Mr David Buchanan MLC

David Buchanan (1823 – 4 April 1890) was a barrister and politician in colonial New South Wales, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and later, the New South Wales Legislative Council.[1]

Buchanan was born in Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, Scotland, the fifth son of William Buchanan, a barrister, and his wife Catherine, née Gregory.[1] Buchanan was educated at the Edinburgh High School.[2]

Buchanan emigrated to Australia in 1852,[2] and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as member for Morpeth on 14 December 1860.[3] In 1862 he unsuccessfully sued the Sydney Morning Herald for libel and was required to pay their legal costs.[4] He was drunk in August 1862 and was involved in an altercation with Samuel Terry. In the assembly Buchanan described Terry as a coward, eventually withdrawing the remark. Buchanan continued to interrupt and held to be in contempt of parliament. He refused to leave the chamber, was arrested by the Sergeant-at-arms and forcibly removed.[5] He was unable to pay the legal costs of his failed libel suit and declared himself bankrupt and resigned from parliament.[1] He re-contested the seat at the resulting by-election but was defeated.[6]

He was returned to the Legislative Assembly as a representative of East Macquarie at a by-election in October 1864, serving until 1 August 1867.[3] He resigned in 1867 and went to England, entering at the Middle Temple in November of that year, being called to the bar in June 1869.[2] He then returned to New South Wales, and practised his profession,[2] being elected to the Legislative Assembly for East Sydney (3 December 1869 to 3 February 1872), and for Goldfields West (25 March 1872 to 12 October 1877).[3] Though defeated at 1879 Mudgee by-election,[2] the election was overturned by the Committee of Elections and Qualifications and Buchanan was declared duly elected in March 1879,[7] a seat he held until 7 October 1885.[3] Buchanan represented Central Cumberland from 15 May 1888 to 19 January 1889.[3]

As a politician Buchanan gained prominence by his sturdy championship of fiscal protection. He revisited England in 1886, and published a selection from his orations and speeches.[2] Having unsuccessfully contested Balmain at the general election in January 1889, he was nominated to the Legislative Council [2] on 27 February 1889, a position he held until his death.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rutledge, Martha. "Buchanan, David (1823–1890)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mennell, Philip (1892). "Buchanan, Hon. David" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mr David Buchanan (1823-1890)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "Supreme Court: Buchanan v Fairfax". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 August 1862. p. 5. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via Trove.
  5. ↑ "Legislative Assembly". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 August 1862. p. 5. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via Trove.
  6. ↑ "Morpeth election — declaration of the poll". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser. 20 September 1862. p. 2. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via Trove.
  7. ↑ "The Committee of Elections and Qualifications". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 March 1879. p. 5. Retrieved 10 October 2019 – via Trove.

 

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