William Tanner Young was the first British Consul in Jerusalem. He was appointed in 1838 and arrived in 1839. He held the title "

vice-consul 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 ...

" until 1841, and "consul" from then until 1845. Young was the son of an

underwriter Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...

and a protégé of the

Earl of Shaftesbury Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his fa ...

. Prior to his appointment Young had traveled in Syria and Palestine in 1835-36. According to

Andrew Bonar Andrew Alexander Bonar (29 May 1810 in Edinburgh – 30 December 1892 in Glasgow) was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900), Free Church of Scotland, a contemporary and acquaintance of Robert Murray M'Cheyne and youngest brother ...

and

Robert Murray M'Cheyne Robert Murray M'Cheyne (21 May 1813 – 25 March 1843) was a minister in the Church of Scotland from 1835 to 1843. He was born at Edinburgh on 21 May 1813, was educated at the university and at the Divinity Hall of his native city, and was ...

, Young was "actuated by a deep and enlightened attachment to the cause of God's ancient people", i.e. the Jews. John James Moscrop suggests that Young attempted to serve two masters: the London Jews Society and the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

. In mid-1839, he began to ask the Foreign Secretary,

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

, for British protection for Jewish people. In 1848, after his return to England, Young published a translation from French of ''The Truth in regard to England in 1817''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, William Tanner Consuls-General of the United Kingdom to Jerusalem 19th-century British diplomats