20 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
DIRECTOR OF THE CLASSIC COLUMBIAN 
4. It has not been the fortune of many Americans to rise from 
the ranks of agriculture to highest influence in the diplomatic 
world, but in recent years this was indeed the achievement of the 
Hon. W. I. Bucuanan. Born on an Jowa farm, he was grounded 
firmly in the fundamental cycle of the corn belt, “to grow more 
corn, to feed more hogs, to buy more land,” and so on, ad infini- 
tum. Mr. BucHANan’s experience particularly stressed the corn 
item, and after becoming connected with the banking business in 
Sioux City, he organized and staged the first purely corn show 
ever held. This was founded in the early nineties and was held 
in a “corn palace” especially constructed for the purpose. His 
success here led to his being appointed chief of agriculture at the 
World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Numerous important 
acquaintanceships originated here, and stress was brought to bear 
on President Cleveland to secure the secretaryship of agriculture 
in the new cabinet. But previous political promises prevented 
this, and he was appointed Minister to the Argentine. His service 
here was so eminently satisfactory that in spite of repeated 
attempts to resign, PRESIDENT McKINLEy forced him to continue 
in office under the republican administration. Mr. BucHANAN 
rendered an invaluable service in the establishment of broader 
trade relations with the South American republic, and developed 
such a degree of confidence among Latin-Americans that he was 
selected to establish definitely the Venezuelan border line after 
The Hague had completed its arbitration of the border claims. 
On his return from Buenos Aires, he was appointed Director 
General of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, and con- 
