Discover the stories of our most well-known permanent residents.
William Buchanan died on October 16, 1909. Mr. Buchanan was born in Mimi County, Ohio in 1852. When he first started out in business he was the manager of Sioux City theatres. With a personal background of farm life, in 1893 he was appointed as the Columbian Exposition’s agricultural chief. In the 1890’s, based on his successes, he was appointed to diplomatic service in Buenos Aires. President William McKinley appointed him to the Mexico Conference of American States. When Buffalo leaders, led by John G. Milburn, planned an exposition with a Latin American theme, they needed someone who knew the South American countries well, as well as the temperament of its citizens. That someone was Buchanan, who was known as the "Diplomat of the Americas." So he was named Director of the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. Although the Exposition was a financial failure, many gave Buchanan high marks for his leadership. After the Exposition he was appointed as a roving diplomat “on call.” In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt chose Buchanan as an envoy to Panama, which was a critical position at that time because of the Panama Canal issue. Mr. Buchanan was married to the former Lulu Williams. He lived the final years of his life on Gates Circle, only a block from his eventual burial site in Forest Lawn. William Buchanan died suddenly while on business in London. He is buried in Section H in Forest Lawn