Sir Walter Clarke Buchanan (20 June 1838 – 19 July 1924) was a New Zealand politician who became a member of the Reform Party that formed in 1909. Despite never being appointed as a minister, he was an influential politician and a strong advocate for farming interests.

Early life

Buchanan was born in 1838 in

Kilmodan Kilmodan is a civil parish situated on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. It includes the valley of Glendaruel and surrounding areas, with Kilmodan Church located in the Clachan of Glendaruel. The alternative historical spellin ...

, Argyllshire, Scotland. He was the son of the farmer Donald McChananich and of his wife Janet Clarke. He was baptised under McChananich, the Gaelic version of Buchanan. He attended

Greenock Academy The Greenock Academy was a mixed non-denominational school in the west end of Greenock, Scotland, founded in 1855, originally independent, later a grammar school with a primary department, and finally a Comprehensive school only for ages eleven t ...

, and moved to Australia at the age of 18, where he became a farmer. Around 1863 he moved to New Zealand.

Political career

Buchanan entered politics in 1881, representing first

Wairarapa South Wairarapa South was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1881 to 1887. Population centres The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European populati ...

from 1881 to

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

, and then

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

from

to 1899, 1902 to

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

and 1908 to

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

. He was in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for much of the next 33 years, losing three elections. In the four general elections between 1881 and 1890, he always beat Henry Bunny, who had represented the electorate continuously since an . He lost Wairarapa to

J. T. Marryat Hornsby John Thomas Marryat Hornsby (13 March 1857 – 23 February 1921), generally known as J. T. Marryat Hornsby, was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party from the Wairarapa. He was a newspaper editor and proprietor. Biography Early life Ho ...

, the frequent

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidate for the electorate, in 1899, won it back in 1902, lost it in

and won it back in 1908. He finally lost the seat to Hornsby in

. In the House, he was a staunch

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 ...

voice, and a diehard opponent of the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

government of

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

. Buchanan was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1913 and appointed to the Legislative Council in 1915, where he served until his death in 1924. Despite his long experience in politics, he was never appointed a Minister (partly because the

was in power as from 1891 to 1914). Buchanan was appointed honorary colonel of the 17th (Ruahine) Regiment in 1916.

Death

Buchanan died on 19 July 1924 of heart failure following a car crash. He had never married. He was buried at Clareville Cemetery, Carterton.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Walter Clarke New Zealand people of Scottish descent Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Knights Bachelor 20th-century New Zealand farmers Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs 1838 births 1924 deaths People educated at Greenock Academy New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Burials at Clareville Cemetery Unsuccessful candidates in the 1899 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians