Ebenezer John Buchanan

Sir Ebenezer John Buchanan (8 March 1844 – 11 October 1930) was a journalist, politician and judge of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. He was knighted in 1901.

Early life

Buchanan was the second son of the missionary Ebenezer Buchanan and his wife Jane Cowan. He received his schooling in Pietermaritzburg, after which he began his journalistic career with ''The Natal Witness''. He also worked at ''The Times of Natal'' and ''The Natal Mercury'', where he was the parliamentary reporter. In 1866, Buchanan moved to the Cape Colony and joined the staff of '' The Cape Argus''.

Judicial career

In the late 1860s, Buchanan went to London to read law. He entered the Inner Temple in 1869 and was called to the bar of the Inner Temple in 1873. Buchanan returned to Cape Town and was admitted as an advocate. He also entered politics and in 1877 he became the member for the Worcester in the Cape Legislative Assembly.

In 1880, Buchanan was appointed an acting judge of the Eastern Districts Court and in 1881 he became a permanent judge. In 1892, he was appointed first puisne judge of the Cape Supreme Court. On several occasions, when Lord de Villiers was not available, he acted as chief justice and in this capacity, he presided over the Cape Legislative Council in the parliamentary sessions of 1894, 1897, 1900 and 1905. After the Union of South Africa, he remained a judge of the Cape Provincial Division of the Supreme Court and also regularly acted as Judge President.

In the field of education, Buchanan was a member of the council of the University of the Cape of Good Hope from 1888 until 1918, and its vice-chancellor from 1901 to 1905.

Honours

Buchanan was awarded the honorary degree of LLD by the University of Cambridge and by the University of South Africa.

References

1844 births
1930 deaths
South African judges
South African knights

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