Cases when in a circle of successful, popular and famous people you can meet full namesakes are rare. But under the name Buchanan James, several outstanding people are known, one of whom made a huge contribution to the development of the modern economy. The owner of the same name was also a successful American businessman who owns a large tobacco business, and the president of the United States. In this article we will look at the biographies of all the outstanding James Buchananes, as well as learn about the merits that made them so famous.
From Nobel Laureate and XV President of the United States to the fictional comic book hero
To date, several Americans are known in whose names there is such a combination - James Buchanan. These are people who are in no way connected by professional activity. One of them is the world's strongest businessman and industrialist of the 19th century, who has made billions in the tobacco industry. The second is the Nobel Prize winner, economist James Buchanan, whose public choice theory is still used by economists and political scientists around the world.
The same name as the two previous heroes of our article was carried by the XV President of the United States. Alas, it cannot be said that he went down in history due to some special merits, but this Buchanan also distinguished himself in some ways - the consensus of American historians called him the worst president in the entire long history of the United States.
Another hero can be included in the list of famous owners of this name, however, this time a fictional one. They became the character of one of the comics of the Marvel cinematic universe - a soldier named James Buchanan (Bucky Barnes). It would seem that in the XXI century the viewer could see such a huge number of movie heroes that he can no longer be surprised. But with Bucky Barnes, everything turned out differently. Marvel fans are known for their dedication to the comics of this company and their fanatical love for their fictional characters. So their Buchanan James, once becoming part of the plot of the comic strip, as if revived and became a real person. The character came out so realistic that on the Internet, loyal fans of the film company post his biography, dedicate poetry to him and comment on all the on-screen actions of this hero.
In our article, we will review short biographies of all the famous James Buchananes, as well as indicate the achievements thanks to which they went down in history. Marvel’s biography of Bucky Barnes’s life, for the sake of justice and for his loyal fans, will also be briefly reviewed at the end of this article.
Great economist and Nobel laureate
The first of the Buchanans, whose biography we will consider, will be the person whose full name is James McGill Buchanan Jr.
He was born in 1919, in one of the American states, under the name Tennessee. The future Nobel laureate received his first education at a local pedagogical college. The young man received higher education (master's degree) at the University of Tennessee, having successfully graduated from his Faculty of Economics. After graduation, he was immediately drafted into the army. After completing the basics of military training at the naval school, he served in Guam, as well as in the headquarters of the fleet at Pearl Harbor.
James McGill Buchanan received his doctorate in economics after the war, in 1948, at the University of Chicago. For a long time, he pursued a successful teaching career, giving his lectures at the University of Virginia, as well as at the most prestigious universities in Tennessee and Florida.
In 1969, he became the first director of the Center for the Study of Public Choice in history. He was also president of the Western and Southern Economic Associations, and held the honorary post of vice president of the American Economic Association. The scientific papers written by Buchanan contained materials on topics of public debt, the theory of mutual services, libertarian theory, the voting process, and macroeconomics.
Recognized Work in World Political Economy
James Buchanan is an economist whose work is taken as the basis of modern political science and economics. He became the founder of the Virginia School of Political Economics. His work became a kind of catalyst for further research, confirming that the various non-economic forces and personal interests of individual politicians have a direct impact on the economic policy of each country.
James Buchanan's theory of public choice allowed its author to become a Nobel Prize laureate. This man lived a long enough life, he died in January 2013. Today, his name is familiar to every political scientist and economist, and dozens of his scientific works are actively used in the study of the theory and practice of political and economic decision-making.
Tobacco mogul and father of a modern cigarette
The full name of the person whose brief biography we will consider below is James Buchanan Duke. He was born in North Carolina, in December 1856. He is called the father of a modern cigarette, and for good reason.
In the 1880s, he and his brother began managing the tobacco campaign, the founder of which was their father, Washington Duke. Initially, their factory was just a small niche in the tobacco business. But two years later, James saw new perspectives. Previously, all cigarettes were manually twisted by workers, but now, with the advent of a machine for the automatic production of cigarettes, the process could be accelerated many times. And the young Duke did everything so that this car came to him.
He acquired a license for the world's first machine to automate the cigarette manufacturing process, invented by mechanic James Bonsack. Factory production has reached a new level. The machine neatly twisted one, endless cigarette, and the knives, which rotated at equal distances, cut it into many small ones. The ends, which were previously manually twisted by workers so that the tobacco did not dry out, were now impregnated with special chemicals for the same purpose. Also, to improve the taste, new cigarettes were soaked in molasses, glycerin or sugar.
The number of cigarettes produced increased at an incredible rate. If earlier at the James factory workers for a shift could produce a maximum of 200 cigarettes, now, a machine for a shift could easily give out 120 thousand units! James Buchanan Duke faced a new problem - sales. The volumes produced by his modernized factory accounted for 1/5 of what all America smoked at that time. And Duke took up aggressive marketing. He was a sponsor at various events, handed out his cigarettes for free at various competitions, and also thought of investing in packs of collection cards. He teams up with his main American competitor and creates his own monopoly, the American Tobacco Company.
In 1889 alone, he spent $ 800, 000 on advertising. People liked his cigarettes, they said that it was he who taught America to smoke Camel. But huge volumes of production continued to demand new, huge markets.
Market Division for Tobacco Products
In the early 1890s, he was desperately trying to break into the British market, but there he was awaited by experienced industrialists who did not intend to give up. Under the threat of Duke's invasion of their space, they consolidated into a single corporation, which after some time tried to invade James on the American market itself. Through negotiations, a compromise was reached that satisfied all parties.
During this difficult period for James Buchanan, his business partners filed endless lawsuits against him. In the end, in 1911, the American Tobacco Company monopoly ceased to exist. According to the court, the company was divided into several small firms, and only one of them remained under James control.
James Achievements in the Energy Sector
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Buchanan Duke founded several small energy companies, which in the future became the basis for the creation of Duke Energy Corporation. In addition to providing electricity for Duke's textile mills (which he also worked quite successfully), this corporation provided electric light to many cities in South and North Carolina. On the territory of the latter in 1928, a reservoir was created that provided the entire district with electricity. Over time, he was named after James Buchanan Duke.
Not only the builder of the tobacco empire, but also a philanthropist of the university
History remembers this man not only as the father of a modern cigarette. With billions of capital, in 1924, James decided to create his trust fund with a capital of $ 40 million.
The philanthropist gave most of these funds to Durham University, which is now known as Duke University.
James Buchanan: a biography for which you are not ashamed
The name of this Buchanan will not be forgotten soon, because he did much to ensure that the bright memory of him lived for centuries after his death. Most of his legacy Duke bequeathed to charity: the maintenance and development of Duke University, as well as educational institutions such as D. Smith University, Davidson College and Furman University. In addition, part of the money he bequeathed to a number of non-profit hospitals and orphanages located in North and South Carolina.
His daughter, known to the whole world - Doris Duke - inherited all the remaining property and money of his father. In memory of him, she created an amazing conservatory in Duke Farmes, which housed a gorgeous collection of sculptures. Doris called all this beauty Duke's gardens.
One of the worst presidents in US history
Another man named James Buchanan left his mark on US history - the 15th president of America. Its value as head of state is still considered highly controversial. Some historians boldly call him the worst of all US presidents, accusing him of passivity and indecision. The main argument against Buchanan is that his government preceded the division of the States into North and South and the ensuing onset of a severe Civil War.
Others believe that the opinion on the board of this president should not be so categorical. Do not forget that he had to rule the country in one of its most difficult periods. In the second half of the 19th century, the problem of slavery was very acute in America. The confrontation between the South and the North could not be stopped, and the course of events in history could not be changed, so we can say that Buchanan, even as president, was, by and large, powerless.
The future XV President of America was born in April 1791 in Pennsylvania, in a rather poor large family. Despite this, the young man managed to get a law degree. He gained his first professional experience as a lawyer during the Anglo-American War.
In the years 1814-1816. in his home state of Pennsylvania, he becomes a member of parliament. In 1831 he was appointed envoy to the St. Petersburg House. And there he quite successfully signs the first trade agreement between America and Russia. He then held the posts of Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 1856, the Democratic Party nominated him as president. At that time in Kansas there was a difficult situation - there were two warring governments (supporters and opponents of slavery). The state was waiting for the new president and his decision regarding the future fate of Kansas. Not wanting to aggravate an already difficult situation, James Buchanan decided to classify Kansas as a slave state. Then came the slave uprising, which the US government crushed quite harshly. And the suppression of this rebellion caused an even greater split and confrontation between the North and the South.
Political scientists and historians note that President Buchanan left his country in terrible condition, on the verge of a civil war between two irreconcilable camps, to his successor, A. Lincoln. Buchanan died in 1868, having managed to write an essay justifying his policy before his death. But it didn’t help him much, because in history he remained the worst US president.
Another Marvel character named James
And the last known Buchanan James, whose biography we will consider in our article, at first glance, does not at all suit the company of previous heroes. He is just a fictional character whose biography was successfully invented by the Marvel screenwriters. But it is worth noting that it was invented so successfully that fans of comics around the world are looking for this biography and are really interested in the details of the life of this fictional hero. This character was first seen by the audience in 2010, when “The First Avenger” appeared on the wide screen.
So, according to the Marvel legend, James Buchanan Barnes (the actor who brought to life his image on the screen - Sebastian Stan) was born back in 1917. He showed good results in various sports fields, was a leader in his class. Once James noticed how the hooligans beat a weak boy, and stood up for him. This boy was Steve Rogers, who later became the legendary Captain America. After the incident, the guys became very friends. With the outbreak of World War II, James Buchanan (Bucky) Barnes was drafted into the army, underwent winter training at the McCoy camp, and was sent to the Italian front.
