I didn't know James Buchanan was a closeted homosexual.

[Jara sang]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan

In 1819 Buchanan was engaged to Ann Caroline Coleman, the daughter of wealthy iron manufacturer. However she abruptly broke off their engagement and died from an overdose of laudanum several days later<1>. After his fiancée’s death Buchanan vowed he would never marry. He would live with Alabama senator William Rufus King for sixteen years in Washington, D.C., but King died four years before Buchanan became president. Rumors and speculation circulated that the two had a homosexual relationship, with references to Buchanan's "wife" and "better half", and former President Andrew Jackson referred to King as "Miss Nancy". On occasion, Buchanan even referred to King as "Aunt Nancy". Buchanan's sexual orientation remains uncertain.

[tularetom]

1. Hey! There's precedent for *

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Also

there were rumors at the time that after the death of Ann, Buchanan tried to hang himself and botched it. He appears to have had a wry neck which prompted this speculation.

[The Magistrate]

3. It Has Been Alleged, Sir

But by its nature the thing is not easily susceptible of proof.

[kenny blankenship]

5. Be vewwy qwiet--We awe hunting witches!

[shawn703]

4. Also rumored to be homosexual were Washington, Lincoln and Garfield n/t

[YOY]

7. and Definely not Homosexuals

Kennedy, Taft, and Nixon...

Taft needed his own theme music to keep up with his pimpin' (and corruption)

[Lex]

6. "William Rufus King" was born in my home county in North Carolina

and I've done some research on him. I pass by the highway marker when I'm home that shows where he was born. That's what spurred me to do research.

What you say is basically what I found too.

There are letters and invitations and writings saved that pretty much spell out their relationship.

[tonkatoy57]

8. W.R. King

W.R. King is a great uncle of mine. My family's claim to fame as it were.

You must be from or near Sampson County, N.C. My understanding is that the W.R. King branch of the family moved to Alabama from eastern North Carolina.

Additionally, King was V.P. of the United States but was never inaugurated as he was ill and died in route to Washington from Cuba, where he was convalescing.

I'd also read that the term "nancy boy", as a reference to a homosexual was coined by Jackson and was his name for W.R. King.

Small, weird world, isn't it?

[Lex]

9. Yes.

Born and raised in Sampson County. Lots of family still there, but I moved to another part of NC.

The information about William Rufus King was fascinating to me and I don't ever remember learning about him in school, which is what prompted my research about him later. I thought, "Hey, why don't I know about this guy!?" when I saw the Highway Marker along NC 701 north of Clinton, NC.

I think his full name was "William Rufus Devane King" and I knew some Devane folks and King folks growing up, but don't know if they were related.

Fascinating stuff out there about King and Buchanan, but it's pretty much been glossed over (not surprised) in history.

"Small, weird world" -- YES. Always a surprise.


PS--"King County" in Washington State (and the old "King Dome") was named for W.R. King but you probably already knew that!

[Aristus]

12. King County residents, not so crazy about having their county

named for a slave-owner, officially re-named the county after Martin Luther King, Jr. sometime around 1990.

Pierce County residents, like me, are still hoping that a more progressive Pierce than Franklin will be found so we can re-name our county, too. B-)

[Lex]

13. Hmm . . . maybe we should rename all the stuff

that slave-owners have named after them.

Sorry, but that just seems stupid to me (although I understand the sentiment).

[davidinalameda]

14. Hawkeye Pierce

:shrug:

[Aristus]

15. Perfect!

I officially rename Pierce County in honor of that great progressive, humanitarian doctor and Korean War veteran, Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.


*sigh* If only........

[Javaman]

10. Victor Ashe...n/t

[MrBenchley]

11. Cultural mores....

Americans of that time just did not talk about sexual matters--homo- or heterosexual, although they most assuredly had sex as we do today.

"Wilde is one of the most puzzling cases. His life raises very modern questions about what homosexuality is and how much sexuality should define identity. Wilde is the "ur-homosexual," as scholars put it, yet he never saw himself as homosexual. In fact, it is only after his trials (1895-1900)--and partly because of his trials--that people began to be classified as "homosexual" and "heterosexual.""

http://www.slate.com/id/1864/

Buchanan is also among a perennial contender in historians' polls for "Worst President Ever" (and now Chimpy will probably make him an also-ran)...

There WERE presidential sexual scandals in the 19th century though...Martin van Buren was driven from office after the William Henry Harrison campaign portrayed him as a shocking libertine who had had the White House topiaries made into the shape of breasts. (Remember, there were no photographs in 1840)