Walter Clarke Buchanan - Political Career

Political Career

Buchanan entered politics in 1881, representing first Wairarapa South from 1881 to 1887, and then Wairarapa from 1887 to 1899, 1902 to 1905 and 1908 to 1914. He was in Parliament for much of the next 33 years, losing three elections.

In the four general elections between 1881 to 1890, he always beat Henry Bunny, who had represented the Wairarapa electorate continuously since an 1865 by-election.

He lost Wairarapa to J. T. Marryat Hornsby, the frequent Liberal Party candidate for the electorate, in 1899, won it back in 1902, lost it in 1905 and won it back in 1908. He finally lost the seat to Hornsby in 1914.

In the House, he was a staunch conservative voice, and a diehard opponent of the Liberal government of Richard Seddon.

Buchanan was knighted in 1913 and appointed to the Legislative Council in 1915, where he served until his death on 19 July 1924. Despite his long experience in politics, he was never appointed a Minister (partly because the Liberal Party was in power as from 1891 to 1914).