John H. Buchanan Jr.
John Hall Buchanan Jr. | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 6th district | |
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1981 | |
Preceded by | George Huddleston Jr. |
Succeeded by | Albert L. Smith Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Paris, Tennessee, U.S. | March 19, 1928
Died | March 5, 2018 Rockville, Maryland | (aged 89)
Political party | Republican |
Other political affiliations | Democratic |
Spouse | Betty Buchanan |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Birmingham, Alabama (1965–1981) Bethesda, Maryland (1981–2018) |
Alma mater | Samford University University of Virginia Southern Baptist Theological Seminary |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1945–1946 |
John Hall Buchanan Jr. (March 19, 1928 – March 5, 2018) was an American politician who served as a
Background
A native of
Early political campaigns
In 1962, Buchanan, while still an active pastor in Birmingham, was one of three unsuccessful Republican candidates for Congress. The U.S. House candidates that year ran statewide. Because state law required that voters support eight candidates for their ballot to count, the Republicans had to back five Democrats, who were technically their at-large opponents, or to write in the names of five Republicans who were not official candidates, a process that proved too burdensome to overcome.[2] The congressional race corresponded with the controversial admission of James Meredith, who became the first African American in history to graduate from the University of Mississippi in neighboring Mississippi. Buchanan said that the Alabama congressional delegation had responded to the desegregation crisis "only after intense pressure from the home folks. ... they nodded their heads 'yes' when the Kennedys asked them to, and have come back home and denied they were national Democrats."[3] Buchanan led the three-candidate field in 1962 with 141,202 votes but failed to dislodge the eighth-place Democratic candidate, Representative Carl Elliott of Jasper.
Buchanan was also the finance director for the resurgent
Congressional tenure
During the beginning of his career in the House of Representatives, Buchanan was a conservative Republican, opposing the creation of
However, Buchanan's social views would begin to change due to attending church services in Riverside Baptist Church, an integrated church in southwest
As a senior member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Buchanan helped lead the fight in 1972 in the House for enactment of the
He served as a member of the U. S. delegation to the 28th United Nations General Assembly, and to the Sixth Special Assembly, having ambassadorial rank with each appointment. He was a member of the U. S. delegation to the U. N. Human Rights Commission (1978–1980), was ranking Republican to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and was a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Belgrade Conference on the Helsinki Accords. Largely due to his liberal record and support of civil rights, Buchanan became very popular in his district, even though Democrats continued to hold most local offices in the district well into the 1980s. He was reelected seven times, rarely facing serious opposition. In 1978, however, he was challenged in the primary by a considerably more conservative Republican, Albert L. Smith Jr., a longtime party activist in the Birmingham area. Buchanan fended him off but was defeated in a rematch in 1980.
Auburn University historian Wayne Flynt described Buchanan as a "centrist in an age where centrism was beginning to be challenged and would finally result in the polarization of American politics into left and right." Despite being to his right, Barry Goldwater would support Buchanan in his reelection campaigns during the 1970s, and referred to Buchanan as a "fine progressive Republican." His daughter Lynn noted that in his later years, Buchanan did not relate to modern-day Republican values, and had switched to the Democratic Party.[8][9]
Affiliations
Upon leaving Congress in 1981, he was appointed by President
In that capacity, he traveled extensively, participating in frequent debates with leaders of the Religious Right on radio, television, and various platforms throughout the United States. Appearances in the media included
Buchanan's numerous awards have included the National Council of Jewish Women Hannah G. Solomon Award, the Common Cause Public Service Achievement Award, the National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Award, and an award from the Self-Determination for D. C. National Coalition. He served on the Common Cause President's Council, the National Council of the U.S. United Nations Association, and the Board of Advisors and Speakers Bureau of the Close-Up Foundation. He also served as the board chairman of Fund-Balance, LLC[11] and the Nexus Holdings Group.
In 2010, Buchanan was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor for his congressional contributions to furthering the rights of women and African Americans. After his defeat, Buchanan never returned to Alabama and he lived in Bethesda, Maryland. He and his wife Betty have two daughters and three granddaughters.[citation needed]
Death
Buchanan died on March 5, 2018, in an assisted living center in Rockville, Maryland, from dementia.[12] Al Quie, Republican representative and governor of Minnesota, who served with Buchanan, said of him: "There was a basic goodness, solidness, that didn't take long to recognize and respect."[13]
See also
References
- ^ a b Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, as of April 10, 2007
- ^ The Huntsville Times, October 2, 3, 5, 6, 1962; The New York Times, January 29, 1962, p. 14
- The Mobile Register, October 23, 24, 26, and November 1, 1962
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 6675, A BILL TO PROVIDE A HOSPITAL INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR THE AGED UNDER THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT".
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES".
- ^ "H.Con.Res.464 - Concurrent resolution authorizing a bust or statute of Martin Luther King, Jr. to be place in the Capitol".
- ^ Roberts, Sam (12 March 2018). "John Buchanan, Once a Deep South Centrist in Congress, Dies at 89". The New York Times.
- ^ "John H. Buchanan Jr., Alabama GOP congressman who later joined liberal lobbying group, dies at 89". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Buchanan Jr., John Hall".
- ^ "Our People". Fund Balance. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ 'John H. Buchanan Jr., Alabama GOP congressman who later join liberal lobbying group, dies at 89,' The Washington Post, Ellie Silverman, March 7, 2018
- ^ "Former Alabama congressman, Baptist minister dies".