James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam
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James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam
James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam. George C. Kingston. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2013. 236 pages. $38.00 (paperback).
James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam resurrects from obscurity the fascinating life story of businessman, politician, diplomat, and Massachusetts native James Madison Hood. Appointed by Lincoln shortly before his assassination, Hood was the first full-time, salaried US Consul to Siam (now Thailand). An imperfect man, especially in some of his matrimonial and business dealings, Hood was valued as a quality ship builder, an excellent legislator, and a creditable diplomat.
The author George C. Kingston is a retired engineering research manager and a professional genealogist from East Longmeadow, MA. The writing started out as a genealogy project commissioned by Hood’s descendants and blossomed into a book. Early chapters reflect the author’s predilections, exhaustively detailing Hood’s ancestry, and including the exact dimensions of the many clipper ships that he built.
The narrative gains strength when Kingston describes Hood’s political and diplomatic career. The author has a flair for explaining issues in the context of their time in a compact and coherent manner. He details Hood’s rise to prominence as a Whig state legislator in Massachusetts as well as his brief, expedient entry to the Know Nothing Party as the Whigs began to self-destruct. Despite the well-known negative platform of the Know Nothing Party, much of which Hood did not support, they were an anti-slavery party which did align with Hood’s beliefs. Though he was not a militant abolitionist, he did oppose slavery, which led him to support Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party when he later moved to Illinois.
As a Massachusetts state legislator, Hood initiated a number of insurance reforms that still have an effect today. As a businessman, he was often the victim of loose or non-existent regulations that allowed undercapitalized insurance companies to avoid paying their obligations. Therefore, partially out of self-interest, he initiated a number of reforms to address these issues, which have ultimately benefitted succeeding generations.
Hood moved to Illinois to avoid business failure and capitalize on the new opportunities developing in the Midwest. He became a Republican state legislator and threw his support behind Lincoln in the Presidential election. Lincoln endorsed him for a position in the Department of State, indicating that he knew Hood personally and felt that he was a qualified candidate. This eventually led to Hood’s appointment as the US Consul in Bangkok, Siam.
As consul, Hood was involved in adjudicating disputes between American expatriates. This, in turn, led to petty jealousies and ceaseless controversies among people who either coveted the Consul position for themselves, or who would profit from a Consul of their own acquaintance. Hood was frequently compelled to write to the State Department in order to his actions, some of which may not have been entirely blameless. The most noteworthy of these controversies almost led to a diplomatic incident with France, soured his relationship to the King, and contributed to his eventual departure from Siam. Throughout this incident, Anna Leonowens, the King’s confidential secretary and royal governess to his children, was a hidden ally. A widow and English mole, Anna provided inside information that was damaging to the French. This incident led to her estrangement from the King and her departure from the country. Hood was mentioned in her famous memoirs, Anna and the King of Siam, popularized by Margaret Landon.
This book provides an interesting and enjoyable glimpse into local politics, the business of building clipper ships, and the early diplomatic maneuverings of our young republic.
Stephen Donnelly is a consultant for the insurance industry and a Westfield State University alumnus.
James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam resurrects from obscurity the fascinating life story of businessman, politician, diplomat, and Massachusetts native James Madison Hood. Appointed by Lincoln shortly before his assassination, Hood was the first full-time, salaried US Consul to Siam (now Thailand). An imperfect man, especially in some of his matrimonial and business dealings, Hood was valued as a quality ship builder, an excellent legislator, and a creditable diplomat.
The author George C. Kingston is a retired engineering research manager and a professional genealogist from East Longmeadow, MA. The writing started out as a genealogy project commissioned by Hood’s descendants and blossomed into a book. Early chapters reflect the author’s predilections, exhaustively detailing Hood’s ancestry, and including the exact dimensions of the many clipper ships that he built.
The narrative gains strength when Kingston describes Hood’s political and diplomatic career. The author has a flair for explaining issues in the context of their time in a compact and coherent manner. He details Hood’s rise to prominence as a Whig state legislator in Massachusetts as well as his brief, expedient entry to the Know Nothing Party as the Whigs began to self-destruct. Despite the well-known negative platform of the Know Nothing Party, much of which Hood did not support, they were an anti-slavery party which did align with Hood’s beliefs. Though he was not a militant abolitionist, he did oppose slavery, which led him to support Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party when he later moved to Illinois.
As a Massachusetts state legislator, Hood initiated a number of insurance reforms that still have an effect today. As a businessman, he was often the victim of loose or non-existent regulations that allowed undercapitalized insurance companies to avoid paying their obligations. Therefore, partially out of self-interest, he initiated a number of reforms to address these issues, which have ultimately benefitted succeeding generations.
Hood moved to Illinois to avoid business failure and capitalize on the new opportunities developing in the Midwest. He became a Republican state legislator and threw his support behind Lincoln in the Presidential election. Lincoln endorsed him for a position in the Department of State, indicating that he knew Hood personally and felt that he was a qualified candidate. This eventually led to Hood’s appointment as the US Consul in Bangkok, Siam.
As consul, Hood was involved in adjudicating disputes between American expatriates. This, in turn, led to petty jealousies and ceaseless controversies among people who either coveted the Consul position for themselves, or who would profit from a Consul of their own acquaintance. Hood was frequently compelled to write to the State Department in order to his actions, some of which may not have been entirely blameless. The most noteworthy of these controversies almost led to a diplomatic incident with France, soured his relationship to the King, and contributed to his eventual departure from Siam. Throughout this incident, Anna Leonowens, the King’s confidential secretary and royal governess to his children, was a hidden ally. A widow and English mole, Anna provided inside information that was damaging to the French. This incident led to her estrangement from the King and her departure from the country. Hood was mentioned in her famous memoirs, Anna and the King of Siam, popularized by Margaret Landon.
This book provides an interesting and enjoyable glimpse into local politics, the business of building clipper ships, and the early diplomatic maneuverings of our young republic.
Stephen Donnelly is a consultant for the insurance industry and a Westfield State University alumnus.
