Sir Edward Leithen is the hero of/character in several of John Buchan's novels. These were published over a number of years, the first in 1916, and the last in 1941, one year after Buchan's death. Leithen's name is borrowed from the Leithen Water

Leithen Water

Leithen Water is a tributary of the River Tweed in Scotland. It joins it near the town of Innerleithen, whose name comes from the Scottish Gaelic inbhir, meaning a confluence, and anglicised as "inner" or "inver". The Brythonic equivalent is "Aber". "Leithen" is a Celtic name meaning grey in...

, a tributary of the River Tweed

River Tweed

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...

, one of many references to the Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...

 in Buchan's novels.

He also appears in The Return of John MacNab

The Return of John MacNab

The Return of John MacNab was the second novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. The novel was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Award.-Plot summary:Andrew Greig has rewritten John Macnab by John Buchan for the late 20th century....

by Andrew Greig in a 1990s retelling of John Macnab

John Macnab

John Macnab is a novel by John Buchan, published in 1925.-Plot summary:Three successful but bored friends in their mid-forties decide to turn to poaching. They are Sir Edward Leithen, lawyer, Tory Member of Parliament , and ex-Attorney General; John Palliser-Yeates, banker and sportsman; and...

.

Career

In the books, Leithen is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 barrister

Barrister

A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...

 and a Tory

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 (and MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

) and, at one point, an Attorney General

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

. He is also described as an excellent fly fisherman.

Personality

In a number of ways, Leithen resembles Buchan himself, moving amongst high society, and espousing Conservative values. However, Leithen also has a playful side, as can be seen in John Macnab. Because of the long period over which the Leithen novels were written, and the autobiographical element, we can see a real progression and change in the character: by Sick Heart River

Sick Heart River

Sick Heart River is a novel by Scottish author John Buchan set in Canada. It was published posthumously. The book was published in the United States under the title Mountain Meadow.-Plot summary:...

(1941), the character is old and weary.