John Buchan, GCMG GCVO CH PC DL (26 Aug 1875 – 11 Feb 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor-General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career, Buchan simultaneously began his writing career and his political and diplomatic careers, serving as a private secretary to the administrator of various colonies in southern Africa. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927, but he spent most of his time on his writing career, notably writing The Thirty-Nine Steps and other adventure fiction. In 1935, he was appointed Governor-General of Canada. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the development of Canadian culture. Less