Sir Edward Leithen is a fictional character in several of

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...

's novels: ''

The Power-House ''The Power-House'' is a novel by John Buchan, a thriller set in London, England. It was written in 1913, when it was serialised in Blackwood's Magazine, and it was published in book form in 1916. The narrator is the barrister and Tory MP Edw ...

'', ''

John Macnab ''John Macnab'' is a novel by John Buchan, published in 1925. Plot summary Three successful but bored friends in their mid-forties decide to turn to poaching. They are Sir Edward Leithen, lawyer, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), and ex- ...

'', '' The Dancing Floor'', '' The Gap in the Curtain'' and ''

Sick Heart River ''Sick Heart River'' (1941) is a novel by Scottish author John Buchan set in Canada. It was published posthumously. The book was published in the United States under the title ''Mountain Meadow''. Plot summary Sir Edward Leithen is diagnosed w ...

''. These were published over a number of years, the first in 1916 (although "The Power House" was originally published in a magazine in 1913), and the last in 1941, one year after Buchan's death. Leithen's name is borrowed from the

Leithen Water Leithen Water ( gd, Leitheann / Abhainn Leitheinn) is a tributary of the River Tweed in Scotland. It rises in the Moorfoot Hills and joins the Tweed near the town of Innerleithen, whose name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''inbhir'', meaning a ...

, a tributary of the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...

, one of many references to the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

in Buchan's novels. He also appears in ''

The Return of John MacNab ''The Return of John Macnab'' was the second novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. The novel was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Award. Plot summary Andrew Greig has rewritten ''John Macnab'' by John Buchan for the late 20 ...

'' by Andrew Greig in a 1990s retelling of ''

''.

Career

In the books, Leithen is a Scottish

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician (and MP) and, at one point, an

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. He is also described as an excellent

fly fisherman Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...

(which forms an important part of ''John MacNab''.). He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, starting as a private in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

and ending as a GSO 1 (General Staff Officer - Grade 1, probably a lieutenant-colonel or colonel).

Personality

In a number of ways, Leithen resembles Buchan himself, moving amongst high society, and espousing Conservative values. However, Leithen also has a playful side, as can be seen in ''John Macnab''. Because of the long period over which the Leithen novels were written, and the autobiographical element, we can see a real progression and change in the character: by ''

'' (1941), the character is old and weary.http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/buchan-s-final-steps-1-918811 In ''Sick Heart River'' Leithen is diagnosed with terminal

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. He decides to spend his last days tracking down a missing financier who has had a nervous breakdown and fled to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Leithen finds the man but decides to stay with some Indians and help them fight a disease epidemic. Leithen succeeds in helping the Indians and dies a happy man.

References

Fictional British Army officers Fictional knights Fictional lawyers Fictional politicians Fictional Scottish people Fictional World War I veterans John Buchan characters Leithen, Sir Edward {{novel-char-stub

Career

Personality

See also

References