The Only US President Who Never Married

James Buchanan, the 15th president, holds the distinction of being the only bachelor to ever occupy the White House. His niece Harriet Lane served as his First Lady and hostess. Buchanan was engaged to a woman named Anne Coleman in his twenties, but she died shortly after breaking off the engagement. Heartbroken, Buchanan never pursued marriage again. Historians have long speculated about his close relationship with Alabama Senator William Rufus King, with whom he lived for many years.