Matthew Henry Buckham was born on July 4, 1832, in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England.

In 1951, he graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree of B. A. and was ordained a clergyman of the Congregational Church. He received a degree of D. D. from both Dartmouth and Hamilton Colleges in 1877 and LL. D. from Middlebury College in 1910. He served two years as principal of Lenox Academy, Massachusetts; was a tutor in languages at the University of Vermont; studied and travelled in England and Germany, 1854-1856 and on his return, he was made professor of Greek, a position he retained until 1871 when he became President of the University of Vermont (1871-1910). He also served as town superintendent of education; city school commissioner, 1869-1880; member of the State Board of Education, 1867-1874; president of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, 1905-1906, and vice president of the National Association of State Universities 1909-1910. He was well known as a speaker on religious, social, and educational themes.

In 1857, he married Elizabeth Ann Wright (1835–1886). In 1897, he married Martha Goddard Tyler (1861-1933). He died on November 29, 1910, in Burlington, Vermont.