While this author was on vacation this past weekend, it has been decided that a belated birthday celebration is in order for the presidents. And what a better way to celebrate by honoring one of our nation’s most unknown, and least successful presidents, James Buchanan.
Believe it or not, there is a statue of James Buchanan in Washington, D.C., and it sits in the quaint area of Meridian Park near Columbia Heights. The statue of Buchanan is the only public statue honoring our 15th president, and rightfully so. During his one term in office, Buchanan did nothing to quell the tensions between the North and South, in fact making many decisions that favored the South. Being from Pennsylvania (the only president from the state), his actions only alienated his administration from the North, especially on the issue of slavery.
In Buchanan’s defense, he inherited a disastrous situation from Franklin Pierce, both economically and geographically. He alienated himself so much that in 1860, his party nominated his vice-president John Breckinridge to run against Abraham Lincoln instead of him. He was so glad to be leaving the presidency that it became well-known that he remarked to Lincoln upon entering office, “If you are as happy in entering the White House as I am to be leaving it, you shall be a happy man.”
Designed by William Gordon Beecher and sculpted by local celebrity artist Hans Schuler Buchanan’s only statue sits in the middle of Meridian Park and was unveiled in 1930. Above the seated president reads “BVCHANAN” and a quote from his Secretary of State and Attorney General Jeremiah Black: “The incorruptible statesman whose walk was upon the mountain ranges of the law.” On either side of the long podium for the statue are classical statues representing law and diplomacy. Buchanan was known foremost as a lawyer who believed in finding legal permission for all his actions and those of the government.
If you’re in the area, make a stop by the only public statue dedicated to our nation’s 15th president, James Buchanan.
Comments
Wow, now that's an unknown statue, and deservedly so.
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