John Clark Buchanan (May 6, 1933 – April 15, 2020) was an American bishop. He was the sixth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri The Diocese of West Missouri is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and a member of Province VII. It has jurisdiction over sixty counties in western Missouri running from the cities Fairfax in the north to Branson ...

Early life and education

Buchanan was born on May 6, 1933, in

Joanna, South Carolina Joanna is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,539 at the 2010 census, down from 1,609 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenville– Mauldin ...

to Dock Jones Buchanan and Ella Virginia Clark. He served in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

between 1951 and 1955 before attending the University of South Carolina from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1958 and a Juris Doctor in 1961. He then practiced law and worked in the insurance industry until 1966 when he enrolled at the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

to study for the priesthood. He graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1969. He also completed a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

at the

McCormick Theological Seminary McCormick Theological Seminary is a private Presbyterian seminary in Chicago, Illinois. It shares a campus with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, bordering the campus of the University of Chicago. A letter of intent was signed on May ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1975. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity by the General Theological Seminary in 1990.

Ordained Ministry

Buchanan was ordained deacon in 1969 and priest on January 1, 1970, by the Bishop of South Carolina Gray Temple. He served as vicar of St Barnabas' Church in

Dillon, South Carolina Dillon is a city in Dillon County in eastern South Carolina, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Dillon County. It was established on December 22, 1888. Both the name of the city and county comes from James W. Dillon, an earl ...

between 1969 and 1971, before becoming rector of St Matthew's Church in

Darlington, South Carolina Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Darlington ...

. In 1975 he then became rector of St Andrew's Church in

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Mount Pleasant is a large suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. In the Low Country, it is the fourth largest municipality and largest town in South Carolina, and for several years was one of the state's fastest-growin ...

, where he remained until 1989.

Episcopacy

During a special convention of the Diocese of West Missouri on October 22, 1988, Buchanan was elected Coadjutor Bishop of West Missouri. He was consecrated on February 25, 1989, in

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral in the Quality Hill neighborhood of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri. History Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral wa ...

and succeeded as diocesan bishop on July 1, 1989. He resigned on December 31, 1999, and then returned to his native state of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

where he served at St Michael's Church in Charleston, South Carolina. After a while he became Bishop-in-Residence of the Diocese of Texas. In 2006 he was appointed Assistant Bishop of Southern Virginia while in 2009, Buchanan became the provisional bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Quincy The Diocese of Quincy was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in western Illinois from 1877 to 2013. The cathedral seat (home of the diocese) was originally in Quincy, Illinois but was moved to St. Paul's Cathedral in Peoria in 1963. In order ...

after a majority of the diocese left for the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

. He maintained this role until Quincy was merged into the

Episcopal Diocese of Chicago The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, US. The diocese is headed by Bishop Paula Clark, who is the first woman and first African-American to lead the diocese. ...

. He then served a year as an assisting bishop in Chicago before retiring. He died on April 15, 2020, at his home in Charleston, South Carolina. He married Peggy Annelle Brown in 1964 and together had two daughters."Former West Missouri, Quincy Bishop Dies"
''

The Living Church ''The Living Church'' is a magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, providing commentary and news on the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. In continuous publication since 1878, it has generally been identified with the Anglo-Catho ...

'', April 20, 2020. Retrieved on August 11, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, John 1933 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of West Missouri General Theological Seminary alumni University of South Carolina alumni University of South Carolina School of Law alumni