Buchanan was born near Dumfries, Scotland, in 1748. His father's name may have been Archibald Buchanan, but his mother's name is not known. His elder half brother James Buchanan moved to Virginia about 1757 and became one of the most influential and prosperous merchants in Richmond. John Buchanan briefly studied law in London, but the subject did not interest him, and about 1771 he joined his brother in Richmond. Commerce did not satisfy him either, and after fifteen months he returned to Scotland and may have received an AM from the University of Edinburgh in April 1774. On August 13, 1775, the bishop of London licensed Buchanan for the ministry of the Church of England in Virginia.
The College of William and Mary awarded Buchanan an honorary DD in 1794, and he was the founding president of the Bible Society of Virginia in 1813. For several years when Saint John's Church was in disrepair he preached to his congregation in the Virginia State Capitol, alternating Sundays with the Presbyterian minister John D. Blair. Buchanan and Blair became close friends. A lifelong bachelor, Buchanan spent many hours in Blair's household and with Blair's children. Buchanan and Blair traded puns and doggerel verse in a lighthearted way, and they preached religious tolerance and set an ecumenical example that distinguished them from some of the Methodists and Baptists of the city.
Buchanan served for thirty-seven years as rector of Henrico Parish and for twenty-nine years as treasurer of the Diocese of Virginia. He turned down the proffered post of bishop after the death of the incumbent James Madison, citing his own advanced age. Buchanan died in Richmond on December 19, 1822, about three weeks before his friend Blair, and was buried beneath the chancel of Saint John's Church in Richmond.
Time Line
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1748 - John Buchanan is born near Dumfries, Scotland.
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1771 - John Buchanan joins his elder half brother James Buchanan in Richmond.
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April 1774 - John Buchanan may have received an AM from the University of Edinburgh.
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August 13, 1775 - John Buchanan is licensed for the ministry of the Church of England in Virginia.
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October 1, 1779 - John Buchanan begins preaching in Lexington Parish in Amherst County.
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January 1780 - John Buchanan becomes rector of Lexington Parish in Amherst County.
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May 10, 1785 - John Buchanan succeeds Miles Selden as rector of Henrico Parish and minister of Saint John's Church in Richmond.
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1794 - The College of William and Mary awards John Buchanan an honorary DD.
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December 26, 1811 - A fire destroys the Richmond Theatre during a performance, killing more than seventy people, including the governor of Virginia.
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1812–1814 - Monumental Church, designed by the architect Robert Mills for the site on the Richmond Theatre fire, is constructed.
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1813 - John Buchanan is the founding president of the Bible Society of Virginia.
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December 19, 1822 - John Buchanan dies in Richmond and is buried beneath the chancel of Saint John's Church there.
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Categories
- Colonial History (ca. 1560–1763)
- Religion
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Duke, M., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. John Buchanan (1748–1822). (2018, October 3). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Buchanan_John_1748-1822.
- MLA Citation:
Duke, Maurice and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "John Buchanan (1748–1822)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 3 Oct. 2018. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: March 29, 2017 | Last modified: October 3, 2018