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SCIDMORE, George H.: Difference between revisions
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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. | ||
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. | 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. During this time he published “Consular Jurisdiction in Japan,” which became a manual for practicing attorneys in the Consular Courts. Scidmore was also allowed to engage in the private practice of law at Yokohama and became recognized as one of the leading lawyers of the Far East, practicing before the British as well as in the Consular Courts. Skidmore related an amusing incident in his career as a practicing lawyer which, he claimed, showed the danger of writing a book. He was pleading in a civil suit before the British Consular Court when his opponent asked the judge if the “learned counsel” on the other side was not a recognized authority in matters of law. When judge replied in affirmatively, the opposing attorney quoted “Consular Jurisdiction” to the detriment of Scidmore’s client. “After that,” Mr. Scidmore used to say, “I earned more fees by keeping my legal knowledge out of print and my clients out of court.” (3) | ||
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. ( | 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, 1923 became the first female board member of the National Geographic Society. (4) | ||
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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 | 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. | 3. Neville, Edwin L. "American Consular Bulletin," Vol. 5 No. 2, February, 1923, p. 56 | ||
4. Mauzé, Marie; Harkin, Michael Eugene; Kan, Sergei (2004). '''Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions, and Visions'''. University of Nebraska Press. p. 206. | |||
[[Category: Civil Servant]] | [[Category: Civil Servant]] | ||
Revision as of 20:41, 15 February 2025
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. During this time he published “Consular Jurisdiction in Japan,” which became a manual for practicing attorneys in the Consular Courts. Scidmore was also allowed to engage in the private practice of law at Yokohama and became recognized as one of the leading lawyers of the Far East, practicing before the British as well as in the Consular Courts. Skidmore related an amusing incident in his career as a practicing lawyer which, he claimed, showed the danger of writing a book. He was pleading in a civil suit before the British Consular Court when his opponent asked the judge if the “learned counsel” on the other side was not a recognized authority in matters of law. When judge replied in affirmatively, the opposing attorney quoted “Consular Jurisdiction” to the detriment of Scidmore’s client. “After that,” Mr. Scidmore used to say, “I earned more fees by keeping my legal knowledge out of print and my clients out of court.” (3)
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, 1923 became the first female board member of the National Geographic Society. (4)
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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. Neville, Edwin L. "American Consular Bulletin," Vol. 5 No. 2, February, 1923, p. 56
4. Mauzé, Marie; Harkin, Michael Eugene; Kan, Sergei (2004). Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions, and Visions. University of Nebraska Press. p. 206.