Worst. President. Ever.

Appoint one of the weakest presidential cabinets in history?  Check. 
Make Bleeding Kansas even bloodier?  Check.
Help usher in the Civil War?  Check, check, and double check.

 

Fans of presidential history are aware that James Buchanan is generally listed among the worst of our chief executives, a distinction usually shared with Harding, Fillmore, Pierce, and others.  In this lively book, the author summarizes the careers of those presidential also-rans along with that of Buchanan and concludes that, indeed, Old Buck deserves the title of Worst. President. Ever. This is by no means an exhaustive and scholarly biography, but taken for what it is – a waggish essay by a non-professional historian about a subject he loves – it’s lots of fun.

 

And lest you think that the Buchanan White House was packed to the rafters with bunglers, Strauss points out that Harriet Lane, Buchanan’s niece who served as First Lady, did an exemplary job in that position and led a long and useful life as patron of the arts and advocate for social causes.