James Buchanan’s Wheatland: Excellent House Museum

Two weeks ago I visited Wheatland, the stately home of James Buchanan (1791–1868), our 15th president. It’s in lovely, historic, immensely livable Lancaster in Pennsylvania. Buchanan isn’t much in the news, and hasn’t been since he left the country in shambles in 1861. He was once considered our worst president, a talking point but not one to swell his mother’s breast with pride and joy. The worst, he wasn’t. That would be Andrew Johnson, and then there’s Jimmy Carter and Herbert Hoover. The cream hasn’t exactly risen to the top since, say, the man from Hope, or was it Hot Springs?

Was Buchanan gay? He’s the likely suspect whenever gay rags are desperate for topics and dive into presidential sodomy. Who knows, and who cares? Safe to say, gay or nay, Buchanan had a no good, very bad, almighty hellacious time in the White House.

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Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

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Two weeks ago I visited Wheatland, the stately home of James Buchanan (1791–1868), our 15th president. It’s in lovely, historic, immensely livable Lancaster in Pennsylvania. Buchanan isn’t much in the news, and hasn’t been since he left the country in shambles in 1861. He was once considered our worst president, a talking point but not one to swell his mother’s breast with pride and joy. The worst, he wasn’t. That would be Andrew Johnson, and then there’s Jimmy Carter and Herbert Hoover. The cream hasn’t exactly risen to the top since, say, the man from Hope, or was it Hot Springs?

Was Buchanan gay? He’s the likely suspect whenever gay rags are desperate for topics and dive into presidential sodomy. Who knows, and who cares? Safe to say, gay or nay, Buchanan had a no good, very bad, almighty hellacious time in the White House.