John P. Buchanan
Encyclopedia
John Price Buchanan was Governor of the U.S. State
of Tennessee
from 1891 to 1893. He was a native of Williamson County, Tennessee
.
A Confederate Army
veteran, Buchanan moved to Rutherford County
in 1878, where he operated a successful 325 acres (131.5 ha) farm. He was twice elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
, representing a district in his adopted home of Rutherford County. In 1889, he was elected president of the Tennessee Farmers' Alliance and Laborers' Union. The Alliance formed a successful populist coalition for the 1890 elections, allowing Buchanan to capture the Tennessee Democratic Party
nomination for governor. Although there was stiff opposition to Buchanan within Democratic Party ranks, he rallied enough to support to win the general election, becoming the state's 28th governor.
Buchanan's term as governor was marred by a series of armed uprisings against the state's convict lease
system, namely the Coal Creek War
in Anderson County
and a subsequent uprising in Grundy County, in which free coal miners attacked prison stockade
s after being replaced by convicts the state had leased out to the mining companies. Divided between his support for labor on the one hand and his obligation to enforce contracts the state had signed on the other, Buchanan struggled in his efforts to end the conflict, and was sometimes left bedridden with anxiety. Newspapers, coal miners, labor organizers, and mining companies alike vilified him, calling him "cowardly" and "ineffective." The influence of the Farmers' Alliance quickly disintegrated, and the state's Democrats dropped Buchanan in favor of state Supreme Court chief justice Peter Turney
in the 1892 election. Buchanan mounted a third party campaign for the general election, but captured only about 10% of the vote.
After his defeat, Buchanan returned to farm
ing and did not subsequently hold public office. The Confederate
pension
system was put in place during his tenure, as were state-supported secondary public schools.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1891 to 1893. He was a native of Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
.
A Confederate Army
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
veteran, Buchanan moved to Rutherford County
Rutherford County, Tennessee
Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...
in 1878, where he operated a successful 325 acres (131.5 ha) farm. He was twice elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
, representing a district in his adopted home of Rutherford County. In 1889, he was elected president of the Tennessee Farmers' Alliance and Laborers' Union. The Alliance formed a successful populist coalition for the 1890 elections, allowing Buchanan to capture the Tennessee Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination for governor. Although there was stiff opposition to Buchanan within Democratic Party ranks, he rallied enough to support to win the general election, becoming the state's 28th governor.
Buchanan's term as governor was marred by a series of armed uprisings against the state's convict lease
Convict lease
Convict leasing was a system of penal labor practiced in the Southern United States, beginning with the emancipation of slaves at the end of the American Civil War in 1865, peaking around 1880, and ending in the last state, Alabama, in 1928....
system, namely the Coal Creek War
Coal Creek War
The Coal Creek War was an armed labor uprising that took place primarily in Anderson County, in the American state of Tennessee, in the early 1890s. The struggle began in 1891 when coal mine owners in the Coal Creek watershed attempted to replace free coal miners with convicts leased out by the...
in Anderson County
Anderson County, Tennessee
Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and a subsequent uprising in Grundy County, in which free coal miners attacked prison stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
s after being replaced by convicts the state had leased out to the mining companies. Divided between his support for labor on the one hand and his obligation to enforce contracts the state had signed on the other, Buchanan struggled in his efforts to end the conflict, and was sometimes left bedridden with anxiety. Newspapers, coal miners, labor organizers, and mining companies alike vilified him, calling him "cowardly" and "ineffective." The influence of the Farmers' Alliance quickly disintegrated, and the state's Democrats dropped Buchanan in favor of state Supreme Court chief justice Peter Turney
Peter Turney
Peter Turney was governor of the U.S. state of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897.- Biography :Prior to becoming governor, Turney was a prominent attorney in Winchester, Tennessee, practicing law with his father, and a Confederate colonel in the Civil War...
in the 1892 election. Buchanan mounted a third party campaign for the general election, but captured only about 10% of the vote.
After his defeat, Buchanan returned to farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
ing and did not subsequently hold public office. The Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
system was put in place during his tenure, as were state-supported secondary public schools.
External links
- Governor John P. Buchanan (1847-1930) 1891-1893. Online finding aid to the gubernatorial papers of Tennessee Governor John P. Buchanan. PDF document. Retrieved August 26, 2006.
- Farmer's Alliance (Farmer's and Laborer's Union). At Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved August 26, 2006.