SPAIN GETS A NEW HISPANOPHILE AMBASSADOR FROM THE UNITED STATES
Ambassador Buchan has strong long-running ties to Spain. Almost 40 years! He studied at the
Universities of Valencia and Seville and has travelled extensively throughout the country.
A confirmed supporter of international education and study of the Spanish language
and culture, Ambassador Buchan and his family established a successful
exchange program between students in Spain and the United States.
A Guidepost Report
Source: U.S. Embassy, Madrid
Richard Duke Buchan III arrived in Madrid last December 17 to take up his post as the new U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra. With him are his wife, Hannah, and their three young children Cate, Beau and John.
The next day, Monday the 18th, Mr. Buchan delivered Copies of his Letters of Credence to the Chief of Protocol of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation following which he immediately assumed his duties as the Head of the U.S. Mission to Spain and Andorra. The Mission includes the U.S. Embassy in Madrid and the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona. On future dates Ambassador Buchan will present his Letters of Credence to H.M. the King of Spain and to the Government of Andorra.
The Running of the Bulls: Like almost every other young man visiting Spain, Amb. Buchan had been to the Sanfermines in Pamplona
Ambassador Buchan has strong and long-running ties to Spain. Almost 40 years! He first landed in Spain when he was barely 17 years old, studying at the Universidad de Valencia in 1980, and the Universidad de Sevilla from 1983 to1984. In 1985 he earned his BA in Economics and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His MBA he earned from Harvard Business School in 1991. Amb. Buchan speaks Spanish and has a working knowledge of Catalan.
The Buchan House in the Arts and Sciences of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill houses the Buchan Excellence Fund which focuses on Spanish languages, literature and culture
A confirmed supporter of international education and the study of the Spanish language and culture, the Ambassador and his family established a successful exchange program between students in Spain and the United States. His family established The Buchan Excellence Fund, the largest single endowment at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which focuses on Spanish languages, literature and culture. The Fund supports, among other things, a video exchange program between American and Spanish schoolchildren called 21st Century Pen Pals.
Amb. Buchan, his wife Hannah and their three children
His Excellency is a tenth generation North Carolinian who grew up on his family’s tobacco and cattle farms. He, his wife and their children continue family traditions and manage farms that grow over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and organic vegetables, and donate fresh produce to local charities.
The 54-year old ambassador is founder (2001) and CEO of the Florida-based Hunter Global Investors L.P. He has lived and conducted business for over three decades in Spain and other European countries, Latin America and Asia.
His analytical and financial management skills, his leadership in business and philanthropy, and his language skills and deep appreciation for the Spanish people and their culture are expected to serve the new ambassador well.
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Images
U.S. Embassy, Madrid, except
Sanfermines/AierSolana Bermejo, CC BY-SA2.0
Buchan House, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Fair use)
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