James Buchanan was born in
Paisley on 14 April 1804 as the eldest son of James Buchanan, a wine merchant. He was educated at
Paisley Grammar School. After studies at
Glasgow University and
Edinburgh University, he was licensed to preach as a Church of Scotland minister by the Presbytery of Paisley in 1826. He was ordained as a minister of the Church of Scotland at
Roslin in November 1827 and translated the
North Leith Parish Church in September 1828 in place of
Walter Foggo Ireland, where he attained great fame as a preacher. In 1840, Buchanan was called to second charge of
St Giles Cathedral in
Edinburgh, in place of
George Husband Baird. In this role he was under
Rev Robert Gordon in first charge. In the
Disruption of 1843 he left the established church and joined the
Free Church of Scotland. From 1843 to 1845 he was minister of the Free High Church of Edinburgh then moved to St Stephen's Free Church in
Stockbridge, Edinburgh in 1845. From May 1845, he was additionally appointed as Professor of Apologetics at the newly-built
New College of the Free Church on the Mound in central Edinburgh. In 1847 he succeeded
Thomas Chalmers as Professor of Systematic Theology, which he held until 1868 when he retired. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) from
Princeton University in 1844 and an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from
Glasgow University in 1852. He died on 19 April 1870 at 51 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh. He is buried in the north-east section of the
Grange Cemetery, facing the main north path. ==Family==