It has been speculated that the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan (1791-1868), was the nation's first gay president. Unfortunately, Buchanan is often ranked one of the worst commanders-in-chief in U.S. history, namely because of his inability to act in the face of secession. The fact that he may have been asexual, bisexual, or homosexual is one of the few things people remember him for. Much has been made of his close relationship with William Rufus King (1786-1853), an Alabama senator who would go on to become vice president under President Franklin Pierce. The two lived together in a Washington for 10 years until King departed for France and attended social functions together. Rufus referred to their relationship as a "communion." Andrew Jackson referred to them as "Miss Nancy" and "Aunt Fancy," the former being a euphemism of the time for an effeminate man. After Rufus left to Paris, Buchanan wrote the following: "I ...