During one of the most difficult phases in American history, when old resolved issues, were once again getting complicated James Buchanan Jr. came to power as the 15th President of the United States of America. Till date he remains the only president, who hailed from the state of Pennsylvania and stayed a bachelor his entire life. He also has the distinction of being the last American President, who had an eighteenth century birth date. His succession to the presidency renewed the hope of the optimists, who believed that a compromise could be reached on the issue of slavery, which was pushing the country to the brink of national crisis. However, he was not able to live up to these high hopes and in his efforts to broker peace, ended up alienating both northern and southern states. By the time he finished his term in the White House, the Southern States had announced their secession, breaking the Union. This further thickened the chances of an impending Civil War. His inability to maintain peace has led most of the historians to place him in the list of worst American Presidents. To know more about this man, known as the "doughface", read this biography.