Born in Akron, Ohio in 1847, Buchtel became a Methodist minister and was later sent to Denver, Colorado in 1885 as Pastor of the Evans Chapel. He was instrumental in helping to establish Trinity Methodist Church, the most prominent Methodist church in Denver for many decades. In 1899 he was named Chancellor of the Colorado Seminary; over the next seven years his popularity steadily increased among the citizens of Colorado and in 1906 he ran successfully for Governor of Colorado. Buchtel served one term and later died in Denver in 1924.