John Andrew Buchanan (October 2, 1863 – December 22, 1935) was a judge and politician in Astoria in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and an amateur poet who wrote the lyrics to the Oregon

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

. In 1920 he composed the lyrics to " Oregon, My Oregon"; he and Henry Murtagh, who composed the music, entered the song in a contest sponsored by the Society of Oregon Composers. They won the contest; the song was published and endorsed by the state superintendent of public instruction. The

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

made it the state song in 1927.Oregon Blue Book: State Song
/ref> Buchanan was a school teacher and an attorney. He served two terms in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

, for the 25th and 26th sessions (1909–1912). He wrote poetry throughout his life and published several books of poetry. A new headstone was installed at his grave in

Warrenton, Oregon Warrenton is a small, coastal city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Named for D.K. (Daniel Knight) Warren, an early settler, the town is primarily a fishing and logging community. The population was 6,277 according to the 2020 US Cens ...

in 2017, paid for by a crowdfunding campaign.

References

External links

* 1863 births 1935 deaths Oregon state court judges Writers from Oregon Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Astoria, Oregon {{Oregon-politician-stub