Menu Expand
US Consular Representation in Britain since 1790

US Consular Representation in Britain since 1790

Nicholas M Keegan | Barbara Stephenson

(2018)

Additional Information

Book Details

Abstract

In its early years the United States Consular Service was a relatively amateurish organization, often staffed by unsuitable characters whose appointments had been obtained as political favours from victorious presidential candidates—a practice known as the Spoils System. Most personnel changed every four years when new administrations came in. This compared unfavourably with the consular services of the European nations, but gradually by the turn of the twentieth century things had improved considerably—appointment procedures were tightened up, inspections of consuls and how they managed their consulates were introduced, and the separate Consular Service and Diplomatic Service were merged to form the Foreign Service. The first appointments to Britain were made in 1790, with James Maury becoming the first operational consul in the country, at Liverpool. At one point, there was a network of up to ninety US consular offices throughout the UK, stretching from the Orkney Islands to the Channel Islands. Nowadays, there is only the consular section in the embassy and the consulates general in Edinburgh and Belfast.


The book is meticulously researched, drawing mainly on archives in the United States and Britain and includes previously unpublished photographs. It is in three parts. Part I begins with a reminder of the early days of American independence and the formation of the new nation and is a useful backdrop to the rest of the book. This was a period of rapid growth which saw the creation and development of the State Department and the Consular Service. Accounts are given of the frequent legislative changes, the major weaknesses of the early Consular Service, the Spoils System which ensured that political allies or presidential fundraisers were appointed as consuls, the calls for reform, how the Consular Service lost its separate identity in 1924 when it merged with the Diplomatic Service to form the unified Foreign Service, and the amalgamation of the State Department and the Foreign Service in 1954.

Parts II and III form the major section of the book. Part II concentrates on the consulates and the people who served in them in Britain and pre-independence Ireland and is an overview of the American consular presence from 1790 to the present day. Topics covered include the wide-ranging extent of the consular network, British nationals who served as American consuls, consular families, office accommodation, furnishings and equipment of consulates, espionage activities conducted by the consuls in Britain during the American Civil War, how Texas and Hawaii had consulates in Britain before they became States of the Union, inspections of consulates, the dangers faced by consuls during the First and Second World War blitzes, and the lengthy attempts by women to become consuls and diplomats.

Part III consists of detailed histories of consulates in fifteen towns. These include the dates on which the offices were operational, short biographies of staff who served in them and an indication of their routine activities, including a few noteworthy incidents or highlights. The accounts are of varying length reflecting the duration of the consulates’ presence. The extent and scale of the former consular network can be appreciated from the list of locations and categories of consular offices shown in the Appendix. The book concludes with a review of how the consular function has evolved and kept pace with changing demands and needs. Although the Spoils System now exists for only one consular appointment, at a post which is not in the UK but is within the London embassy’s remit, it still thrives in those embassies where career consuls and diplomats report to an ambassador who may be a political appointee. This is particularly the case in a number of European posts.


Nicholas M. Keegan, a former civil servant, has spent many years researching consular representation, first for his PhD, and then for the present book.


‘Nicholas Keegan’s US Consular Representation in Britain since 1790 is a masterful addition to American diplomatic history. It examines the consular branch of the United States in its most important ally in great detail from the immediate post-revolutionary years to 2017. He also describes the US consular system, its growth and its problems, warts and all.’
—Charles Stuart Kennedy, Oral History Director, Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Arlington, Virginia, USA


Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Cover Cover 1
Front Matter i
Half-title i
Title page iii
Copyright information iv
Dedication v
Tables of Contents vii
List of Illustrations ix
Foreword xi
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1-22 7
Part 1 7
Chapter One Early Colonial History and American Independence 9
Chapter Two Creation and Growth of the State Department 13
Chapter Three Establishment and Development of the Consular Service 23
The Early Days: A Time of Frequent Legislative Change 23
A Major Weakness in the Early Consular Service 30
Consular Uniforms 31
Calls for Reform and First Attempt at Professionalizing the Service 33
A Unified Foreign Service 38
The Role of Women 39
Amalgamation of the State Department and the Foreign Service 45
The Present Day 46
Part 2 49
Chapter Four US Consular Representation in Britain 51
The Extent of the Consular Network 51
Appointments 53
Consuls’ Functions and Duties 55
Inspection of Consulates 58
Consulate Accommodation 65
Consular Families and Long-Serving Consuls 65
Other ‘American’ Consulates – the Texas and Hawaii Consular Services 67
Wartime 68
Chapter Five Impact of the Civil War and the Role of American Consuls in Britain 73
Attitudes in Britain towards the Civil War 85
Part 3 91
Chapter Six Consular Posts and Consular Agencies in Major Cities 93
Chapter Seven Belfast 95
Chapter Eight Birmingham 101
Chapter Nine Bradford 109
Chapter Ten Bristol 115
Chapter Eleven Cardiff 119
Chapter Twelve Dublin 125
Chapter Thirteen Dundee 135
Chapter Fourteen Dunfermline 142
Chapter Fifteen Edinburgh and Leith 149
Chapter Sixteen Falmouth 165
Chapter Seventeen Liverpool 169
Chapter Eighteen London 185
Chapter Nineteen Newcastle Upon Tyne 205
Chapter Twenty Southampton 221
Chapter Twenty-One Stoke on Trent 227
Chapter Twenty-Two An Evolving, Adaptive Service 235
End Matter 241
Appendix: Locations and Categories of Consular Offices 241
Notes 245
Introduction 245
Chapter One Early Colonial History and American Independence 246
Chapter Two Creation and Growth of the State Department 246
Chapter Three Establishment and Development ofthe Consular Service 247
Chapter Four US Consular Representation in Britain 251
Chapter Five Impact of the Civil War and the Role of AmericanConsuls in Britain 256
Chapter Seven Belfast 260
Chapter Eight Birmingham 261
Chapter Nine Bradford 263
Chapter Ten Bristol 264
Chapter Eleven Cardiff 264
Chapter Twelve Dublin 266
Chapter Thirteen Dundee 267
Chapter Fourteen Dunfermline 269
Chapter Fifteen Edinburgh and Leith 270
Chapter Sixteen Falmouth 274
Chapter Seventeen Liverpool 275
Chapter Eighteen London 278
Chapter Nineteen Newcastle upon Tyne 282
Chapter Twenty Southampton 285
Chapter Twenty- One Stoke on Trent 286
Chapter Twenty- Two An Evolving, Adaptive Service 288
Sources 289
National Archives and Records Administration, Maryland 289
Documents 289
Microfilms 289
The National Archives, Kew 289
Papers Held in Public Archives 289
Reports, Directories, Year Books and Miscellaneous Publications 290
Bibliography 293
Journals 297
Newspapers and Magazines 298
Index 301