John Carey Hall (22 January 1844 – 21 October 1921) was a leading

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diplomat who served in Japan in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His last position 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 Yokohama.

Early life

Hall was born on 22 January 1844. Hall was educated at

Coleraine Academical Institution Coleraine Academical Institution (CAI and styled locally as Coleraine Inst) was a voluntary grammar school for boys in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Coleraine Academical Institution occupied a site on the Castlerock Road, ...

and

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. In 1876, he married Agnes Goodwin, the daughter of

Charles Wycliffe Goodwin Charles Wycliffe Goodwin (1817–1878) was an English Egyptologist, bible scholar, lawyer and judge. His last judicial position was as Acting Chief Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan. Early life Goodwin was born on 2 April 1 ...

. At the time Goodwin was the assistant judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan based in Yokohama

Career

Hall entered Her Majesty's Consular Service in Japan in 1868, as a student interpreter. Hall spoke fluent Japanese as a result of this time in consular service.See Hansard HL Deb 27 September 1909 vol 3 cc361-83 at 364-5 on the role of student interpreter and their expected proficiency in the language they learn Hall was appointed, acting Vice-Consul at Yedo (Tokyo) between 1869 and 1870. He was 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 an ...

in 1881.Foreign Office List, 1921 In 1882 he was appointed Assistant Japanese Secretary to the British

Legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...

at Tokyo, and acting Japanese Secretary to this legation in 1884–1886. Between 1888 and 1889 he served as acting Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan at Shanghai. He served as British Consul in Hiogo (now

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

) from 1896 to 1902. He was appointed British Consul-General for

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 To ...

in 1902 and served in that position until 1914.

Later life

Hall retired in 1914 and returned to England. He was one of the founders of the China Society in London. He died in 1921. His wife had died in Yokohama in 1913 and been buried in the Yokohama Foreigners' Cemetery. Hall requested that he be cremated and his ashes interred in his wife's grave in Yokohama.

Books

Hall published two books: *Japanese Feudal Law *The Positive Science of Morals: Its Opportuneness, Its Outlines, and Its Chief Applications (with Pierre Lafitte)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, John Carey 1844 births 1921 deaths British diplomats Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Imperial Service Order