George Jamieson CMG (1843-1920) was a British diplomat and judge who served in China. His last position before retirement from government service was as British

Consul-General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

in Shanghai.

Early life

Jamieson was born on 5 February 1843, in Crannoch, Grange, Banffshire (Banffshire is now part of Moray and Crannoch is now listed as part of

Keith, Moray Keith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Chèith'', or ''Cèith Mhaol Rubha'' (archaic)) is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of 4,734. Keith is historically in Banffshire, a name which persists in com ...

), Scotland, the son of Alexander Jamieson and Helen Pirie. He was educated at Grange Parish School, before attending

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

from which he graduated 1864 with mathematical honours, gaining also the Boxill prize.

Consular career

Jamieson joined the British China consular service as a student interpreter in 1864. In 1867, Jamieson was appointed a 2nd Class Assistant and in 1868 appointed Acting

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

, Taiwan. In 1869, he was appointed Acting Law Secretary of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan when

Robert Mowat Robert Anderson Mowat, was a British judge and diplomat, serving in China and Japan. His last position before retirement was as Judge of the British Court for Japan. Early life Mowat was born in 1843 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the only son of Jose ...

went on long leave to study for the bar. Jamieson was originally admitted to the bar of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1871 during long leave at home in England, but was in 1880 called to the bar of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

. He served in various consular positions in China. In 1887, he was appointed acting Assistant Judge of the Supreme Court in Shanghai and the following year transferred to

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

as Acting Judge of the

British Court for Japan The British Court for Japan (formally Her Britannic Majesty's Court for Japan) was a court established in Yokohama in 1879 to try cases against British subjects in Japan, under the principles of extraterritoriality. The court also heard appeals ...

In 1891, as part of an amalgamation of consular and judicial positions, he was appointed Consul in Shanghai and at the same time Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan. Nicholas Hannen was appointed

Consul General A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

and Chief Justice. In 1897, the almagamation of consular and judicial positions was ended. Jamieson was appointed as

in Shanghai, replacing Hannen, and relieved of his position as Judge of the Supreme Court. Hannen continued as Chief Justice and

Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne Sir Frederick Samuel August Bourne (1854–1940) was a British judge, diplomat and botanist who served in China. His last positions before retirement were concurrently as Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Judge of th ...

was appointed as Judge to replace Jamieson. He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1897

Retirement from Consular Service

Jamieson retired from consular service due to ill health at the end of April 1899. After retirement, he became a director of the British and Chinese Corporation, the Chinese Central Railways and Yangtse Valley Company. He also helped establish a "China League" due to disagreements with the policies of the

China Association The China Association was a British merchants association established to represent the interests of British companies trading with China, Hong Kong and Japan. Members of the association included representatives of the large China Houses such as ...

. After this was patched up, he served as the president of the China Association from 1914 to 1917. In 1916, on the nomination of the China Association, he was appointed a governor of the School of Oriental Studies, now the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

(SOAS), in London.

Death

Jamieson died in London on 30 December 1920.London and China Telegraph, 3 January 1921, p7 Before his death, Jamieson completed a book
Chinese Family and Commercial Law
based on translations that he had prepared many years before of sections of China’s General Code of Laws. The book, which also included Jamieson’s translations of various cases from the International Mixed Court, was published in 1921.

Publications

Jamieson published the following book:
Chinese Family and Commercial Law

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamieson, George 1843 births 1920 deaths British diplomats in China Alumni of the University of Aberdeen British Supreme Court for China judges Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from Moray