James Buchanan is often considered to be the first (and only so far?) gay American president. The major piece of evidence for this (at least according to wikipedia and some popular articles on this I've read) is that he shared a house for 15 years with a fellow politican and spoke of their friendship in very sentimental terms:
I am now 'solitary and alone', having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone, and [I] should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection.
However, I am not sure this is very conclusive. Which prompts my question: how widespread was the phenomenon of heterosexual men sharing a house for a long time at that time and place? Were Buchanan and King a singular pair (and thus, most likely a couple) or were there many others?