John Buchan (John Buchan)

John Buchan

British Peer, Author. Born in Perth, Scotland, the eldest son of Reverend John Buchan and Helen Masterson. He attended the University of Glasgow on scholarship where he began writing both prose and poetry, and Brasenose College, Oxford, where he won the Newdigate prize for poetry. He passed the bar in 1901 and worked on the staff of the high commissioner for South Africa from 1901 to 1903. Upon his return to Britain, he became a director of Nelson’s, the publishers for whom he wrote. In 1907 he married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor with whom he had four children. His “Prester John”, an adventure novel set in South Africa, was published in 1910 followed by “The Thirty-nine Steps” in 1915 – the latter was made into a feature film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. During the First World War he wrote for the War Propaganda Bureau, serving in the Intelligence Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. At war’s end, he continued to write novels in his spare time, while adding more non-fiction to his repertoire as well, including numerous volumes on war, biography, and Scotland. In 1927 he was elected MP for the Scottish Universities. In 1935 he gained the title of 1st Baron Tweedsmuir and was appointed Governor General of Canada. “The House of the Four Winds” was published that same year. In 1936 he founded the Governor General’s literary awards. At the age of 64, he suffered a stroke and was injured in a subsequent fall. After lingering for five days, he succumbed to his injuries, and after a state funeral in Ottowa, his ashes were returned to Britain for burial. His novels, “The Sick Heart River” and “Lake of Gold” were published posthumously. His son, William, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir, wrote a biography of his father entitled “John Buchan: A Memoir.” (bio by: Iola)

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Born

  • August, 26, 1875
  • Perth, Scotland

Died

  • February, 02, 1940
  • Canada
  • Montreal, Quebec

Cause of Death

  • stroke

Cemetery

  • St Thomas of Canterbury Churchyard
  • Oxfordshire, England
  • United Kingdom

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