Career
A schoolteacher based in Rutherglen, he was interested in the arts, compiling a book entitled 101 Scottish Songs. At the Rutherglen by-election, 1964 he only lost the Labour selection meeting fairly narrowly to Gregor Mackenzie, and he went on to take West Renfrewshire from the Conservatives at the general election later that year. He later became Shadow Minister for the Arts in opposition.
Buchan opposed an early day motion to block the televised version of Tony Harrison"s poem "v." on Channel 4, saying that members who opposed the broadcast had either not read or understood the poem.
Buchan was also influential in changing the voting system for the referendum on devolution in the late 1970s. He died in 1990 whilst a sitting Member of Parliament (coincidentally, the neighbouring Member of Parliament for Paisley North, Allen Adams also died that year, resulting in by-elections being held in the same month for the two seats).
He was succeeded as Member of Parliament for Paisley South by Gordon McMaster. She died in Brighton on 14 January 2012.