Andrew Buchanan (New Zealand politician)

Andrew Buchanan (1807–1877) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 24 July 1862 to 30 June 1874, when he resigned.

Early Life

Buchanan was born at Heathfield, St. Anns, Jamaica on 10 December 1807, the fourth son (and eighth child) of George Buchanan (1758-1826) a Scots-born sugar planter and and Jane Gowie (1777-1815) daughter of a Scottish St. Kitts planter.

In 1816, following the death of his mother, he returned to Great Britain with the remainder of his family and settled at Sherborne, Dorset. He completed his education in Sherborne before traveling to Paris to study medicine.

Whilst in Paris he became embroiled in the 1830 Polish uprising against the Russians (the November Uprising or Cadet War q.v.) and, finding his sympathies lay with the Poles, joined the Polish Army as a Surgeon, remaining with them until the Russians finally put down the uprising in 1831.

Medical Practice

Following the collapse of the November Uprising, Buchanan returned to London, and subsequently studied and graduated from St. Andrew's University with a degree in medicine.

Returning to London he was made a public vaccinator in 1833, vaccinating more than 1000 people each year, and for the next 25 years he carried a large and successful medical practice.

He was one of the Governors of St. George's Hospital, London.

In 1835 he married Emma Harkness, daughter of Dr. John Harkness. They had a home at Stepney in London and a small farm at Chingford in Essex where they spent weekends ( Fulton 1922, Scholefield 1940 ).

Colonial interests and emigration

Andrew Buchanan took a warm interest in colonial matters, being a frequent speaker at the Colonial Society, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Colonial Institute, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

In 1857 Buchanan travelled to New Zealand aboard the Dinapore with his wife Emma and eight children. According to Eliza Stack (1938 ) who was on the same ship, "the voyage was long and tedious, and not marked by any striking incidents", taking about four months from 13 April to 5 August 1857. Amongst the passengers were British Army officers Humphrey Jones and Alexander Clerk who married, respectively, Emma Buchanan and Edith Buchanan soon after their arrival in Auckland. Bishop Selwyn officiated at the double wedding ceremony on 1 December 1857.

Life in New Zealand

Initially the Buchanan family settled in Auckland, buying land and constructing a house "Clavernok". In 1860, however, hearing that there was good land available in Otago, Buchanan traveled to Dunedin and rode into the interior, eventually buying a property called Patearoa which he then operated as a sheep station. The station covered some 30,000 ha. (75,000 acres).

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