who was serving as the us president just prior to the 1860 election
James Buchanan 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.