"[114] King died of tuberculosis shortly after Pierce's inauguration, four years before Buchanan became president. Buchanan described him as "among the best, the purest and most consistent public men I have known".[114] Biographer Baker opines that both men's nieces may have destroyed correspondence between the two men. However, she believes that their surviving letters illustrate only "the affection of a special friendship".[115]

Legacy
Historical reputation
Though Buchanan predicted that "history will vindicate my memory,"[125] historians have criticized Buchanan for his unwillingness or inability to act in the face of secession. Historical rankings of presidents of the United States without exception place Buchanan among the least successful presidents.[126] When scholars are surveyed, he ranks at or near the bottom in terms of vision/agenda-setting,[127] domestic leadership, foreign policy leadership,[128] moral authority,[129] and positive historical significance of their legacy.[130][better source needed]
Buchanan biographer Philip S. Klein focuses upon challenges Buchanan faced:

.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}Buchanan assumed leadership ... when an unprecedented wave of angry passion was sweeping over the nation. That he held the hostile sections in check during these revolutionary times was in itself a remarkable achievement. 