{{Short description|American judge (1843–1921)}} {{For|the Canadian senator|John Alexander Buchanan}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = John A. Buchanan |image = John. A. Buchanan.jpg |alt = |caption = Buchanan in 1903 |office1 = Judge of the [[Court of Appeals of Virginia]] |term_start1 = January 1, 1895 |term_end1 = January 11, 1915 |predecessor1 = Thomas T. Fauntleroy |successor1 = Joseph L. Kelly |office2 = Member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] |term_start2 = March 4, 1889 |term_end2 = March 3, 1893 |constituency2 = [[Virginia's 9th congressional district]] |predecessor2 = [[Henry Bowen]] |successor2 = [[James William Marshall (politician)|James W. Marshall]] |office3 = Member of the [[Virginia House of Delegates]] |term_start3 = 1885 |term_end3 = 1887 |constituency3 = [[Washington County, Virginia|Washington County]] |alongside3 = Abram Fulkerson |predecessor3 = Jonas Kelley, Daniel Trigg |successor3 = Samuel Porter Edmondson, John Roberts |birth_name = John Alexander Buchanan |birth_date = {{birth date|1843|10|7}} |birth_place = near [[Groseclose, Smyth County, Virginia]], U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1921|9|2|1843|10|7}} |death_place = near [[Emory, Virginia]], U.S. |resting_place = Old Glade Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, [[Glade Spring, Virginia]], U.S. |alma_mater = [[Emory and Henry College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]])<br/>[[University of Virginia Law School]] |occupation = Attorney |spouse = |children = |module = {{Infobox military person |embed=yes |allegiance = {{flag|Confederate States of America}} |branch = {{army|CSA}} |unit = Company D, [[4th Virginia Infantry Regiment]], [[Stonewall Brigade]] |rank = [[Private (United States)|Private]] |battles = {{tree list}} *[[American Civil War]] **[[Battle of Gettysburg]] {{tree list/end}} | service_years = 1861–1865 }} }} '''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== 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.<ref name="Blakemore">{{cite book |last=Blakemore |first=John Augustus |date=1978 |title=Buchanan, the Family History of James Buchanan, Son of Alexander Buchanan of Pennsylvania, 1702-1976 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0obAAAAYAAJ&q=%22BUCHANAN+,+JUDGE+JOHN+ALEXANDER+4223%22 |location=Abingdon, VA |publisher=J. A. Blakemore |page=273 |asin=B005H83KPW |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Blakemore"/><ref name="bio">{{Cite web |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/B001007 |title=Buchanan, John Alexander |work=[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]] |access-date=2024-03-01}}</ref><ref name="scva">{{Cite web|date=2014-05-05|title=John Alexander Buchanan, from Washington County, January 1, 1895-January 12, 1915|url=https://scvahistory.org/courtofappeals/b/buchanan-john-alexander-1895-1915/|access-date=2020-12-13|website=Virginia Appellate Court History|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Military service== In July 1861, Buchanan enlisted for the [[American Civil War]] as a [[Private (United States)|private]] in the [[Confederate States Army]]'s Company D, [[4th Virginia Infantry Regiment]], [[Stonewall Brigade]].<ref>{{cite news |date=August 25, 1863 |title=List of Men captured at Gettysburg, belonging to the 4th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-enquirer-captured/142446288/ |work=[[Richmond Enquirer]] |location=Richmond, VA |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tyler |first=Lyon Gardiner Tyler |author-link=Lyon Gardiner Tyler |date=1907 |title=Men of Mark in Virginia |volume=III |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e1YDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA50 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Men of Mark Publishing |page=52 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Profiles">{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/10482971?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a226e567139583849617a4b34744b4c7637462f386b4f742f4544464f4a6c5a4b4e3871555a566343647555773d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d |title=U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Entry for John Alexander Buchanan |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com, LLC |location=Lehi, UT |access-date=March 2, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He returned to his company in July, and was wounded in the arm and captured at the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] in July 1863.<ref name="Profiles"/> He was a prisoner of war at [[Point Lookout State Park|Point Lookout, Maryland]] from July 1863 until his release in February 1865.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="Profiles"/><ref name="Summers">{{cite book |last=Summers |first=Lewis Preston |date=1978 |title=History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hU1OAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA763 |location=J. L. Summers |publisher=Richmond, VA |page=763 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
==Early career== Buchanan graduated from [[Emory and Henry College]] with an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] in 1870, then studied at the [[University of Virginia Law School]] from 1870 to 1871.<ref name="scva"/><ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 20, 1915 |title=Among the Alumni |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9xKAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA119 |magazine=University of Virginia Alumni News |location=Charlottesville, VA |publisher=Colonnade Club of the University of Virginia |page=119 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |editor1-last=Stone |editor1-first=Ormond |editor2-last=Wayland |editor2-first=John W. |date=July 1907 |title=Alumni In The United States Congress |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4d5KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA296 |magazine=The Alumni Bulletin |location=Charlottesville, VA |publisher=Faculty of the University of Virginia |page=296 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in 1872, and practiced in [[Abingdon, Virginia|Abingdon]] from 1872 to 1892.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="scva"/><ref>{{cite news |date=April 19, 1872 |title=Circuit Court |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-abingdon-virginian-circuit/142483256/ |work=The Virginia |location=Abingdon, VA |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref>
Among Buchanan's civic activities was membership in Abingdon's Maury Literary Association, including a term as first vice president.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 5, 1875 |title=Maury Literary Association |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-abingdon-virginian-maury/142509063/ |work=The Virginia |location=Abingdon, VA |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref> In addition, he served as president of the Stonewall Jackson Female Institute's board of trustees.{{efn|The Stonewall Jackson Female Institute in Abingdon was later renamed Stonewall Jackson College.<ref name="Institute">{{cite web |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=45135 |title=Stonewall Jackson Female Institute |date=2006 |website=HMdb.org |publisher=The Historical Marker Database |access-date=March 2, 2024}}</ref> It operated from 1868 until 1930, when its debts forced it to close during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].<ref name="Institute"/>}}<ref>{{cite news |date=July 6, 1881 |title=Wanted‒ A Principal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-central-presbyterian-principal/142511531/ |work=The Central Presbyterian |location=Richmond, VA |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref> A [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in politics, Buchanan was a delegate to numerous local and state party conventions, and routinely gave speeches at rallies and other campaign events.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 28, 1874 |title=County Meeting |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-abingdon-virginian-county/142508855/ |work=The Virginia |location=Abingdon, VA |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 5, 1884 |title=The Chosen men: List of Delegates to Chicago and Committeemen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/abingdon-weekly-virginian-chosen/142513815/ |work=The Virginian |location=Abingdon, VA |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 25, 1892 |title=Abingdon's Red-Letter Day |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-dispatch-letter/142527148/ |work=[[Richmond Dispatch]] |location=Richmond, VA |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Tarter">{{cite web |url=https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/readjuster-party-the/ |title=The Readjuster Party |last=Tarter |first=Brent |date=September 22, 2023 |website=Encyclopedia Virginia |publisher=Virginia Humanities |location=Charlottesville, VA |access-date=March 2, 2024}}</ref> The [[Readjuster Party]], a coalition of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], African Americans and working class whites, supported readjustment.<ref name="Tarter"/> The Democratic Party included former supporters of the Confederacy, among them the [[Planter class]], bankers, and attorneys, who organized as the [[Conservative Party (Virginia, 1867)|Conservative Party]] and opposed readjustment on the grounds that failing to honor the state's obligations would reduce its future borrowing ability.<ref name="Tarter"/> Buchanan was identified with the Conservative Party, which worked throughout the 1870s and early 1880s to defeat Republicans and Readjusters and "[[Redeemers|redeem]]" Virginia.<ref>{{cite news |author=State Conservative Executive Committee |date=September 8, 1879 |title=The Following canvassers have been appointed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-dispatch-executive/142510158/ |work=[[Richmond Dispatch]] |location=Richmond, VA |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bigger |first=J. Bell |date=July 20, 1880 |title=The following canvassers are published by authority of the Executive Committee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-norfolk-virginian-canvassers/142510902/ |work=[[Norfolk Virginian]] |location=Norfolk, VA |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref>
==Continued career== Buchanan was a member of the [[Virginia House of Delegates]] from 1885 to 1887.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="Summers"/> In 1888 he was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]].<ref name="Summers"/> Because Buchanan's predecessor was a Republican and former Readjuster, Buchanan's victory was celebrated by Democrats as a "redemption" of his congressional district.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 27, 1888 |title=Tariff Reform |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/abingdon-weekly-virginian-tariff/142514631/ |work=The Virginia |location=Abingdon, VA |page=2}}{{Open access}}</ref> He was reelected in 1890 and served two terms, March 4, 1889 to March 3, 1893.<ref name="bio"/> He did not run for reelection in 1892.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="scva"/> During his congressional service, Buchanan was a member of the [[United States House Committee on the Judiciary|Judiciary]] and [[United States House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries|Merchant Marine and Fisheries]] committees.<ref>{{cite book |last=Michael |first=W. H. |date=1893 |title=Official Congressional Directory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tM8-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA136 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=136 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=1895 |title=Judges of the Courts Reported During The Period Covered By This Volume |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cCb_OiG5daUC&pg=PR3 |magazine=The Southeastern reporter |volume=20 |location=St. Paul, MN |publisher=West Publishing Company |page=iii |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Watts |editor-first=Maury Baldwin |date=1915 |title=Virginia Appeals: Decisions of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia |volume=X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7JwUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR2 |location=Richmond, VA |publisher=Appeals Press, Inc. |page=ii |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 10, 1894 |title=A New Supreme Court |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-norfolk-weekly-landmark/102022579/ |work=The Norfolk Landmark |location=Norfolk, VA |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]{{Open access}}}}</ref> In 1913, Buchanan received the [[honorary degree]] of [[Doctor of Laws|LL.D.]] from [[Hampden–Sydney College]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Hampden-Sydney College |date=1917 |title=A General Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Hampden-Sydney College |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_KR_EyMa_8C&pg=PA8 |location=Richmond, VA |publisher=Whittet & Shepperson |page=8 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> After retiring, Buchanan lived on a farm near [[Emory, Virginia|Emory]], [[Washington County, Virginia]].<ref name="bio"/><ref name="scva"/><ref name="Judge">{{cite news |date=September 3, 1921 |title=Judge Buchanan Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-star-obituary-for-john-a-bucha/142436957/ |newspaper=The Daily Star |location=Fredericksburg, Virginia |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref>
==Personal life== Buchanan never married, and had no children.<ref name="Judge"/> He died at his farm near Emory on September 2, 1921.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="scva"/> Buchanan was buried at Old Glade Spring Presbyterian Cemetery in Glade Spring, Virginia.<ref name="bio"/><ref>{{cite news |date=September 6, 1921 |title=Funeral of Judge Buchanan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-advance-funeral/142437078/ |newspaper=The Lynchburg News |location=Lynchburg, Virginia |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|John A. Buchanan}} {{CongBio|B001007}} Retrieved on 2009-05-12 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072746/https://www.swvamuseum.org/johnbuchanan.html Southwest Virginia Museum biography of John A. Buchanan] (archived)
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box | state=Virginia | district=9 | before=[[Henry Bowen]] | after=[[James William Marshall (politician)|James W. Marshall]] | years=1889-1893}} {{s-end}} {{VirginiaRepresentatives09}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, John}} [[Category:1843 births]] [[Category:1921 deaths]] [[Category:Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia]] [[Category:People from Smyth County, Virginia]] [[Category:Emory & Henry University alumni]] [[Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni]] [[Category:Democratic Party United States representatives from Virginia]] [[Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia]] [[Category:Virginia lawyers]] [[Category:Stonewall Brigade]] [[Category:Confederate States Army soldiers]] [[Category:American Civil War prisoners of war held by the United States]] [[Category:People of Virginia in the American Civil War]] [[Category:19th-century Virginia state court judges]] [[Category:20th-century Virginia state court judges]] [[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]