JAMES BUCHANAN, president from 1857 to 1961 (Wikipedia).

February, home to the birthdates of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, could also be termed “President’s Month.”

It has become a time for Americans to judge which of their chief executives deserve to be considered the best of the White House occupants and which might be considered worst.

Of course, that sort of ranking is always subject to partisan opinions and changing perceptions.
Here are my nominees for Unrecognized Presidents; both Democrats with one pointed out for accomplishments and one for the lack thereof.

James K. Polk (1845-1849). His first and most-unique accomplishment was stating that, if elected, he was going to serve just one term. which he did. Better-remembered is his role in precipitating and presiding over the Mexican War which resulted in the U.S acquiring the area now encompassing California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.

The war was and is controversial; we kind of bullied Mexico into a war everybody knew the U.S. would win, but hey … who here is willing to give it back?

James Buchanan (1857-1861). A lot of presidents did not much at all. But this guy accomplished nothing spectacularly by doing nada to prevent a civil war. A northerner who was a southern sympathizer, he (apparently) stared off into space while Southern states declared their secession and did nothing to prepare the remaining United States for the coming conflict.

He is also noteworthy because he was the only president who never married, leading to some speculation – then and now – that he was America’s first and only gay president, which would please some people and horrify others.