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John A. Buchanan

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For the Canadian senator, see John Alexander Buchanan.

John A. Buchanan
Buchanan in 1903
Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia
In office
January 1, 1895 – January 11, 1915
Preceded byThomas T. Fauntleroy
Succeeded byJoseph L. Kelly
Member of the United States House of Representatives
In office
March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893
Preceded byHenry Bowen
Succeeded byJames W. Marshall
ConstituencyVirginia's 9th congressional district
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office
1885–1887
Serving with Abram Fulkerson
Preceded byJonas Kelley, Daniel Trigg
Succeeded bySamuel Porter Edmondson, John Roberts
ConstituencyWashington County
Personal details
Born
John Alexander Buchanan

(1843-10-07)October 7, 1843
near Groseclose, Smyth County, Virginia, U.S.
DiedSeptember 2, 1921(1921-09-02) (aged 77)
near Emory, Virginia, U.S.
Resting placeOld Glade Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, Glade Spring, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materEmory and Henry College (A.B.)
University of Virginia Law School
OccupationAttorney
Military career
Allegiance Confederate States of America
Service / branch Confederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865
RankPrivate
UnitCompany D, 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Stonewall Brigade
Battles / wars

John Alexander Buchanan (October 7, 1843 – September 2, 1921) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia and a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

Early life

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John Alexander Buchanan was born on October 7, 1843, near Groseclose, Smyth County, Virginia, the son of James Augustus Buchanan and Mary Glenn (Thomas) Buchanan.[1] He was educated in the schools of Smyth County, the academy in the Chatham Hill hamlet of Saltville, Virginia, and the one in Marion, Virginia.[1][2][3]

Military service

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In July 1861, Buchanan enlisted for the American Civil War as a private in the Confederate States Army's Company D, 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Stonewall Brigade.[4][5] He took part in several engagements, and was detailed to several additional duties, including military hospital nurse for six months in 1862, and teamster in May and June 1863.[6] He returned to his company in July, and was wounded in the arm and captured at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.[6] He was a prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Maryland from July 1863 until his release in February 1865.[2][6][7]

Early career

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Buchanan graduated from Emory and Henry College with an A.B. in 1870, then studied at the University of Virginia Law School from 1870 to 1871.[3][8][9] He was admitted to the bar in 1872, and practiced in Abingdon from 1872 to 1892.[2][3][10]

Among Buchanan's civic activities was membership in Abingdon's Maury Literary Association, including a term as first vice president.[11] In addition, he served as president of the Stonewall Jackson Female Institute's board of trustees.[a][13] A Democrat in politics, Buchanan was a delegate to numerous local and state party conventions, and routinely gave speeches at rallies and other campaign events.[14][15][16]

During the post-Reconstruction era in Virginia, politics was dominated by the issue of "readjustment" ‒ whether the state would honor its pre-Civil War and wartime debts, including bond issues that financed infrastructure projects, or whether the debt would be "readjusted" to a lower amount through refinancing some obligations at lower interest rates, repudiating others, and other similar measures.[17] The Readjuster Party, a coalition of Republicans, African Americans and working class whites, supported readjustment.[17] The Democratic Party included former supporters of the Confederacy, among them the Planter class, bankers, and attorneys, who organized as the Conservative Party and opposed readjustment on the grounds that failing to honor the state's obligations would reduce its future borrowing ability.[17] Buchanan was identified with the Conservative Party, which worked throughout the 1870s and early 1880s to defeat Republicans and Readjusters and "redeem" Virginia.[18][19]

Continued career

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Buchanan was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1885 to 1887.[2][7] In 1888 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[7] Because Buchanan's predecessor was a Republican and former Readjuster, Buchanan's victory was celebrated by Democrats as a "redemption" of his congressional district.[20] He was reelected in 1890 and served two terms, March 4, 1889 to March 3, 1893.[2] He did not run for reelection in 1892.[2][3] During his congressional service, Buchanan was a member of the Judiciary and Merchant Marine and Fisheries committees.[21]

In 1894, Buchanan was elected to a seat on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and he served from January 1, 1895, until retiring in January 1915.[22][23] Democrats who gained control of the legislature after the end of the Readjuster movement reorganized the courts, and Buchanan and his colleagues who were elected in 1894 "redeemed" the court by replacing Readjuster judges who had been elected in 1882.[24] In 1913, Buchanan received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hampden–Sydney College.[25] After retiring, Buchanan lived on a farm near Emory, Washington County, Virginia.[2][3][26]

Personal life

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Buchanan never married, and had no children.[26] He died at his farm near Emory on September 2, 1921.[2][3] Buchanan was buried at Old Glade Spring Presbyterian Cemetery in Glade Spring, Virginia.[2][27]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Stonewall Jackson Female Institute in Abingdon was later renamed Stonewall Jackson College.[12] It operated from 1868 until 1930, when its debts forced it to close during the Great Depression.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Blakemore, John Augustus (1978). Buchanan, the Family History of James Buchanan, Son of Alexander Buchanan of Pennsylvania, 1702-1976. Abingdon, VA: J. A. Blakemore. p. 273. ASIN B005H83KPW – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Buchanan, John Alexander". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "John Alexander Buchanan, from Washington County, January 1, 1895-January 12, 1915". Virginia Appellate Court History. May 5, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "List of Men captured at Gettysburg, belonging to the 4th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade". Richmond Enquirer. Richmond, VA. August 25, 1863. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner Tyler (1907). Men of Mark in Virginia. Vol. III. Washington, DC: Men of Mark Publishing. p. 52 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b c "U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Entry for John Alexander Buchanan". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Summers, Lewis Preston (1978). History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870. J. L. Summers: Richmond, VA. p. 763 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Among the Alumni". University of Virginia Alumni News. Charlottesville, VA: Colonnade Club of the University of Virginia. January 20, 1915. p. 119 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Stone, Ormond; Wayland, John W., eds. (July 1907). "Alumni In The United States Congress". The Alumni Bulletin. Charlottesville, VA: Faculty of the University of Virginia. p. 296 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Circuit Court". The Virginia. Abingdon, VA. April 19, 1872. p. 2 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  11. ^ "Maury Literary Association". The Virginia. Abingdon, VA. March 5, 1875. p. 3 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  12. ^ a b "Stonewall Jackson Female Institute". HMdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. 2006. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  13. ^ "Wanted‒ A Principal". The Central Presbyterian. Richmond, VA. July 6, 1881. p. 5 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  14. ^ "County Meeting". The Virginia. Abingdon, VA. August 28, 1874. p. 2 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  15. ^ "The Chosen men: List of Delegates to Chicago and Committeemen". The Virginian. Abingdon, VA. June 5, 1884. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  16. ^ "Abingdon's Red-Letter Day". Richmond Dispatch. Richmond, VA. October 25, 1892. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  17. ^ a b c Tarter, Brent (September 22, 2023). "The Readjuster Party". Encyclopedia Virginia. Charlottesville, VA: Virginia Humanities. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  18. ^ State Conservative Executive Committee (September 8, 1879). "The Following canvassers have been appointed". Richmond Dispatch. Richmond, VA. p. 2 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  19. ^ Bigger, J. Bell (July 20, 1880). "The following canvassers are published by authority of the Executive Committee". Norfolk Virginian. Norfolk, VA. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  20. ^ "Tariff Reform". The Virginia. Abingdon, VA. December 27, 1888. p. 2.Open access icon
  21. ^ Michael, W. H. (1893). Official Congressional Directory. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 136 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ "Judges of the Courts Reported During The Period Covered By This Volume". The Southeastern reporter. Vol. 20. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company. 1895. p. iii – via Google Books.
  23. ^ Watts, Maury Baldwin, ed. (1915). Virginia Appeals: Decisions of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. Vol. X. Richmond, VA: Appeals Press, Inc. p. ii – via Google Books.
  24. ^ "A New Supreme Court". The Norfolk Landmark. Norfolk, VA. January 10, 1894. p. 2 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  25. ^ Hampden-Sydney College (1917). A General Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Hampden-Sydney College. Richmond, VA: Whittet & Shepperson. p. 8 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ a b "Judge Buchanan Dead". The Daily Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. September 3, 1921. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  27. ^ "Funeral of Judge Buchanan". The Lynchburg News. Lynchburg, Virginia. September 6, 1921. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 9th congressional district
1889-1893 		Succeeded by
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