With the election in the United States still continuing, I decided to do a little bit of research on past presidents. With all the controversy with the election, learning about history calms my nerves. In specific, the lives of the United States presidents, and who they truly were, behind closed doors. Many presidents had weird quirks and different routines. One in particular, has been speculated to have been in a homosexual relationship around 175 years ago. This president was quite the talk of the town, because of this “bachelorhood” as what many have called it. The suspected gay president, was James Buchanan.
James Buchanan was born April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania. He from a young age seemed to be… rowdy. While attending Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, he was close to expulsion for bad behavior. He had a gift for public speaking and the law, which led to his recurring election as a representative of the house and as a Senator. He had an intricate relationship with James K Polk, which helped him win the Democratic Vote. During his time as President, he was very passive in his methods. Now don’t get me wrong, I am for LGBTQ+ representation, but we should hold people accountable. President Buchanan, ignored the rising tension between the North and South at the time. He tried to sway people to look at the Constitutional Law rather than making a true decision on how to handle the pre-war times. During a question about territory he stated, “happily, a matter of but little practical importance.” Leaving the decision in the hands of the Supreme Court. While hopeful for compromise, his passiveness led to aggravation on both sides. He acted in this passive way until he left office.
While he may not have truly changed the conditions in America during that time, his bachelorhood is still a gossip among the people. The reason for this speculation of his sexuality derives from one man, William Rufus Devane King of Alabama. Many suspected that these friendships could have been a way to rebuild a connection between the North and South. Both of them were also bachelors, never having a serious heterosexual relationship when they met. They had become very close friends with people even calling the pari, “Mr. Buchanan and his wife.” During Buchanan and King’s relationship they exchanged many letters back and forth, many containing details of intimacy. In one letter he states, “I envy Colonel King the pleasure of meeting you & would give anything in reason to be of the party for a single week. I am now “solitary & alone,” having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well & not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection.” During this time, homosexuality and its identity were no exsistent in the media. This back and forth has been going on for over two centuries, whether President Buchanan was gay or not. However it may be, we know, that even if he was out and proud, he would be erased from the books. While these are all rumours, I can understand why we reach. It feels as though we can be validated somehow, if one of us was one of them. At the end of the day, James Buchanan, was not the greatest president by any means, but he could be, the first “gay” president.
My life I was told that I wasn’t blank enough. Manly. Smart. Just not. Doing this research, looking into American history, can be helpful in feeling validated. Yet, we must remember, our sexuality does not define who we are. James Buchanan could have been gay but that doesn’t make him a good president. If more people saw that sexuality can be a separate thing from someone’s personality, maybe the world would be nicer. Don’t get me wrong, being gay is a huge part of my life, but it is not who I am. James Buchanan may have been gay, but he was first and foremost a president. So, to anyone out there, remember that even you, yes you, could be president.
Resources:
“James Buchanan.” The White House, The United States Government, www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/james-buchanan/.
“The 175-Year History of Speculating About President James Buchanan's Bachelorhood.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 27 Aug. 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/175-year-history-examining-bachelor-president-james-buchanans-close-friendship-william-rufus-king-180972992/.
Cover Photo: Detail of portrait of President James Buchanan by artist George Peter Alexander Healy(National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, 1942)
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