John Buchan

The Right Honourable The Lord Tweedsmuir GCMG GCVO CH PC DL
Buchan in 1935
15th Governor General of Canada
In office 2 November 1935 – 11 February 1940
Monarchs	George V Edward VIII George VI
Prime Minister	William Lyon Mackenzie King
Preceded by	The Earl of Bessborough
Succeeded by	The Earl of Athlone
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Personal details
Born	John Buchan (1875-08-26)26 August 1875 Perth, Scotland
Died	11 February 1940(1940-02-11) (aged 64) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political party	Scottish Unionist
Spouse	Susan Grosvenor ​ (m. 1907)​
Children	4, including John, William and Alastair
Relatives	O. Douglas (sister)
Alma mater	University of Glasgow Brasenose College, Oxford
Profession	Author
Signature
Website	John Buchan Society
Writing career
Genre	Adventure fiction
Notable works	The Thirty-Nine Steps
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1901–02 1916–19
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit	Colonial Office Intelligence Corps
Battles / wars	Second Boer War First World War Western Front

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir GCMG GCVO CH PC DL (/ˈbʌxən/; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.

As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. 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. 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. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st 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.