Duke Buchan

Buchan grew up near Henderson, North Carolina on his family’s tobacco and cattle farms. He received a BA in economics and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) in 1985, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991.

At UNC-CH, Buchan was enrolled in the university’s study abroad program at the University of Seville, Spain, from 1983 to 1984 and also studied at the University of Valencia in 1980. Buchan later commented on his studies in Spain: "The study of the Spanish language, literature and cultures provided me a passport to a world outside the U.S. and instilled in me a global perspective."

Buchan is Vice-Chair of the UNC-CH Arts and Sciences Foundation Board of Trustees, a member of the Chancellor's Philanthropic Council, and served on the University’s Campaign Planning Cabinet.

After first supporting former Governor Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, and serving on the executive committee of Bush's Right to Rise PAC, Buchan and his wife Hannah became early financial supporters of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Buchan accompanied Trump to rallies, the Republican National Convention, and all three presidential debates. On the day of his inauguration, the Buchans went to church with Trump and his family, and sat near Trump as he was sworn-in as president.

In December 2016, Buchan House, the new Arts and Sciences Foundation building at UNC-CH, opened after Buchan donated the money to purchase and renovate the old Chapel Hill Public Library to serve as the foundation’s new headquarters.

Buchan is a Republican National Committee Presidential Trustee and served as a RNC State Victory Chair for both New York and Florida. In 2015 and 2016, Buchan also contributed to Paul Ryan, John McCain and Marco Rubio, among others.

In 2012, The Buchan Excellence Fund supported the UNC-CH Department of Romance Languages and Literature’s project 21st Century Pen Pals, a video exchange program between American and Spanish schoolchildren.

In 2011, Buchan established The Buchan Excellence Fund in UNC-CH's Department of Romance Languages and Literature, "the largest single endowment at Carolina dedicated to support faculty, graduate students and undergraduates in Spanish languages, literature and culture." The fund has helped students and professors further their research on topics in Spanish culture and linguistics, and also enabled them to travel to Spain as well as other Spanish-speaking countries.

After working at several financial firms, Buchan in 2001 founded Hunter Global Investors in New York City. In 2007, Hunter had approximately US$ 1.5 billion assets under management. After beating U.S. stocks by 46 percent between 2001 and March 2011, Buchan closed one of his funds in December 2011 due to losses stemming from the European debt crisis, and returned money to investors. He converted Hunter Global Investors into a family office to manage his family's assets, and continues to manage two funds, which invest in a range of asset classes globally, including real estate. He has traveled, lived, and/or done business in more than 50 countries for almost four decades.

In the early 1990s, Buchan started his investment banking career. From 1992 to 1997, he was a Vice President at Merrill Lynch. There he specialized in corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions in the financial services sector in Latin America, the United States and Europe.

Richard Duke Buchan III (born July 3, 1963) is the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. On November 2, 2017 Buchan was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote. He was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on December 11, 2017. Buchan is an American entrepreneur, financier, farmer, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Hunter Global Investors, a private investment management firm.