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SCIDMORE, George H.: Difference between revisions
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[[File:scidmore.png|300px|thumb|left|Eliza, George and Eliza Catherine Scidmore, their mother. Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Historical Society]]SCIDMORE, George H. (Dubuque, IA, Oct. 12, 1854--Yokohama, Japan, Nov. | [[File:scidmore.png|300px|thumb|left|Eliza, George and Eliza Catherine Scidmore, their mother. Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Historical Society]]SCIDMORE, George H. (Dubuque, IA, Oct. 12, 1854--Yokohama, Japan, Nov. 27, 1922). Scidmore entered government service soon after earning his law degree. He was stationed in Liverpool, England in 1877 and then was transferred to Paris, France. (1) He held various positions before being named U.S. Deputy Consul General in Kanagawa, 1897; and Yokohama, 1902. As vice consul-general of the United States at Kanagawa, Japan, he accepted a medal conferred upon him by the Emperor of Japan for saving a subject of Japan from death by drowning on March 2, 1891. (2) | ||
With the reorganization of the U.S. consular system in 1906, the method for selecting consuls was drastically changed. Consuls were chosen from a pool of foreign service officials who had already established themselves through prior diplomatic service -- more often than not in Japan. | With the reorganization of the U.S. consular system in 1906, the method for selecting consuls was drastically changed. Consuls were chosen from a pool of foreign service officials who had already established themselves through prior diplomatic service -- more often than not in Japan. | ||
Revision as of 14:34, 8 April 2023
Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4564364:60541
SCIDMORE, George H. (Dubuque, IA, Oct. 12, 1854--Yokohama, Japan, Nov. 27, 1922). Scidmore entered government service soon after earning his law degree. He was stationed in Liverpool, England in 1877 and then was transferred to Paris, France. (1) He held various positions before being named U.S. Deputy Consul General in Kanagawa, 1897; and Yokohama, 1902. As vice consul-general of the United States at Kanagawa, Japan, he accepted a medal conferred upon him by the Emperor of Japan for saving a subject of Japan from death by drowning on March 2, 1891. (2)
With the reorganization of the U.S. consular system in 1906, the method for selecting consuls was drastically changed. Consuls were chosen from a pool of foreign service officials who had already established themselves through prior diplomatic service -- more often than not in Japan.
The first person to be assigned to Nagasaki after the 1906 reforms was George H. Scidmore, a long-time official at the U.S. Consulate at Yokohama. He served as U.S. Consul General in Yokohama, 1914-22.
Scidmore's sister, Eliza, was a American writer, photographer, and geographer who often accompanied her brother on his travels. Upon their return to Washington, D. C. in 1885, she had her famous idea of planting Japanese cherry trees in the nation's capital. Scidmore later became the first female board member of the National Geographic Society. (3)
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Source:
1. "George H. Scidmore Dies in Yokohama," Telegraph-Herald, November 27, 1922, p. 9
2. United States Statutes at Large Volume 26.djvu/51. Online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:United_States_Statutes_at_Large_Volume_26.djvu/51
3. Mauzé, Marie; Harkin, Michael Eugene; Kan, Sergei (2004). Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions, and Visions. University of Nebraska Press. p. 206.