Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King by Thomas J. Balcerski

Abstract

Reviewed by: Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King by Thomas J. Balcerski John G. McCurdy Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King. By Thomas J. Balcerski. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 352 pp. Illustrations, notes, index. $34.95.) Pennsylvanian James Buchanan is the only US president to have been a lifelong bachelor. This status has raised questions about his sexuality, especially given Buchanan's well-known friendship with fellow single man Vice President William Rufus King. In Bosom Friends, Thomas Balcerski offers an authoritative account of the Buchanan-King friendship, exhaustively analyzing the evidence to situate this partnership in its historical context. Although Balcerski finds little to prove that the two men engaged in a sexual relationship, Bosom Friends is an engaging examination of politics and bachelorhood in the first half of the nineteenth century. James Buchanan and William King hailed from different sections—the forests of central Pennsylvania and the plantations of North Carolina, respectively—yet they shared an ambition for power in the nation's capital. From young ages, Buchanan and King held seats in the US House of Representatives and Senate and diplomatic posts in various administrations. This level of tenacity required the two men to navigate shifting political parties and forge alliances across sectional lines. Both men harbored presidential ambitions such that by 1840, it was rumored that the Democratic Party might nominate an all-bachelor ticket. A great strength of Bosom Friends is its detailed depiction of life in Jacksonian Washington, DC. In the time before Airbnb, many congressmen took rooms in boardinghouses, and it was in these intimate spaces that political friendships were born. Buchanan and King found much they could agree on while "messing" together (66). Although they represented different sections at a time when North and South were beginning to pull apart, the two men worked to hold the union together. Buchanan became a staunch defender of slavery, while King undermined South Carolina's efforts at nullification. [End Page 97] The closeness of the two bachelors elicited gossip from friend and foe alike. King's flawless appearance prompted him to be labeled "Miss Nancy" as well as Buchanan's "wife" (9). Yet this appears to have been merely partisan doggerel, as both men courted women; Buchanan escorted eligible ladies well into his sixties. To be sure, the pair left some curious correspondence. When King departed to become minister to France, Buchanan lamented that he was so "solitary & alone" that he had "gone a wooing to several gentlemen" (112). Yet, as Balcerski explains, such language was not unusual for the era. Ultimately, Balcerski makes the case for understanding the pair not as romantic and sexual partners but as "bosom friends" (13). Bosom Friends demonstrates how the personal was political in the nation's early history. The book thus complements the work of Catherine Allgor and Joanne Freeman by demonstrating the unique experience of unmarried politicians. Specifically, Balcerski argues that bachelorhood was "a vital political asset" for Buchanan and King, as it allowed them the flexibility to make alliances and advance their careers (43). As a result, Bosom Friends makes important contributions to our understanding of manhood and the politics of antebellum America. It is also delightful to read. If only Buchanan's presidency had been as successful. [End Page 98] John G. McCurdy Eastern Michigan University Copyright © 2022 Historical Society of Pennsylvania