Benjamin Franklin Buchanan

American politician (1857–1932)

Benjamin Franklin Buchanan

Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 15th district
In office
January 9, 1924 – February 21, 1932
Preceded by| John J. Miller
Succeeded by| Burt L. Dickinson
21st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office
February 1, 1918 – February 1, 1922
Governor| Westmoreland Davis
Preceded by| James Taylor Ellyson
Succeeded by| Junius Edgar West
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 1st district
In office
January 14, 1914 – January 12, 1916
Preceded by| David C. Cummings Jr.
Succeeded by| John P. Buchanan
In office
December 6, 1893 – December 1, 1897
Preceded by| E. L. Roberts
Succeeded by| Charles W. Steele
Personal details
Born|

Benjamin Franklin Buchanan

October 4, 1857
Smyth County, Virginia, U.S.
Died| February 21, 1932(1932-02-21) (aged 74)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political party| Democratic
Spouse| Eleanor Fairman Sheffey
Alma mater| University of Virginia

Benjamin Franklin Buchanan (October 4, 1857 – February 21, 1932) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1918 to 1922.

## Early life and education

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Buchanan was born October 4, 1857, in Smyth County, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1880. He also received an LL.B. from the University of Virginia in 1884.

## Career

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Buchanan practiced law in Marion and Abingdon. He also served as general counsel to the office of the United States comptroller of the currency from 1915 to 1921. He served several terms in the Senate of Virginia representing Smyth and Washington Counties, where he became one of the General Assembly's foremost authorities on taxation.

In 1917 Buchanan, a Democrat, won election as lieutenant governor of Virginia. He served from February 1, 1918, to February 1, 1922.

## Death and legacy

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Buchanan died of a heart attack on February 21, 1932, in Richmond, where he was attending a session of the General Assembly. He was buried in Round Hill Cemetery in Marion. In 1934 the General Assembly designated the road that became state highway 16 in Smyth County the B. F. Buchanan Highway.

## Personal life

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On March 2, 1887, Buchanan married Eleanor Fairman Sheffey. They had four sons and three daughters, including John Preston Buchanan, who succeeded Buchanan in the Senate.

## References

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* John T. Kneebone et al., eds., Dictionary of Virginia Biography (Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1998– ), 2:366–367.

## External links

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* "Benjamin Franklin Buchanan". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 29, 2013.

Senate of Virginia

Preceded by

E. L. Roberts

|  Virginia Senator for
Washington and Smyth
1893–1897  | Succeeded by

Charles W. Steele

Preceded by

David C. Cummings, Jr.

|  Virginia Senator for the 1st District
1914–1916  | Succeeded by

John P. Buchanan

Political offices
Preceded by

James Taylor Ellyson

|  Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
1918–1922  | Succeeded by

Junius Edgar West

* v
* t
* e

Virginia state senators from the 1st district

* B. F. Buchanan
* Steele
* Byars
* Lincoln
* Cummings
* B. F. Buchanan
* J. P. Buchanan
* Hassinger
* W. Ames
* Doughty
* Walter
* Gunter
* Etheridge
* E. A. Ames
* Fears
* Andrews
* Williams
* Miller
* Mason

* v
* t
* e

Lieutenant governors of Virginia

* Leake
* McComas
* Jackson
* Montague
* S. Price (disputed)
* Polsley (disputed)
* Cowper
* Lewis
* Marye
* Withers
* Thomas
* Walker
* Lewis
* Massey
* Tyler
* Kent
* Echols
* Willard
* Ellyson
* Buchanan
* West
* J. Price
* Holt
* Tuck
* Collins
* Stephens
* Godwin
* Pollard
* Reynolds
* Howell
* Dalton
* Robb
* Davis
* Wilder
* Beyer
* Hager
* Kaine
* Bolling
* Northam
* Fairfax
* Earle-Sears

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