City Readers Digital Historic Collections at the New York Society Library

Thomas Buchanan was born in 1744 in Glasgow into a prominent merchant family. He was educated at the University of Glasgow and came to New York in 1762 (Graham 125-126). He went into business with his father's cousin Walter and developed a mercantile house, originally named Walter & Thomas Buchanan, which engaged in foreign and domestic trade; he later went into business with his younger brother and then his son (Stevens 125-126). He was a ship owner, and imported goods from England, Scotland, the West Indies, and Madeira (Stevens 126). Buchanan was one of the General Committee of One Hundred selected to take charge of New York City in 1775, and was one of the signers of the loyal address to Lord and General Howe in September 1776 (Stevens 126; Lamb 740). He was vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce of New York from 1780 to 1783, a promoter of New-York Hospital and one of its governors from 1785-1800, and a member of the St. Andrew's Society.

Buchanan's parents were George Buchanan, a leading Glasgow merchant, and Jean Lowden. He married Almy Townsend of Oyster Bay in 1765; they had eight children (Stevens 128). Their daughter Almy married Peter P. Goelet, a director of the Bank of New York.

He died on September 10, 1815, and was buried in his family vault in the First Presbyterian Church in Wall Street (Stevens 127).