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James M. Buchanan (diplomat)

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James Madison Buchanan
United States Minister to Denmark
In office
1858–1861
PresidentJames Buchanan
Preceded byHenry Bedinger
Succeeded byBradford R. Wood
Personal details
BornMay 1803
Pikesville, Maryland, U.S.
DiedAugust 23, 1876(1876-08-23) (aged 73)
Berkeley, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Republican, Democrat, Whig
SpouseJane Ellen Carns
Children
  • William
  • John Adams
  • James Jr.
  • Emily
  • John Rowan
  • Edmund
  • Rebecca
  • Harvey
  • Ellen

James Madison Buchanan (May 1803 – August 23, 1876) was a Baltimore, Maryland jurist and diplomat.[1]

Early life

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James Madison Buchanan was born in Pikesville, Maryland, in May 1803 (some sources indicate 1802).[2] He was the son of William Buchanan (1748–1824) and Hephzibah (née Brown) Buchanan. During the American Revolutionary War, his father was a member of the committee of correspondence and was a registrar of wills for Baltimore county in 1778.[3]

Through his father, he was a cousin of 15th President of the United States James Buchanan (1791–1868).

He attended Baltimore College and St. Mary's College of Baltimore, studied law with Hugh Davey Evans and Walter Dorsey, and became an attorney in Baltimore.[4]

Career

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A Democratic-Republican, Buchanan served in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1826 & 1829.[5] Later a Democrat, he campaigned for Andrew Jackson for president in 1824 and 1828, and attended numerous local and state party conventions as a Delegate.[6]

In the 1830s, he joined the militia as an aide-de-camp to the Commander of the Baltimore City Guards.[7] Buchanan became a Whig in the 1830s, but later returned to the Democratic party.[8]

Buchanan served as Baltimore's postmaster for eight years[3] during the administration of James K. Polk,[9] and he was President of Maryland's 1850–1851 constitutional convention.[10] In 1852 he was appointed as one of Maryland's Commissioners for resolving the state's boundary with Pennsylvania, and in 1855 he was appointed a Judge on Maryland's Circuit Court.[11]

In 1856, Buchanan was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and supported his cousin James Buchanan for president.[12] In 1858, President Buchanan nominated James M. Buchanan as Minister to Denmark succeeding Henry Bedinger. He served until 1861 when he was replaced by Bradford R. Wood.[13]

Later career

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After spending time touring Paris and Europe during the American Civil War,[1] Buchanan returned to Baltimore and practiced law until his death.[14]

Personal life

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Buchanan was married to Jane Ellen Carns.[15] Together, they were the parents of:

  • William Jefferson Buchanan (1833–1874), a Princeton lawyer and newspaper man.[15]
  • John Adams Buchanan (1835–1839), who died young.
  • James Madison Buchanan Jr. (1837–1924), who married Sarah Ann Elizabeth McGaughy (1840–1893)
  • Emily Rebecca Buchanan (1838–1844), who died young.
  • John Rowan Buchanan (1841–1880)
  • Edmund Key Buchanan (1843–1908)
  • Rebecca Priscilla Buchanan (1847–1861), who died young.
  • Harvey Buchanan (b. 1851)
  • Ellen Elizabeth Buchanan (1853–1859), who died young.

Death and burial

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Buchanan died in Berkeley, West Virginia, on August 23, 1876,[16][17] and was buried in Baltimore's Green Mount Cemetery.[18] (One source indicate that he died in Baltimore.)[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Blume, Kenneth J. (2016). Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy from the Civil War to World War I. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 82. ISBN 9781442273337. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. ^ James T. White & Company, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume VII, 1897, page 536
  3. ^ a b The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. J.T. White & Company. 1897. p. 536. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  4. ^ Richardson & Bennett, Baltimore: Past and Present, 1871, page 212
  5. ^ John Thomas Scharf, History of Baltimore City and County, 1881, page 819
  6. ^ H. Niles & Son, Niles' Weekly Register, Volumes 35-36, March 25, 1829
  7. ^ Richardson & Bennett, Baltimore: Past and Present, 1871, page 213
  8. ^ H. Niles & Sons, Niles' Weekly Register: The Grand Whig Festival, November 21, 1835, page 197
  9. ^ U.S. Postal Service, A Brief History of the Baltimore Post Office from 1753 to 1930, 1930, page 19
  10. ^ Maryland Constitutional Convention, Proceedings, 1851, page 406
  11. ^ George Sanger, The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge for the Year 1857, 1856, page 283
  12. ^ Democratic National Convention, Official Proceedings, 1856, page 14
  13. ^ Jesse Frederick Essary, Maryland in National Politics, 1915, page 300
  14. ^ Richardson & Bennett, Baltimore: Past and Present, 1871, page 216
  15. ^ a b Fraternity, Zeta Psi (1900). Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America: Founded June 1 ... 1847. Semi-centennial Biographical Catalogue, with Data to December 31, 1899. The Fraternity. p. 167. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Death of Hon. James M. Buchanan". Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. August 25, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Death notice, Hon. James M. Buchanan". The Democratic Advocate. Westminster, MD. August 26, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Death of Hon. James M. Buchanan", p. 4.
  19. ^ James Grant Wilson, John Fiske, editors, Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 7, 1901, page 39
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Minister to Denmark
1858–1861 		Succeeded by
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