Charles Egbert DeLong (August 13, 1832 – October 26, 1876) was an American diplomat who served as the Envoy to Japan during the mid-19th century.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "De Long, Charles E." in .

Early life

DeLong was a native of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He relocated with his family to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

before he turned twenty. About 1851 he is reported to have been running a store at Foster Bar. He learned Chinese to communicate with the Chinese patrons. By 1853, he owned several gold claims on the

Yuba River The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sacramento Valley, in the U.S. state of California. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into three major forks. The Yuba ...

in Nevada County. He was elected Deputy Sheriff and admitted to the bar in 1857. The same year, he was elected to the

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from Yuba County, and served for two terms.

Diplomat in Japan

In 1869, DeLong travelled to Japan with his wife Elida and two small children. On November 11, 1869, DeLong presented his credentials to

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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of the United States Consulate in Japan. In the name of the United States, he recognized the legitimacy of Japan's sovereignty over the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

. DeLong accompanied the

Iwakura Mission The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy (, ''Iwakura Shisetsudan'') was a Japanese diplomatic voyage to Europe and the United States conducted between 1871 and 1873 by leading statesmen and scholars of the Meiji period. It was not the only such m ...

on its visit to the United States in 1871. His wife Elida DeLong chaperoned five Japanese girls who were sent to attend American schools as part of the mission. Also in 1871, he negotiated a trade agreement between Hawaii and Japan. In 1872, he and Elida returned to Japan, now with three small children. They brought with them three servants, three horses, a carriage, and a sewing machine, but struggled to find acceptable accommodations, ultimately maintaining a house in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

a half-day's travel from DeLong's office in Tokyo. After his return to Japan, DeLong recommended the employment of fellow American

Charles LeGendre Charles William or Guillaum Joseph Émile Le Gendre (August 26, 1830– September 1, 1899) was a French-born American officer and diplomat who served as advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire ...

as a foreign advisor to the Japanese

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, partly to influence the Japanese government to take a more aggressive stance against China, thus preventing the 1871 treaty between Japan and China from turning into a Sino-Japanese alliance against the western powers His position was elevated to that of

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

on June 9, 1872. He continued to serve in that capacity to October 7, 1873, although his career was marked by considerable friction with his superiors in Washington, who often accused him of overstepping his authority.

Later life

After his return to California from Japan in 1874, he resumed the practice of law at

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno, Nevada, Reno–Sparks, Nevada, Sparks Reno, NV Metropolitan ...

. He died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

in 1876.Yuba County Obits

Notes

References

* Bakken, Gordon Morris. ''Practicing Law in Frontier California'' University of Nebraska Press (2006) * Hammersmith, Jack. ''Spoilsmen in a "Flowery Fairyland": The Development of the U.S. Legation in Japan, 1859-1906.'' Kent State University Press (1989) * Nish, Ian. (1998) ''The Iwakura Mission to America and Europe: A New Assessment''. Richmond, Surrey: Japan Library. ;
OCLC 40410662
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Wray, Harry. and Conroy, Hillary ''Japan examined: perspectives on modern Japanese''. University of Hawaii Press (1994)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delong, Charles E. 1832 births 1876 deaths 19th-century people from New York (state) American expatriates in Japan Members of the California State Assembly Ambassadors of the United States to Japan Deaths from typhoid fever 19th-century American diplomats People from Yuba County, California People from Virginia City, Nevada 19th-century members of the California State Legislature