President James Buchanan (1791-1868)

President James Buchanan became the common denominating factor across nearly all mutations of the Buchanan estate rumors, usually as some degree of relative to the benefactor – cousin, nephew, brother, even direct ancestor despite the President’s well-established bachelorhood. As the estate myths circulated and potential heirs became more desperate, some reports even claimed that it was the former President himself who had bequeathed the sought-after Buchanan estate fortune. Accordingly, it is worthwhile to understand more about President James Buchanan, particularly his family and private life.

Blogs and Research Guides

Library of Congress subject specialists have created blogs and research guides that provide background and resources for further study.

The Great Buchanan Inheritance Hoax
Library of Congress Blog. Guest post by Candice Buchanan, Reference Librarian, Local History and Genealogy Section.
James Buchanan: A Resource Guide
Serving as the fifteenth U.S. president (1857-61), James Buchanan spent his career in public service, both domestically and overseas. This guide provides access to digital materials, external websites, and a selected print bibliography.

Books About President Buchanan & His Family History

Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd (Editor); David Williamson (Editor)
Call Number: CS69 .B82 1981
ISBN: 0850110335
Published/Created: 1981
In Search of Buchanan: From Anselan to President James Buchanan by Irene Martin
Call Number: CS71.B918 2011
ISBN: 9780956797902
Published/Created: 2011
James Buchanan and His Family at Wheatland by Sally Smith Cahalan
Call Number: F159.L2 C34 1988
Published/Created: 1988
Worst. President. Ever.: James Buchanan, the POTUS rating game, and the legacy of the least of the lesser presidents by Robert Strauss
Call Number: E437 .S77 2017 CABIN BRANCH
ISBN: 9781493030590
Published/Created: 2017-09-01

Digitized Manuscript Collection

James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers
The papers of James Buchanan (1791-1868), representative and senator of Pennsylvania, secretary of state, and fifteenth president of the United States, and those of his niece and White House hostess Harriet Lane Johnston (1830-1903) contain approximately 1,600 items dating from 1825 to 1887. James Buchanan’s papers include correspondence, notes, drafts of remarks, commissions, land patents and other papers relating chiefly to Buchanan’s career in the United States Senate, as secretary of state, and as minister to Great Britain prior to his presidency. Subjects include politics in Pennsylvania and nationally, sectional disputes, nullification, the National Bank, relations with Mexico, the Oregon question, trade treaties, tariffs, and the Ostend Manifesto. Harriet Lane Johnston’s correspondence relates primarily to fashion, social affairs, family matters, and the selection of a biographer of James Buchanan.

Print Manuscript Collection

The following collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content, including finding aids for the collections, are included when available.

The John B. Murphy Collection of Presidential Wills, 1819-1941
Call Number: MMC-0679
Certified copies of the wills of Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Chester A. Arthur, James Buchanan, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, Millard Fillmore, Warren G. Harding, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, James Madison, James Monroe, Franklin Pierce, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, John Tyler, and Woodrow Wilson.

Buchanan Estate Scam: Detecting and Navigating Genealogical Hoaxes

Local History & Genealogy: Ask a Librarian

President James Buchanan (1791-1868)

Blogs and Research Guides

Books About President Buchanan & His Family History

Digitized Manuscript Collection

Print Manuscript Collection