Robert Buchanan (1785–1873) was a Scottish minister and Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow, known as a dramatist and poet.

Life

Buchanan was a cadet of the

Clan Buchanan Clan Buchanan ( gd, Na Cananaich ) is a Highlands Scottish Clan whose origins are said to lie in the 1225 grant of lands on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond to clergyman Sir Absalon of Buchanan by the Earl of Lennox."The Scottish Clans and Thei ...

, and a native of

Callander Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. The town ser ...

, where he was born in 1785. He specially distinguished himself in the philosophy classes. After completing his divinity course at the University of Glasgow, he was in 1812 licensed as a preacher of the Church of Scotland by the presbytery of Haddington, and in 1813 was presented to the parish of Peebles. In 1824 Buchanan was appointed assistant and successor to George Jardine in the chair of Logic and Rhetoric at Glasgow, becoming sole professor in 1827. As a philosopher he was influenced by his teacher James Mylne, and was wary of the philosophy of commonsense. Following Jardine, and with the support of Mylne's successor William Fleming, he resisted attempts to bring Glasgow's courses more in line with those taught in England. In 1864, Buchanan retired to Ardfillayne, Dunoon. He died on 2 March 1873 and is buried in Dunoon Cemetery.''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland''
Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 444

Legacy

In commemoration of Buchanan's services, the Buchanan prizes were instituted in 1866, for students of the logic, moral philosophy, and English literature classes of the University of Glasgow. By his will he bequeathed £10,000 for the founding of Buchanan bursaries, for the arts classes of the university.

Works

Buchanan was the author of: * ''Fragments of the Table Round'', 1860; * ''Vow of Glentreuil, and other Poems'', 1862; * ''Wallace, a Tragedy'', 1856; * ''Tragic Dramas from Scottish History'', 1868, containing: ''The British Brothers''; ''Gaston Phœbus''; ''Edinburga''; and the tragedies of ''Wallace'' and ''King James the First''. * Anonymous, ''Canute's Birthday in Ireland, a Drama in Five Acts'', in 1868. Buchanan's tragedy ''Wallace'' was performed twice for a charitable object at the Prince's Theatre, Glasgow, in March 1862, the major characters being played by students.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Robert 1785 births 1873 deaths 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 19th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers People from Stirling (council area) Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Glasgow 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights Scottish logicians Scottish philosophers 19th-century British philosophers