(L-R photo ID) Sculptor Kevin Kelly and Elizabeth "Liz" Buchanan Bradley, sister of Dr. Buchanan, unveil the bronze bust of the distinguished MTSU alumnus, along with sculptor Tracy H. Sugg.

Tribute to Dr. James M. Buchanan

Middle Tennessee State University honored one of its distinguished alumnus Friday (9/18/2015). A bronze bust of the late Dr. James M. Buchanan, an MTSU (Class of 1940). His sister, Elizabeth "Liz" Buchanan Bradley of Pearland, Texas, traveled to Murfreesboro to be a part of the ceremony.

History

He was American economist who in 1986 received the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics.

Dr. Buchanan was born in Murfreesboro and grew-up on the family farm on the Manchester Highway.

Wikipedia states that Buchanan's most important contribution to constitutionalism is his development of the sub-discipline of constitutional economics.

According to Buchanan the ethic of constitutionalism is a key for constitutional order and "may be called the idealized Kantian world" where the individual "who is making the ordering, along with substantially all of his fellows, adopts the moral law as a general rule for behavior". Buchanan rejects "any organic conception of the state as superior in wisdom, to the citizens of this state". This philosophical position forms the basis of constitutional economics. Buchanan believed that every constitution is created for at least several generations of citizens. Therefore, it must be able to balance the interests of the state, society, and each individual

He spent the war years on the staff of Admiral Nimitz in Honolulu, and it was during that time he met and married Anne Bakke on October 5, 1945; Anne, of Norwegian descent, was working as a nurse at the military base in Hawaii.

Legacy

Dr. Buchanan's legacy continues each year. His philanthropic efforts annually provide full Buchanan Fellows scholarships for 20 Honors College students.

As a lasting tribute to Buchanan, who died Jan. 9, 2013, MTSU's Honors College commissioned Wartrace, Tennessee, sculptor Tracy H. Sugg to create a clay bust that would eventually be turned into a 75-pound bronze bust. There was even more of an MTSU connection: the bust is displayed on a pedestal crafted by MTSU alumnus Kevin Kelly of Highland Rim Woodcrafts in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

This tribute to Dr. Buchanan took place in the James E. Walker Library at 7:30 Friday evening, September 18, 2015.