Buchanan, Jesse Everett

Jesse Everett Buchanan was born in Fenton, Iowa, April 22, 1904, the son of Sophus and Jessie (Buchanan) Samuelson. His mother died when he was 7 days old and he was raised by an aunt until legally adopted by his grandfather, John Buchanan, in June 1905. John, two of his children, Mary and Robert, and Jesse moved to Spokane, Washington in 1906. Jesse graduated from Lewis Clark High School in 1921. He spent the next two years working as an assistant to a building contractor in Glendale, California and as a laboratory assistant, timekeeper, then office assistant with American Mineral Production Company, Valley, Washington.

He entered the University of Idaho in September 1923 and was the first student to maintain a 4.0 grade point average during his four years as an undergraduate. During this time he was entirely self supporting, working part time during the school year as a janitor in David's department store, in the harvester plant, and grading professor's quiz papers, and during the summer as a mucker in a mine in Chewelah, Washington. He was also active in student affairs, serving on the staff of "The Idaho Engineer", a semi-annual publication for engineering students, and as president of his senior class.

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