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John Safford Fiske (January 18, 1838 – June 11, 1907) was a Consul of the United States at Leith, Scotland, who was involved in a sex scandal, and therefore forced to leave his post.
After the trial, Fiske went to Düsseldorf, Germany, where he lived for a year, spending most of the time painting, almost exclusively architectural subjects. He returned to the US, where he spent the following three years. By May 1874 he was again in Europe, where he lived for the rest of his life, first in Düsseldorf, and then Pinneberg (Holstein), Ecouen, near Paris (where he lived "with an English friend"), and from 1876 to 1877 in Constantinople. In the end Fiske settled in Italy, at Alassio, in 1882.
In 1873 he published a translation of Caine's ''Voyage aux Pyrénées''. He also wrote of current events to various newspapers, from Sweden, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He contributed to ''The Nation'' (New York) since its founding. In 1893 he contributed a good number of articles to the ''Dictionary of Architecture'', edited by
John Safford Fiske (January 18, 1838 – June 11, 1907) was a Consul of the United States at Leith, Scotland, who was involved in a sex scandal, and therefore forced to leave his post.
Biography
John Safford Fiske was born on January 18, 1838, inAshtabula, Ohio
Ashtabula ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, and the center of the United States micropolitan area, Ashtabula micropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, nort ...
, the son of Isaac Hubbard Fiske (1811–1877) and Mary Safford (1816–1876). He attended Williston Seminary
Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841.
History
Williston Seminary was ...
, in Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 c ...
and in 1859 went to Yale College, graduating in 1863.
From 1863 to 1864 he worked as a deputy clerk in Albany for the New York State Senate. In 1865 he was a private tutor near New York City. In October 1867 he was nominated by President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
the United States consul in Leith, Scotland.
While abroad Fiske was involved in the scandal concerning Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park. In 1868, when Boulton and Park were in Edinburgh, Fiske had an affair with Boulton. After Boulton went back to London, Fiske continued to send him love letters. In 1870 Fiske was in London, where he was arrested and charged with "conspiracy to commit buggery". He decide to resign as a United States consul to avoid the involvement of his country in the scandal, even if he continued to maintain that he was innocent. In 1871, Fiske was acquitted, as there was no evidence against him of a crime being committed.
After the trial, Fiske went to Düsseldorf, Germany, where he lived for a year, spending most of the time painting, almost exclusively architectural subjects. He returned to the US, where he spent the following three years. By May 1874 he was again in Europe, where he lived for the rest of his life, first in Düsseldorf, and then Pinneberg (Holstein), Ecouen, near Paris (where he lived "with an English friend"), and from 1876 to 1877 in Constantinople. In the end Fiske settled in Italy, at Alassio, in 1882.
In 1873 he published a translation of Caine's ''Voyage aux Pyrénées''. He also wrote of current events to various newspapers, from Sweden, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He contributed to ''The Nation'' (New York) since its founding. In 1893 he contributed a good number of articles to the ''Dictionary of Architecture'', edited by Russell Sturgis
Russell Sturgis (; October 16, 1836 – February 11, 1909) was an American architect and art critic
of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870.
Sturgis was born in Baltimore Cou ...
. He was a reporter for the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordi ...
in Chicago in 1893. He was a lecturer on art and architecture at Hobart College, Geneva, New York. In 1897 he received a L.H.D (honorary degree) from Hobart College and when he died in 1907, he left 4,000 books to the college.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiske, John Safford 1838 births 1907 deaths