People love a good mystery, especially when it involves the White House. When you ask, has there ever been a gay president, the answer isn't a simple yes or no. It’s messy. It’s full of 19th-century letters that read like romance novels and modern political shifts that have changed how we even define "out."
Strictly speaking, we have never had a Commander in Chief who identified as gay while in office. James Buchanan is the name that always comes up. He’s the guy everyone points to. But back in the 1850s, people didn't use the same labels we do today. They didn't talk about sexual orientation as an identity; they talked about "intimate friendships." This makes digging through the archives feel like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
The James Buchanan Enigma
James Buchanan was our 15th president, and he’s the only lifelong bachelor to ever hold the job. That alone set tongues wagging in the mid-1800s. For over a decade, Buchanan lived with William Rufus King, a Senator from Alabama who later became Vice President. They were inseparable.
Contemporary observers noticed. Andrew Jackson, never one to mince words, reportedly referred to the duo as "Miss Nancy" and "Aunt Fancy." It was a schoolyard taunt, sure, but it reflected a public awareness that their bond was unusual for the time. They shared a home in Washington for 13 years. When King was sent to France as an envoy, Buchanan wrote to a friend about his "solitary" state, lamenting that he had no companion at the house. He even mentioned looking for another man to live with, though he joked that "no woman would take" him.
Historians like Jean Baker, who wrote a definitive biography on Buchanan, have waded through these letters. They don’t contain a "smoking gun" confession. However, the emotional weight is heavy. The two men were referred to by others as "the Siamese twins," a 19th-century shorthand for people who were joined at the hip.
Why we can't just say "Yes"
Applying modern labels to historical figures is risky business. It’s called presentism. We want to put Buchanan in a box because it helps us understand our history, but he lived in a world where the concept of a "gay identity" hadn't really been invented yet. People engaged in "romantic friendships" that were socially acceptable, even if they involved intense emotional and physical closeness.
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Did they have a sexual relationship? We don't know. Most of their correspondence was destroyed by family members after their deaths. That’s a common theme in LGBTQ+ history—the "great purge" of letters to protect a reputation.
The Lincoln Speculation and the Joshua Speed Letters
Then there’s Abraham Lincoln. This one is more controversial. Honest Abe is such a pillar of American identity that suggesting he might have been queer often sparks heated debates. The focus here is almost entirely on Joshua Speed.
Lincoln and Speed shared a bed for four years in Springfield, Illinois. Now, before you jump to conclusions, sharing a bed was incredibly common in the 1830s. It was a way to save money and stay warm. But the letters they exchanged after Speed moved away are... intense. Lincoln wrote about being in a "depressive state" over their separation.
C.A. Tripp, a researcher and author of The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, argued passionately that Lincoln’s primary emotional and physical attractions were toward men. Most mainstream historians, like Doris Kearns Goodwin, disagree. They argue Lincoln was just a man of his time—highly emotional, prone to deep melancholy, and deeply bonded to his male friends in a way that was typical for the frontier.
Modern Politics and the "First" Openly Gay Candidate
The conversation shifted dramatically in 2020. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, became the first openly gay person to win a presidential primary (Iowa). Suddenly, the question of has there ever been a gay president moved from historical gossip to a very real, very modern political possibility.
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Before Buttigieg, there was Fred Karger, who ran as a Republican in 2012. He didn't get much traction, but he broke the ice. The difference today is that a candidate’s sexuality is part of their public bio. They don't have to hide letters or live with "roommates" for decades.
Public Perception is Shifting Fast
Gallup polls show a massive swing in how Americans feel about this. In the 1970s, the idea of a gay president was a non-starter for the vast majority of voters. By 2024, a significant majority of Americans say they would be comfortable voting for a qualified LGBTQ+ candidate.
But there’s a gap between "would vote for" and "has happened."
- 1950s: The "Lavender Scare" led to the purging of gay people from government jobs.
- 1990s: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the peak of compromise.
- 2020s: An openly gay man serves as Secretary of Transportation.
The trajectory is clear, but the glass ceiling at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue remains intact for now.
What about the "Secret" Presidents?
You’ll often find corners of the internet claiming that Obama, Clinton, or even Reagan were secretly gay. Honestly? Most of this is baseless political mudslinging or fan fiction. Without credible primary sources—like the Buchanan-King letters—these theories fall apart under any real scrutiny.
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There is, however, a nuanced discussion about Eleanor Roosevelt. While she wasn't the president, she wielded immense power. Her letters to journalist Lorena Hickok are famously intimate. "I can’t kiss you, so I kiss your picture good night and good morning," Eleanor wrote. If a First Lady’s orientation is part of the conversation, it changes how we view the "wholeness" of the presidency as an institution.
Why This Question Actually Matters
Asking has there ever been a gay president isn't just about trivia. It’s about representation. It’s about understanding that history isn't just a list of straight, white men acting in a vacuum. It’s about the people who had to hide who they were to serve their country.
If Buchanan was gay, he lived a life of profound isolation while trying to hold a crumbling Union together. If Lincoln had queer leanings, it adds a layer of complexity to his legendary empathy.
The Verdict
So, where does that leave us?
- James Buchanan remains the strongest candidate for a "closeted" gay president, though we will likely never have 100% proof.
- Abraham Lincoln is a subject of academic debate, with most historians leaning toward "highly affectionate but straight."
- No openly gay person has ever been elected to the office.
We are living in an era where the "first" might happen in our lifetime. Until then, we are left reading between the lines of dusty letters and wondering what was said in the quiet moments of the Executive Mansion.
To get a better grip on this, you should look into the "Lavender Scare" of the 1950s. It explains exactly why any president with a secret would have fought tooth and nail to keep it buried. Understanding the fear of that era makes the Buchanan rumors look a lot more plausible. You might also want to check out the records at the Wheatland estate (Buchanan’s home) or read the unabridged Lincoln-Speed correspondence to see the language for yourself. It’s eye-opening.