Isaac Buchanan

Isaac Buchanan
Born	(1810-07-21)July 21, 1810 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	October 1, 1883(1883-10-01) (aged 73) Hamilton, Ontario

Isaac Buchanan (July 21, 1810 – October 1, 1883) was a businessman, political figure and writer in Canada West. He was also an international merchant, first president of the Hamilton Club, founder of Hamilton and Toronto boards of trade - forerunners to modern chambers of commerce - and founder of the regiment that later became the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.^[1]

Early life[]

Isaac Buchanan was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1810 to Peter and Margaret Miller Buchanan. Isaac's father and mother were both scions of the Buchanans of Auchmar, a cadet branch of the Clan Buchanan, which was prominent in the Loch Lomond region. Peter Buchanan (1760-1826) established himself as a manufacturer of cloth in Glasgow, with a factory in Hutcheson Street. He became prominent in the city's mercantile community, becoming a member of the Merchants House (an organization of businessmen) and an elder at St. David's Church. Peter Buchanan married Margaret Miller Buchanan in 1800. Margaret was the daughter of Isaac Buchanan of Gartfairn. Her sister was the wife of Peter Buchanan's brother, Andrew. Isaac Buchanan was one of nine children. He attended the Glasgow Grammar School but his ambitions for a professional career were thwarted by family financial reverses and the death of his father in 1825.^[2]

Career[]

At the urging of his elder brother, Peter Buchanan (1805-1860), Isaac located employment as a clerk with the Glasgow firm of William Guild & Company, traders to the West Indies and Honduras. In 1830, Isaac became a junior partner in a new firm with his employer's son. The new firm was established for the purpose of opening a wholesale dry-goods store in Montreal. Buchanan travelled to Montreal to take charge of the venture. Soon afterward, Buchanan moved to York (Toronto) to be closer to clients in Upper Canada. In 1834, with his brother Peter, he bought the business in York and set up an office in Glasgow. He served in the local militia during the Upper Canada Rebellion. In 1840, he set up a new company in Hamilton; a Montreal branch was also established.

In 1841, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the city of Toronto; he resigned his seat in 1843. In 1844, the Toronto branch of his business was closed and the operation in Hamilton was expanded. He helped establish the Free Church of Scotland in Canada West. In 1844, he moved to Hamilton, where he helped set up the Board of Trade, becoming its first president. In 1848, upset by the repeal of the Corn Laws in Britain, he left the business and moved back to Scotland, where he campaigned against free trade in Britain. In 1851, he rejoined the business and returned to Hamilton. He was a director in the Great Western Railway and he attempted to promote its development over those of the competing Grand Trunk Railway. In 1857, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Hamilton. While in office, he attempted to promote his railway interests but also negotiated refinancing of the city of Hamilton's debts after it borrowed heavily to finance infrastructure improvements. Buchanan also served as lieutenant-colonel in the local militia. He supported protectionist trade policies and opposed representation by population. His political interests distracted him from his business interests and, although he resigned his seat in 1865, the business failed in 1867. He sold his estate in Hamilton. Buchanan received a government appointment in 1879 which sustained him through his later years. He died in Hamilton in 1883.^[2]

Auchmar, one-time estate of Isaac Buchanan, Fennell Avenue, Hamilton, Ontario

Family[]

Isaac Buchanan married Agnes Jarvie, daughter of Robert Jarvie, on January 27, 1843. The couple had eleven children. The couple entertained at the family home, "Auchmar", Clairmont Park, Hamilton. In 1862, when Mr. Buchanan was appointed the first commanding officer of the 13th Militia Regiment, Mrs. Buchanan presented to it a stand of colours. Mr. Buchanan died at Hamilton, October, 1883, aged 73. Mrs. Buchanan died in Hamilton, May 7, 1896, aged 71. One of the couple's sons, James Isaac Buchanan, Esquire, worked as a banker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Tribute[]

The neighbourhood on the Hamilton, Ontario mountain was named after him. It is bounded by Fennell Avenue West (north), Mohawk Road West (south), Garth Street (west), and West 5th Street (east). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include Mohawk College, Hillfield-Strathallan College and Buchanan Park, which was also named after him.

His estate, Clairmont Park, was built in 1852-53. The grounds included a manor house called Auchmar and a gatekeeper's lodge, both in the Gothic Revival style of architecture.^[4] The buildings still stand at the corner of Fennell Avenue West and West 5th Street and are currently a Hamilton Heritage site.^[5]

In Markham, York Region, a local street named as Buchanan Drive is named after him.

Archives[]

The Isaac Buchanan and Family fonds is an extensive collection held by Library and Archives Canada.^[6][7] The archival reference number is R4064, former archival reference number MG24-D16.^[8]

References[]

• McCalla, Douglas (1982). "Buchanan, Isaac". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
• MapArt Golden Horseshoe Atlas - Page 657 - Grids K10, K11

External links[]

• Works by or about Isaac Buchanan at Internet Archive