John Buchan
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War.
Also recorded as Lord Tweedsmuir · Sir John Buchan · John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir · John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir
John Buchan

Bassano Ltd · Public domain
- Name
- The Lord Tweedsmuir
- Birth Name
- John Buchan
- Born
- 26 August 1875
- Birthplace
- Perth, Scotland
- Died
- 11 February 1940
- Place of death
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Education
- * University of Glasgow
- Occupation
- Author
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- journalism · diplomacy
- Honours
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order · Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George · James Tait Black Memorial Prize · Companion of Honour · King George VI Coronation Medal · honorary doctorate at the Laval University
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
John Buchan (1875–1940) was a biographer, journalist and military personnel, among other activities, of British nationality. The biographer was born in Perth and died in Montreal.
John Buchan was educated at Brasenose College, Hutchesons' Grammar School and Kirkcaldy High School, among others. The biographer was a member of Scottish History Society and held the positions of Governor General of Canada and member of the House of Lords. John Buchan worked in London. Activity centred on diplomacy and journalism.
Languages used include English. Honours include Companion of Honour, honorary doctorate at the Laval University and James Tait Black Memorial Prize, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for John Buchan. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q333004 · wikipedia · John Buchan
In this article
Biography
Biography
He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927. In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian prime minister R. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
John Buchan studied at Brasenose College, University of Glasgow and Hutchesons' Grammar School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is journalism and diplomacy. Places of work recorded in the authority are London. Positions recorded include Governor General of Canada and member of the House of Lords. Distinctions recorded are Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Companion of Honour.

Queen Elizabeth (left) King George VI (second from left) with Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir (second from right) and Lady Tweedsmuir (right) at Rideau Hall during Their Majesties' royal tour of Canada.
Wide World Photos (unknown photographer) · Royal Collection Trust
Key facts
Key facts
• Honorific Prefix — The Right Honourable • Name — The Lord Tweedsmuir • Order — 15th • Office — Governor General of Canada • Term Start — 2 November 1935 • Term End — 11 February 1940 • Monarch — * George V • Edward VIII • George VI • Prime Minister — William Lyon Mackenzie King • Predecessor — The Earl of Bessborough • Successor — The Earl of Athlone • Office2 — More... • Birth Name — John Buchan • Born — 26 August 1875 • Birthplace — Perth, Scotland • Died — 11 February 1940 • Place of death — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Education — * University of Glasgow • Brasenose College, Oxford • Party — Scottish Unionist • Children — 4, including John, William and Alastair • Relatives — O. Douglas (sister) • Occupation — Author
Early life and education
Early life and education
Buchan was born at today's 18–20 York Place, a double villa now named after him, in Perth, Scotland.[1] He was the first child of John Buchan – a Free Church of Scotland minister – and Helen Jane Buchan (née Masterton). He was brought up in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and spent many summer holidays with his maternal grandparents in Broughton in the Scottish Borders. There he developed a love for walking and for the local scenery and wildlife, both of which are often featured in his novels. The protagonist in several of his books is Sir Edward Leithen, whose name is borrowed from Leithen Water, a tributary of the River Tweed. After the family moved to Glasgow, Buchan attended Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School. He was awarded a scholarship to the University of Glasgow at age 17, where he studied classics as a student of Gilbert Murray, wrote poetry, and became a published author.[2] He moved on to study Literae Humaniores (Greek and Latin Classics) at Brasenose College, Oxford, with a Junior Hulme scholarship in 1895 and in his third year achieved a Senior Hulme scholarship, adding to his financial security.[3] At Oxford, he made many friends including Raymond Asquith, Aubrey Herbert and Tommy Nelson. Buchan won the Stanhope essay prize in 1897 and the Newdigate Prize for poetry the following year; he was also elected as the president of the Oxford Union and had six of his works published, including a book of short stories (Grey Weather, 1899) and three of his first adventure novels (John Burnet of Barns, 1898; A Lost Lady of Old Years, 1899; The Half-Hearted, 1900)[5] Buchan had his first portrait painted in 1900 by a young Sholto Johnstone Douglas at around the time of his graduation from Oxford.[6][7]
Author, journalist, war, and politics
Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
• Illustration — Mackenzie King delivers an address at the installation of Lord Tweedsmuir as Governor General of Canada, 2 November 1935 • Illustration — Lord Tweedsmuir in Native headdress, photo portrait by Yousuf Karsh, 1937 On 27 March 1935, Sir George Halsey Perley announced in the Canadian Parliament (in place of ailing Conservative Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett) that the King had appointed Mr. John Buchan as the viceregal representative.[48] The King approved the appointment,[49] made by commission under the royal sign-manual and signet. Buchan, by this time elevated to the peerage as the first Baron Tweedsmuir, then departed for Canada and was sworn in as the country's Governor General in a ceremony on 2 November 1935 in the Legislative Council of Quebec (salon rouge) of the parliament buildings of Quebec. By the time Lord Tweedsmuir arrived in Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King had been sworn in as Prime Minister after the Liberal Party won the federal election held the previous month. Tweedsmuir was the first Governor General of Canada appointed since the enactment of the Statute of Westminster on 11 December 1931, and was thus the first to have been decided on solely by the monarch of Canada in his Canadian council. Tweedsmuir brought to the post a longstanding knowledge of Canada. He had written many appreciative words about the country as a journalist on The Spectator and had followed the actions of the Canadian forces in the First World War when writing Nelson's History of the War, and was helped by talks with Julian Byng, during a visit Canada in 1924.[50] He had also written a memoir of a previous Governor General, Lord Minto (1898–1904), published in 1924. His knowledge and interest in increasing public awareness and accessibility to Canada's past resulted in Tweedsmuir being made the Champlain Society's second honorary president between 1938 and 1939.[51] He continued writing during his time in Canada, but he also took his position as Governor General seriously, and from the outset made it his goal to travel the length and breadth of Canada, including to the Arctic regions,[52] and promoting Canadian unity in the process. He said of his job: "a Governor General is in a unique position for it is his duty to know the whole of Canada and all the various types of her people." Tweedsmuir encouraged a distinct Canadian identity as well as national unity, despite the ongoing Great Depression and the difficulty it caused for the population. He strengthened the sovereignty of Canada, constitutionally and culturally. However, not all Canadians shared Buchan's views. He aroused the ire of imperialists when he said in Montreal in 1937: "a Canadian's first loyalty is not to the British Commonwealth of Nations, but to Canada, and to Canada's King,"[53] a statement that the Montreal Gazette dubbed as "disloyal"[54] but that was largely because the news release did not include "and to Canada's King" which Tweedsmuir had added by hand to his typed draft after it had been distributed to the media.[55] Tweedsmuir stated that ethnic groups "should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the national character" and "the strongest nations are those that are made up of different racial elements."[56] George V died in late January 1936, and his eldest son, the popular Prince of Wales, succeeded to the throne as Edward VIII. Rideau Hall—the royal and viceroyal residence in Ottawa—was decked in black crepe and all formal entertaining was cancelled during the official period of mourning. As the year unfolded, it became evident that the new king planned to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson, which caused much discontent throughout the Dominions and created a constitutional crisis. Tweedsmuir conveyed to Buckingham Palace and the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin Canadians' deep affection for the King, but also the outrage to Canadian religious feelings, both Catholic and Protestant, that would occur if Edward married Simpson.[57] By 11 December, King Edward had abdicated in favour of his younger brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York, who was thereafter known as George VI. In order for the line of succession for Canada to remain parallel to those of the other Dominions, Tweedsmuir, as Governor-in-Council, gave the government's consent to the British legislation formalising the abdication, and ratified this with finality when he granted Royal Assent to the Canadian Succession to the Throne Act in 1937.[58] Upon receiving news from Mackenzie King of Edward's decision to abdicate, Tweedsmuir quipped that, in his year in Canada as governor general, he had represented three kings.[59] Tweedsmuir's desire to strengthen the culture of Canada is reflected in his approval of the establishment of the Governor General's Literary Awards in 1936. This was done after discussion with the Canadian Authors Association, under the chairmanship of Dr. Pelham Edgar. The "GGs", as they are nicknamed in Canada, remain Canada's premier literary awards, announced annually, now with seven categories in English and in French.[60] Tweedsmuir also inspired and encouraged individual writers.[61] In January 1940, despite the war, Tweedsmuir invited influential Canadians to Rideau Hall, including Sam McLaughlin, President of General Motors of Canada, to support, as he wrote to his sister in Scotland, the development of "a Hollywood in British Columbia". This proved prescient; by the 21st century, Vancouver had popularly become known as "Hollywood North".[62] In May and June 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured Canada from coast to coast and paid a state visit to the United States. Tweedsmuir had conceived the royal tour before the coronation in 1937; according to the official event historian, Gustave Lanctot, the idea "probably grew out of the knowledge that at his coming Coronation, George VI was to assume the additional title of King of Canada," and he wished to demonstrate vividly Canada's status as an independent kingdom[63] by allowing Canadians to see "their King performing royal functions, supported by his Canadian ministers." Mackenzie King, however, was not convinced, thinking it wrong to spend money on royalty while the poor were starving. To overcome King's reticence, Tweedsmuir argued that the royal visit "would have a 'unifying' effect on Canada[65] while the visit to the U.S. would be "helpful to relations of democracies.[66] Mackenzie King agreed. Tweedsmuir put great effort into securing a positive response from Buckingham Palace to the invitation; after more than a year without a reply, in June 1938 he used a trip to the United Kingdom for a rest cure at Ruthin Castle in Wales to procure a positive decision on the royal tour. After a period of convalescence at Ruthin Castle and his home near Oxford, Tweedsmuir sailed back to Canada in October with a secured commitment that the royal couple would tour the country and visit the United States. Though he had been a significant contributor to the organisation of the trip, Tweedsmuir remained largely out of sight for the duration of the royal tour; he expressed the view that while the King of Canada was present, "I cease to exist as Viceroy, and retain only a shadowy legal existence as Governor-General in Council." In Canada, the royal couple took part in public events such as the opening of the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver in May 1939, and King George sat in Parliament and personally granted Royal Assent to bills passed there. The King appointed Tweedsmuir a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order while on the royal train, between Truro and Bedford, Nova Scotia.[67] The King and Queen began their visit to the United States on 8 June. The royal visit to the United States was the high point of Tweedsmuir's efforts to develop a strong relationship with President Roosevelt, which he began soon after his arrival in Canada. The objective was to demonstrate, especially to the dictators in Europe, the friendship of America with Canada, as a member of the British Empire and Commonwealth. Roosevelt had to be circumspect and not be seen to have direct relations with Britain because of the strong isolationist opinion in the U.S. concerned about being dragged into another European war. Tweedsmuir and Roosevelt met twice, at the end of July 1936 in Quebec City, summer residence of the Governor General, and the second in the spring of 1937 with an official visit by the Tweedsmuirs to Washington, D.C. Both visits were significant successes. Buchan's experiences during the First World War made him averse to war, and he tried to help prevent another one in co-ordination with Mackenzie King and the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt by the calling of a conference, to be chaired by the U.S. and to include the European dictators. Those efforts to try to secure future peace and stability proved fruitless because the British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, refused to countenance the idea. Tweedsmuir signed Canada's declaration of war against Germany on 10 September, a week after the British declaration of war. The week difference allowed war-related materiel, such as aeroplanes and munitions, to move to Canada from the neutral United States, which was prohibited under the Neutrality Act from exporting such materiel to belligerents.[68] During the fall of 1939, negotiations were held to establish an air training plan in Canada for Commonwealth air crew. The negotiations were long and difficult, in particular with Canadian prime minister Mackenzie King who was adamant that the facilities would be under the control of the Canadian government. Tweedsmuir had known from previous experience with a British mission, which had examined the possibility of aircraft production in Canada in the spring of 1938, that officials in Britain "do not seem to understand the real delicacy of the position of the self-governing Dominions, especially Canada.[69] King had been difficult, as Chamberlain admitted to Tweedsmuir.[70] Tweedsmuir played a key role in securing British agreement to the final negotiations in mid-December 1939 and King acknowledged this in a letter, thank the Governor General "warmly for the help... What a mischief there would have been had there been another moment's delay[71]!" • Illustration — Lord Tweedsmuir's grave in St Thomas's churchyard, Elsfield On 6 February 1940, he suffered a slight stroke and struck his head on the edge of a bath at Rideau Hall.[72] Two surgeries by Doctor Wilder Penfield of the Montreal Neurological Institute were insufficient to save him, and his death on 11 February saw an outpouring of grief, gratitude and admiration, not only in Canada but throughout the English-speaking world. In a radio eulogy, Mackenzie King stated: "In the passing of His Excellency, the people of Canada have lost one of the greatest and most revered of their Governors General, and a friend who, from the day of his arrival in this country, dedicated his life to their service."[73] The editor of the Ottawa Journal wrote: "He would have prepared us by deeper concern for things spiritual and intellectual, and by allegiance, above all, to the tradition of human dignity and liberty."[74] The Governor General had formed a strong bond with his prime minister, even if it may have been built more on political admiration than friendship: Mackenzie King appreciated Buchan's "sterling rectitude and disinterested purpose." After lying in state in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill, Buchan was given a state funeral at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. His ashes were returned to the UK aboard the cruiser HMS Orion for final burial at Elsfield, the village where he lived in Oxfordshire.[75] In the United Kingdom, a memorial service was held in medieval Elsfield church on the Saturday after his death and services were held later that month at Westminster Abbey and at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.[76]
Key facts
Key facts
• Escutcheon — Azure a fess between three lions' heads erased Argent. • Crest — A sunflower Proper. • Supporters — Dexter a stag Proper attired Or collared Gules sinister a falcon Proper jessed belled and beaked Or armed and collared Gules. • Motto — Non Inferiora Secutus (Not Following Meaner Things) • Orders — The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George - Knight Grand Cross (GCMG).[102]
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Lord Tweedsmuir, Sir John Buchan, John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir and John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir. He was the child of John Buchan and Helen Jane Masterson. 4 children are recorded: John Buchan, 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir, William Buchan, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir, Alice Buchan and Alastair Francis Buchan.
Career and activity
Career and activity
John Buchan worked in journalism and diplomacy. Recorded positions include Governor General of Canada, member of the House of Lords, Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, member of the 36th Parliament of the United Kingdom and member of the 35th Parliament of the United Kingdom. He belonged to Scottish History Society. He worked at London.
Identity
Identity
John Buchan is recorded as having studied at Brasenose College, University of Glasgow and Hutchesons' Grammar School. Buchan studied at Brasenose College, University of Glasgow, Hutchesons' Grammar School and Kirkcaldy High School.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1875
John Buchan born at Perth.
1940
John Buchan died at Montreal.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Perth.
Birth place
Montreal.
Death place
Legacy
When Buchan died in Canada in February 1940 as Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir, he was widely and deeply mourned throughout the English-speaking world and beyond, both as writer and statesman. His last role gave emphasis to him as statesman but it is as a writer of popular thrillers for which he is mostly remembered now. Novelist Graham Greene wrote, eleven years after Tweedsmuir's death, that the settings, pace and pursuits in The Thirty-Nine Steps "were to be a pattern for adventure-writers ever since."[77] He and his brother Hugh co-authored The Spy's Bedside Book and dedicated it "To the Immortal Memory of Wm Le Queux and John Buchan."[78] Fifty years after Buchan's death, historian David Stafford wrote that "his impact on the genre was profound, and he has left a mark that has remained strong to this day."[79] J.R.R. Tolkien admired and was influenced by Buchan's adventure stories.[80][81] And it continues. Distinguished military historian Sir John Keegan in 2004 wrote that Buchan "was a writer touched by genius."[83] In a list of "The 100 best novels written in English, The Guardian newspaper in 2015 placed The Thirty-Nine Steps at 42nd.[84] Buchan's 100 works and more include nearly 30 novels, seven collections of short stories, and biographies of Sir Walter Scott, Caesar Augustus, and Oliver Cromwell. He was awarded the 1928 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his biography of the Marquess of Montrose.[85] The "last Buchan" (as Graham Greene entitled his appreciative review) was the 1941 novel Sick Heart River (American title: Mountain Meadow), in which a dying protagonist confronts the questions of the meaning of life in the Canadian wilderness. In Canada as Governor General, he founded the Governor General's Literary Awards, which remain Canada's premier awards for literature. He and Lady Tweedsmuir established the first proper library at Rideau Hall. His grandchildren Ursula, David, James and Perdita Buchan also became journalists and/or writers. His granddaughter Ursula wrote a biography of him, Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps: A Life of John Buchan (2019).[86][87] As Governor General and statesman, he helped strengthen relations between Britain and America, via his position in Canada as a prominent member of the British Commonwealth, at a critical period in world history. His breadth of experience, interests, knowledge and vision allowed him to be an interpreter of Britain, Canada, and the United States to each other. His contribution to Canada, reflecting his accomplishments and character, were recognized when the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designated John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, as a "person of national historic significance" in 2010.[88] He left a living legacy in that at least four of his Canadian successors admired or took inspiration from his approach to the role of Governor General: Vincent Massey (1952–1959);[89] General Georges Vanier (1959–1967);[90] Adrienne Clarkson (1999–2005);[91] and David Johnston (2010–2017).[92] Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in British Columbia is now divided into Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park and Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area. It was created in 1938 to commemorate Buchan's 1937 visit to the Rainbow Range and other nearby areas by horseback and floatplane. He wrote in the foreword to a booklet published to commemorate his visit: "I have now travelled over most of Canada and have seen many wonderful things, but I have seen nothing more beautiful and more wonderful than the great park which British Columbia has done me the honour to call by my name".[93] Canadian history professor Roger Hall noted in a book review that "a great deal of [Buchan's] success resulted from the extraordinary person he was, adding that "[n]ot many of our contemporary [Governor General] candidates come with those credentials" and "[I]n the end it is Buchan's role as a moral compass that seems most worthy."[94] Buchan's moral certainty was, as historian Sir John Keegan wrote, "one of his strengths as a writer [giving] him the power to achieve something particularly elusive: moral atmosphere."[95] John Buchan was known as an “inspiring example of a life lived for others”, as Ursula Buchan has written, from humble origins “without money or family influence, he nevertheless carved out a hugely successful writing and public career … His strengths, underpinned by a sincere and unwavering Christian faith, were his intelligence, humanity, clarity of thought, wit, moral and physical courage, a capacity to get on with everybody, from monarchs to miners, and an elegant prose style that appealed to a very wide readership.”[96]
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
John Buchan received Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Companion of Honour, King George VI Coronation Medal and honorary doctorate at the Laval University.
Honours
Honours
• Illustration — Medals of John Buchan in the National Museum of Scotland • Appointments • 1 January 1932: Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) • United Kingdom 23 May 1935: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG) • Canada 2 November 1935: Chief Scout for Canada • Canada 2 November 1935: Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club • United Kingdom 28 May 1937: Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC)[97] • United Kingdom 15 June 1939: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) • England: Honorary Fellow of Oxford University • Medals • United Kingdom 1900: Queen's South Africa Medal with three clasps: South Africa 1902, South Africa 1901 and Transvaal • United Kingdom 1918: British War Medal • United Kingdom 1918: Victory Medal • Canada 1935: King George V Silver Jubilee Medal • Canada 1937: King George VI Coronation Medal • Awards • England 1897: Stanhope essay prize • England 1898: Newdigate Prize • Scotland 1928: James Tait Black Memorial Prize • Canada 4 December 1940: Silver Wolf Award (posthumous) • Foreign honours • Belgium: Knight of the Order of the Crown of Belgium • Italy 15 December 1918: Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy • Belgium: Croix de Guerre of Belgium • Non-national honours • Canada 1937: Master of the Order of Good Cheer
Honorary military appointments
Honorary military appointments
• Canada 2 November 1935: Colonel of the Governor General's Horse Guards • Canada 2 November 1935: Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards • Canada 2 November 1935: Colonel of the Canadian Grenadier Guards
Honorary degrees
Honorary degrees
• England 20 June 1934: University of Oxford, Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) • Canada 1936: University of Toronto, Doctor of Laws (LLD)[98] • Canada 1936: University of Toronto, Doctor of Divinity (DD) • United States 1937: Harvard University, Doctor of Laws (LLD) • United States 1937: Yale University, Doctor of Laws (LLD) • Canada: McGill University, Doctor of Laws (LLD) • Canada: Université de Montréal, Doctor of Laws (LLD) • Scotland: University of Glasgow, Doctor of Laws (LLD) • Scotland: University of St Andrews, Doctor of Laws (LLD)
Honorific eponyms
Honorific eponyms
• Geographic locations • British Columbia: Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park • British Columbia: Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area • British Columbia: Tweedsmuir Peak • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Avenue, Ottawa • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Avenue, Toronto • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Avenue, London • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Place, Deep River • Manitoba: Tweedsmuir Place, Pinawa • Manitoba: Tweedsmuir Road, Winnipeg • Quebec: Buchan Street, Montreal • Saskatchewan: Tweedsmuir • Scotland: John Buchan Way, Broughton[100] • Schools • Alberta: Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, Okotoks • British Columbia: Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School, New Westminster • British Columbia: Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School, Surrey • British Columbia: Tweedsmuir Hall (student residence), University of British Columbia • Ontario: John Buchan Senior Public School, Toronto • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Public School, North Bay • Ontario: Tweedsmuir Public School, London • Organisations • Scotland: John Buchan Story Museum,[101] Peebles, Scottish Borders[99]
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Perth City Heritage Fund – Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust
- 2.Smith, Janet Adam, John Buchan, Rupert Hart-Davis, London, 1965, pp. 30–32
- 3.Smith, p. 41 and also Buchan, Ursula, Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps, Bloomsbury, London, 2019, pp. 34 and 49
- 4.Queen's University. Queen's University Archives > Exhibits > John Buchan > Oxford, 1895–1899: Scholar Gypsy.
- 5.Buchan, Ursula, pp. 57–58 and 61–62.
- 6.Hillmer, Norman. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation of Canada.
- 7.Oxford University Press. The Dictionary of National Biography. 113. 1950.
- 8.Smith, Chapter Four "Barrister and Journalist"
- 9.Amity Visit to Canada.
- 10.Buchan, John. The law relating to the taxation of foreign income /. search.law.villanova.edu. 1905.
- 11.Queen's University. Queen's University Archives > Exhibits > John Buchan > Home and Family.
- 12.Parry, J. P. Public and Private Doctrine: Essays in British History presented to Maurice Cowling. Cambridge University Press. 226. 2002.
- 13.Parry, 2002, p=227
- 14.Charteris, John (1931) At G.H.Q., Cassell.
- 15.Office of the Governor General of Canada. Governor General > Former Governors General > Lord Tweedsmuir of Elsfield. Queen's Printer for Canada.
- 16.Sanders, M. L. Wellington House and British Propaganda During the First World War. Carfax Publishing. 18. 119–146. 1975. 0143-9685.
- 17.Buchan, John, Nelson's History of the War, Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd., U.K., Vol. VII (pub'd Sept. 1915), Chapter LI (51), "The Political Situation: Britain and Italy", (pp. 61–62). Buchan quotes a speech by the British Prime Minister in April 1915 saying a statement he read about a lack of munitions crippling Britain and its Allies had "not a word of truth in [it]." Buchan comments that, unfortunately, that statement "was literally true". At pp. 57–60, Buchan critically analyses the British political system, its inadequacies and unpreparedness for war. He highlights: "a disinclination to tell the nation unpalatable truths" on the part of government and "ill-informed criticism in the press"; expenditure "on a lavish scale" and "much avoidable waste"; shortage of munitions and divided expert advice; casualty figures only announced in June 1915 that revealed deaths increased five-fold from Feb. to June 1915 "without any conspicuous success". Vol. II (pub’d March 1915), p. 173. At a battle of the Marne, German dead were reported in France at 10,000 which Buchan states "is clearly an overstatement".
- 18.Buchan, Nelson's History of the War, Vol. VII, p.63
- 19.Vivian, Herbert. Myself Not Least, Being the Personal Reminiscences of "X.". H. Holt and Company. 373–374. 1923.
- 20.Debate on the Address. 24 November 1932.
- 21.Debate on the Address. 24 November 1932.
- 22.Parry, 2002, p=234
- 23.Christopher Hitchens. Between Kipling and Fleming stands John Buchan, the father of the modern spy thriller. The Atlantic. March 2004.
- 24.Buchan, Ursula (2019). Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps. London: Bloomsbury. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4088-7081-5.
- 25.Weizmann, Chaim. The Letters and Papers of Chaim Weizmann. Israel Universities Press. 320-321, Letter 285, Weizmann to Tweedsmuir/Buchan, February 22, 1938, Series A: Letters, Vol. 18. 1979.
- 26.Rose, Norman. The Gentile Zionists. Frank Cass Ltd. 1973.
- 27.Galbraith, J. William. John Buchan: Model Governor General. Dundurn Press. 197. 2013. 978-1-4597-0937-9.
- 28.Penguin Books Ltd. The Penguin Companion to Literature 1: Britain and the Commonwealth. 72. 1971.
- 29.First-degree racism and snobbery with violence. The Herald Scotland. 25 March 1996.
- 30.Buchan, Ursula (2019). Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 137 and 299
- 31.Anthony Storr. Feet of Clay: A Study of Gurus. HarperCollins. 168. 1997.
- 32.Kimball, Roger. "Realism coloured by poetry": rereading John Buchan. t\The New Criterion. September 2003.
- 33.See Jordan M. Poss website blog, "Was John Buchan an anti-Semite?" 6 October 2023
- 34.Buchan, Ursula. Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps. Bloomsbury. 299. 2019. 978-1-4088-7081-5.
- 35.Kimball, Roger, "Realism coloured by poetry: rereading John Buchan"https://newcriterion.com/article/ldquorealism-coloured-by-poetryrdquo-rereading-john-buchan/ Retrieved 6 March 2025
- 36.Smith, Janet Adam. John Buchan. Rupert Hart-Davis. 317. 1965.
- 37.Buchan, Ursula. Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps. Bloomsbury. 300. 2019. 978-1-4088-7081-5.
- 38.Brown, Michael. "Zionism in the Pre-Statehood Years: The Canadian Response" in From Immigration to Integration: The Canadian Jewish Experience. B'nai Brith Canada, Institute for International Affairs. 121–134. 2001.
- 39.Montreal Gazette, 12 April 1938
- 40.Galbraith, J. William. John Buchan: Model Governor General. Dundurn Press. 208. 2013. 978-1-4597-0937-9.
- 41.33785. 12. 29 December 1931.
- 42.Lownie, Andrew. John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier. Pimlico. 219. 2003. 1-56792-236-8.
- 43.Taking Stock. Sight and Sound. 4. 15. 104. Autumn 1935.
- 44.34164. 3443. 28 May 1935.
- 45.34167. 3620. 4 June 1935.
- 46.Reynolds, Louise. Mackenzie King: Friends & Lovers. Trafford Publishing. 124. 2005. 978-1-4120-5985-5.
- 47.Reynolds, 2005, p=125
- 48.House of Commons (Canada) Debates, 27 March 1935, page 2144.
- 49.House of Commons (Canada) Debates, 27 March 1935, page 2144. Cited with other details in Galbraith, J. William, "John Buchan: Model Governor General", Dundurn, Toronto, 2013. p.19.
- 50.Smith, Janet Adam. John Buchan and his world. Thames & Hudson. 89. 1979. 0-500-13067-1.
- 51.The Champlain Society. Former Officer's of The Champlain Society (1905–2012).
- 52.The first governor-general to travel to the Canadian Arctic was Lord Byng (GG 1921–1926) in 1925. Cited in Galbraith, William, "The Literary Governor-General" in "The Literary Review of Canada", October 1996, page 19.
- 53.Smith, Janet Adam. John Buchan: a Biography. Little Brown and Company. 423. 1965.
- 54.Time Inc. Royal Visit. Time. IXX. 17. 21 October 1957. 0040-781X.
- 55.Two typed drafts of speeches, with Tweedsmuir's handwritten comments, in: Buchan Papers, Speeches, Library and Archives Canada. Details cited in Galbraith, J. William, John Buchan: Model Governor General, Dundurn, Toronto, 2013, pp. 139–144.
- 56.Saunders, Doug. Canada's mistaken identity. The Globe and Mail. 27 June 2009.
- 57.Hubbard, R.H. Rideau Hall. McGill-Queen's University Press. 187. 1977. 978-0-7735-0310-6.
- 58.26 June 2006.
- 59.Library and Archives Canada. The Diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King. Queen's Printer for Canada. 562. 2007.
- 60.Governor General's Literary Awards. Canada Council for the Arts.
- 61.Thomas Randall, David Walker, and Kenneth Millar are examples cited in Galbraith, J. William, John Buchan: Model Governor General, Dundurn, 2013, pp. 364–367.
- 62.Galbraith, J. William, "Hollywood in British Columbia", John Buchan Journal, Autumn, 2004, Issue 31, pp. 19–22.
- 63.Galbraith, William. Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit. Canadian Parliamentary Review. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 12. 3. 1989.
- 64.In fact, the idea for a visit by a reigning monarch occurred in 1936 and came from King Edward VIII who also had a ranch in Alberta which, as Prince of Wales, he had purchased in 1919. See: Galbraith, J. William, John Buchan: Model Governor General, Dundurn, 2013, p. 146.
- 65.Mackenzie King Diary, 29 May 1938, Library and Archives Canada, and letters from Tweedsmuir to his wife and sister, both dated 30 May 1938, Buchan Papers (microfiche), Library and Archives Canada.
- 66.Mackenzie King Diary, 29 May 1938, Library and Archives Canada.
- 67.McCreery, Christopher. On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Dundurn. 32. 2008. 9781459712249.
- 68.Buchan, Ursula (2019). Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps. London: Bloomsbury. p. 382.
- 69.Letter from Tweedsmuir to his wife Susan in England on holiday, 25 May 1938, Buchan Papers, Library and Archives Canada.
- 70.Letter Chamberlain to Tweedsmuir, 27 December 1939, Buchan Papers, Library and Archives Canada.
- 71.Letter Mackenzie King to Tweedsmuir, handwritten, 24 December 1939, Buchan Papers, Library and Archives Canada.
- 72.John Buchan: Master of Suspense BBC4 2 June 2022
- 73.King, Rt.Hon. W.L. Mackenzie, Tributes to the Late Lord Tweedsmuir, J.O. Patenaude, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, 1940, Library and Archives Canada.
- 74.Ottawa Journal, 12 February 1940
- 75.Biggs, Percy. Biggs, Percy Sydney (Oral history). Imperial War Museums. 23m57s. 28 August 1991.
- 76.Buchan, Ursula (2019). Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps. London: Bloomsbury. p.400
- 77.Greene, Graham, The Lost Childhood and other essays, Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1951, p. 104.
- 78.Greene, Graham G. and Hugh G., editors, The Spy’s Bedside Book, Rupert Hart-Davis, London, 1957.
- 79.Stafford, David, The Silent Game: The Real World of Imaginary Spies, Lester & Orpen Dennys Limited, Toronto, Canada, 1988, p.53.
- 80.Resnick, Henry. An Interview with Tolkien. Niekas. 37–47. 1967.
- 81.Lobdell, Jared C. The World of the Rings: Language, Religion, and Adventure in Tolkien. Open Court. 5–6. 2004. 978-0-8126-9569-4.
- 82.Rogers, William N. II. J. R. R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances: Views of Middle-earth. Greenwood Press. 121–132. 2000. 978-0-313-30845-1.
- 83.Keegan, Sir John, “The self-made Scot” in The New Criterion, New York, October 2004.
- 84.See: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/17/the-100-best-novels-written-in-english-the-full-list accessed 20 July 2024.
- 85.Montrose – A History was a scholarly revision of The Marquis of Montrose, published in 1913.
- 86.Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps. Bloomsbury.
- 87.Massie, Allan. Was there no end to his talents?. The Spectator. 2019-04-17.
- 88.See: https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=12534 (accessed 31 July 2024).
- 89.Massey, Vincent, What’s Past Is Prologue: The Memoirs of Vincent Massey, Macmillan Company of Canada, Toronto, 1963. Massey wrote: “I greatly admired his work as governor general and learnt much from it. No one among my predecessors had a clearer insight into Canadian life. He travelled as widely as he could and with imagination and courage.” p. 328.
- 90.Speaight, Robert, Vanier, Collins, Toronto, 1970, p.488. Vanier had many traits in common with Tweedsmuir, including a strong Christian belief, military experience, loyalty to the Crown, belief in the importance of history, love of physical activity and the outdoors. See especially “Chapter 24: Themes of Office”, p. 439 where Vanier is referenced as quoting Tweedsmuir.
- 91.Clarkson, Adrienne, Heart Matters, Viking Canada, Toronto, 2006. Clarkson wrote at p. 217: “I always felt close to Buchan, who had become Lord Tweedsmuir, because he was a writer, because he began the Governor General’s Literary Awards, and because he truly loved Canada and travelled all over the North and the West.” At page 206, she refers to Buchan’s approach as a basis for her own time as Governor General: “… Lord Tweedsmuir called on Canada ‘to make her own music,’ and that was an unquestioned and firmly established part of the vice-regal function while held the office.”
- 92.Johnston wrote he “has been drawn to John Buchan … a man of many parts and I think he was a quiet man … who derived his joy from serving well.” This was quoted from an article by Aaron Wherry in Maclean’s magazine, 10 October 2011, p. 19.
- 93.Ministry of the Environment. BC Parks > Find a Park > Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park > History. Queen's Printer for British Columbia.
- 94.Hall, Roger, “Complicated Ghosts” in the Literary Review of Canada, January–February 2014. See: https://reviewcanada.ca/about-us/#history (accessed 31 July 2024). Some of the “credentials Hall lists are: “the influence and connections that he had fashioned through his long career as a lawyer, businessman, high-level civil servant, influential writer over a huge range (100 books!), member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and his vast and well-placed international acquaintanceship.”
- 95.Keegan, Sir John, “The self-made Scot”, in The New Criterion, New York, October 2004.
- 96.See Ursula Buchan, on the John Buchan Society website: https://johnbuchansociety.co.uk/john-buchan/ accessed on 20 July 2024.
- 97.National Library of Scotland. Material relating to John Buchan, first Lord Tweedsmuir (1875–1940).
- 98.University of Toronto. Honorary Degree Recipients 1850 – 2008. 8. 30 June 2008.
- 99.Mountain Equipment Co-op. Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia > Tweedsmuir Peak.
- 100.Walking Scotland. Find a Walk > The John Buchan Way (Peebles to Broughton).
- 101.https://www.johnbuchanstory.co.uk Accessed 28 January 2025
- 102.Debrett's peerage and baronetage. 1603. 2003.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 12
- Bell, John. "John Buchan: Adventurer on the Borderland". (Introduction to) John Buchan, The Far Islands and Other Tales of Fantasy. West Kingston, RI: Donald M. Grant, 1984, pp7–18
- Brinckman, John, Down North: John Buchan and Margaret-Bourke on the Mackenzie
- Buchan, Ursula. Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps: A Life of John Buchan (Bloomsbury, 2019)
- Daniell, David, The Interpreter's House: A Critical Assessment of John Buchan (Nelson, 1975)
- Galbraith, J. William, "John Buchan: Model Governor General" (Dundurn, Toronto, 2013)
- Himmelfarb, Gertrude, "John Buchan: The Last Victorian," chapter 9 of Victorian Minds (New York, 1970)
- Lownie, Andrew, John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier (David R. Godine Publisher, 2003)
- Macdonald, Kate, John Buchan: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction (McFarland & Company, 2009)
- Macdonald, Kate (ed.), Reassessing John Buchan: Beyond 'The Thirty-Nine Steps (Pickering & Chatto, 2009)
- Pick, J.B., "A Cotswold Calvinist: John Buchan (1875–1940)", in The Great Shadow House: Essays on the Metaphysical Tradition in Scottish Fiction, pp. 66–72 (Polygon, 1993)
- Smith, Janet Adam, John Buchan: A Biography (1965) (Oxford University Press, reissue 1985)
- Waddell, Nathan, Modern John Buchan: A Critical Introduction (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009)
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q333004: John BuchanWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- John BrockmanAuthor
- John Brooks WheelwrightAuthor
- John BrosnanAuthor
- John BroughamAuthor
- John BurdettAuthor
- John BurgonAuthor
- John BurnsideAuthor
- John BurroughsAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by John Buchan?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.