<P> James Buchanan Jr. ( / bjuːˈkænən / ; April 23 , 1791 -- June 1 , 1868 ) was the 15th President of the United States ( 1857 -- 61 ) , serving immediately prior to the American Civil War . Historians fault him for his failure to address the issue of slavery , bringing the nation to the brink of the Civil War . A member of the Democratic Party , he was the 17th United States Secretary of State and had served in the Senate and House of Representatives before becoming president . </P>
who was serving as the us president just prior to the 1860 election
James Buchanan Jr.