Anthony Merry (2 August 1756 – 14 June 1835) was a British diplomat.

Biography

The son of a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

wine merchant, Anthony Merry served in various diplomatic posts in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

between 1783 and 1803, holding mostly consular positions. In 1803 he married Elizabeth Leathes, widow of John Leathes of Herringfield House,

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...

. He was

Chargé d'Affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassado ...

in Madrid in 1796 and again in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

about 1799, and Minister ''ad interim'' in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in 1802.Malcolm Lester, 'Merry, Anthony (1756–1835)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 200

accessed 29 Dec 2008 Merry was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain's representative to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in Washington, D.C. from 1803 to 1806. When Merry arrived in the United States, he was received without any hospitality by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, who greeted him in casual clothes and bedroom slippers and was inclined to show hostility towards Britain through Merry. Merry and his wife were invited to dinner at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

along with the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''chargé d'affaires'' and his wife at a time when the two countries were at war with one another, a notable breach of etiquette.Henry Adams, ''History of the United States of America during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson'', Library of America, 1986, p. 551 ''et seq.'' When Merry made a complaint about protocol to

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

, Madison increased the offence by referring to it as "a matter of very little moment". Jefferson's hostility extended to Mrs. Merry, whom he called a "virago", though Aaron Burr greatly admired her. From then on Merry found himself disgusted by America. Soon after,

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

came to Merry seeking help with detaching the

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

valleys from the Union. Merry reported back to 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 ...

that Burr was extremely willing and ready to seek revenge against the United States. In April 1805 Merry was again approached by Burr, who claimed that

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

was ready to leave the United States. Burr, however, after being dropped from the Presidential ticket, had not the money nor power to seize Louisiana. He, therefore, sought assistance from Britain through Merry. Unfortunately for Merry and Burr, Britain had a new

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled '' The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-ri ...

, who was friendly with America. Fox found the request

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

ous, and on 1 June 1806, recalled Merry to Britain. Burr's intention was no doubt to exploit the dissatisfaction of the populace of Louisiana with the purchase.Henry Adams, ''History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson Library of America'', p. 574 ff. Merry did not expect to be employed again, but in 1807 the new British government sent him to Copenhagen to conciliate the Danes over the bombardment of Copenhagen. Merry was then sent as British Minister to Sweden from 1808, a post from which he retired in 1809. He then lived at

Dedham, Essex Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, on the River Stour and the border of Essex and Suffolk. The nearest town to Dedham is the small market town of Manningtree. Governance Dedham is part of the elect ...

until his death in 1835. Merry was notorious for his grim and dour manner:

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

facetiously nicknamed him ''Toujours gai''. He and his wife had a reputation for arrogance and petulance:

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

, who shared their voyage to America, later became a good friend but admitted that their incessant complaining made them bad travelling companions.

Biography

References

Further reading