John Stuart Buchan

No phase of life affecting the political and local status of the province or its educational or moral development fails to elicit the attention and interest of John Stuart Buchan and seldom fails to receive his hearty cooperation and support. He is ever willing to divide his time between his profession and public service, recognizing ever the duties as well as the privileges of citizenship and the obligations which devolve upon man in relation to his fellowmen. He is well known as a practitioner at the bar and his reputation as a capable lawyer has been well earned. He was born at St. Andrews, P. Q., October 28, 1852, the only son of the late William and Katherine (Stuart) Buchan, of St. Andrews. The family is descended from the old earls of Buchan. After attending public schools of his native city John S. Buchan entered McGill University and won his B. C. L. degree in 1884. He had determined to make the practice of law his life work, and following his graduation he became an advocate, since which time he has continued a representative of the Montreal bar. Here he has worked his way up to leadership and in 1899 was created a king’s counsel. For almost a third of a century he has been engaged in practice here, and his ability has long since placed him in a position of distinction among the leaders of the legal profession in Montreal. At one time he was a member of the editorial staff of the Canadian Jurist, and in 1904 he was a royal commissioner for the revision of the provincial statutes. Thus important governmental problems in connection with his profession have elicited his deep interest and called forth his abilities.

In 1885 Mr. Buchan was married to Miss Katherine McMartin, the second daughter of F. McMartin, of St. Andrews. She died in August, 1894, and in 1896 Mr. Buchan wedded Annie, the eldest daughter of the late J. H. Henderson, of Montreal.

Mr. Buchan is an attendant of Christ’s Church Cathedral, while his political faith is that of the liberal party. Political honors and emoluments have had no attraction for him. His activities, however, along other lines relating to the welfare and progress of city and province have been resultant. He acted as solicitor of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the province for a time. He was also chosen a life governor of the Montreal Boys Home in 1911 and many movements having broad humanitarianism as their basis have received his indorsement. He is likewise the vice president of the Natural History Society of Montreal. He is not unknown in literary circles for under the nom-de-plume of Douglas Erskine he has published “A Bit of Atlantis” and “Some Notes on Mount Royal,” and various other papers of a scientific nature. When questions of public welfare are at stake he is never weighed in the balance and found wanting, and his support of any project and measure is not the result of a hasty conclusion. On the contrary he brings to all vital questions the habits of the lawyer, carefully analyzing and weighing the points in a situation and then giving his support thereto as the result of a firm belief in the worth or righteousness of the case.