Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Buchanan, Andrew (1807-1882)
BUCHANAN, Sir ANDREW (1807–1882), diplomatist, only son of James Buchanan of Blairvadoch, Ardinconnal, Dumbartonshire, and Janet, eldest daughter of James Sinclair, twelfth earl of Caithness, was born 7 May 1807, entered the diplomatic service 10 Oct. 1825, and was attached to the embassy at Constantinople. On 13 Nov. 1830 he was named paid attaché at Rio de Janeiro, but he did not remain long in South America, as he served temporarily with Sir Stratford Canning's special embassy to Constantinople from 31 Oct. 1831 till 18 Sept. 1832, after which he became paid attaché at Washington on 9 Nov. He was with Sir Charles Vaughan's special mission to Constantinople from March 1837 to September 1838, and then proceeded to St. Petersburg as paid attaché 6 Oct. of the same year. Few men seem to have gone through a greater number of changes in the diplomatic service; he was secretary of legation at Florence 24 Aug. 1841, and chargé d'affaires from July 1842 to October 1843, and from March to May 1844. At St. Petersburg he was secretary of legation 1844, and between that time and 1851 several times acted as chargé d'affaires. He was then rewarded for his various services by the appointment, 12 Feb. 1852, of minister plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation. In the following year, 9 Feb., he was named envoy extraordinary to the king of Denmark, and he acted as her majesty's representative at the conference of Copenhagen in November 1855 for the definite arrangement of the Sound dues question. He was transferred to Madrid 31 March 1858, and then to the Hague 11 Dec. 1860. He became ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the king of Prussia 28 Oct. 1862, ambassador extraordinary to Russia 15 Sept. 1864, and ambassador to Austria from 16 Oct. 1871 to 16 Feb. 1878, when he retired on a pension. Previously to this he had been made C.B. 23 May 1857, K.C.B. 25 Feb. 1860, G.C.B. 6 July 1866, and a privy councillor 3 Feb. 1863. He was created a baronet 14 Dec. 1878, and died at Craigend Castle, Milngavie, near Glasgow, 12 Nov. 1882. He married first, 4 April 1839, Frances Katharine, daughter of the Very Rev. Edward Mellish, dean of Hereford (she died 4 Dec. 1854); and secondly, 27 May 1857, Georgiana Eliza, third daughter of Robert Walter Stuart, eleventh baron Blantyre.
[Hertslet's Foreign Office List, 1882, p. 211; Times, 15 Nov. 1882, p. 8.]