On July 11^th, Senator Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly of an aortic dissection, and he was, among other things, known for being a lifelong bachelor. This has long led to rumors and a few men claiming to have had sexual encounters with him. He denied it, and confirmation of these claims has yet to arise. Graham is not alone in American history among those who have been unmarried for either all or most of their lives. Ten prominent bachelors or bachelorettes included:

James Buchanan – The most famous of all of them, Buchanan is the only president to never have married. Although he was at one time engaged to Anne C. Coleman, but they broke up and she not too long after committed suicide. He was known for his close friendship with Senator William Rufus King of Alabama (and shortly VP), a friendship that has been the source of tremendous historical speculation. I personally don’t know why some gay people have clamored for Buchanan to have been one of them, as he was one of the worst presidents. Is it better to have no or terrible representation?

William Rufus King – King was a longtime senator from Alabama and was vice president for 45 days, as he died from tuberculosis. He was known for his support of slavery and his opposition to secession but also known for his effeminate mannerisms and close friendship with fellow bachelor James Buchanan, which has contributed to historical speculations about his sexuality.

Samuel J. Tilden – Tilden, a reformer Democratic Governor of New York, he is the only person in history to win the majority (as opposed to plurality) of votes and still not be elected president, which happened in the earthquake that was the 1876 election. Had he been elected, he would have been the second president to never have been married.

Frank Brandegee – Brandegee was a conservative stalwart from Connecticut, who served in the House from 1901 to 1905, and then in the Senate from 1905 until his suicide in 1924. He was known for his skills in debate, irreconcilable opposition to the Versailles Treaty, and his staunch opposition to women’s suffrage and from what I’ve read of him I get the impression that he was afraid of women.

Sam Rayburn – Rayburn was the longest-serving House Speaker in American history, serving in Congress from Texas from 1913 to his death in 1961, he was only married for three months before separation, with divorce official a year after the marriage. His wife disagreed with his lifestyle of drinking whiskey and playing cards with friends. Rayburn never remarried and LBJ saw great advantage in acting as a son he never had, including having him over for dinner every Sunday.

David I. Walsh – Massachusetts senator from 1919 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1947. Walsh was a pioneer for Irish Catholic Democrats in the state but his bachelor life led to many questions, and indeed of all the individuals on the list, the claim that he was actually gay has the strongest support and although he never admitted it publicly, it was considered an open secret in Washington.

Joe Martin – Martin was the leader of the House Republicans from 1939 to 1959 and served in Congress from 1925 to 1967. He never married and indeed had few focuses in his life other than caring for his mother, politics, and collecting elephant figurines. There hasn’t been any speculation about his sexuality, and from what I’ve read about him he was painfully shy around women.

Richard Russell – Russell was a powerful Georgia senator and unofficial leader of the Senate’s Southern Democrats, serving in the Senate from 1933 until his death in 1971. Although he dated, he never married and saw LBJ as the son he never had. However, the two ultimately parted ways over Russell’s refusal to support Abe Fortas for chief justice.

Barbara Jordan – The first black representative from Texas, Jordan represented Houston from 1973 to 1979 as a prominent member of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and although she never publicly acknowledged her sexuality, she had a live-in domestic partner, Nancy Earl, for 20 years until her death in 1996. As she was unmarried, Jordan was technically a

Condoleeza Rice – National security advisor and Secretary of State during the second Bush Administration. She has dated men and was once engaged to Denver Broncos wide receiver Rick Upchurch.