now, if it had been true - than on March 4, 1853 President Fillmore would have been attending the inauguration of Vice President William Rufus King in Washington, who was dying of tuberculosis! Think of it.
It did not happen - Franklin and a reclusive and sad Jane arrived in Washington and Franklin delivered the first inauguration speech delivered by a President named Franklin (four more would subsequently be delivered from 1933 to 1945 by a better President named Franklin). King, once he was award that he would not have to struggle along forming his own cabinet and such, retreated to Cuba. It was believed the sultry climate of Havana would help the poor man. By special order of Congress King was inaugurated Vice President of the U.S. and President of the U.S. Senate in Havana (the only time this has ever happened). He lasted nine weeks before he died in his office.
Imagine - if Franklin Pierce had been killed in that train wreck, and William Rufus King had been inaugurated President (in Washington or Havana) the King administration would have lasted until May - about two months, making it twice as long as the William Henry Harrison administration of March - April 1841!!
King was in the news recently when the state of Oregon voted to save the name of one of their counties as "King" County, but to say it was named for Reverend Martin Luther King, not for Vice President William Rufus Devane King.
The reason - despite King's temporary holding of the second highest elected office in the U.S., he was a committed Southern racist and supporter of Slavery. This issue was the subject of comment in the New York Times a year or two ago.
Buchanan's four year term followed Pierce's and was equally poor. The South seceeded in his term, and he did not show any strength in stopping the crisis (he felt they had no right to seceed, but that the Federal Government had no right to stop them).
By the way, one of Buchanan's cousins was the composer Stephen Foster. I discovered this when I read several biographies about Foster a number of years ago.
Best wishes,
Jeff
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