Anthony Merry
Anthony Merry | |
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.png) portrait by Gilbert Stuart, 1805 | |
| Born | 2 August 1756  |
| Died | 14 June 1835 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Employer |
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| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Merry |
| Position held | ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the United States (1803–1806), ambassador of the United Kingdom to Denmark (1807–1807), ambassador of the United Kingdom to Sweden (1808–1809) |
Anthony Merry (2 August 1756 – 14 June 1835) was a British diplomat. He was
Biography
The son of a
When Merry arrived in the United States, he was received without any hospitality by President Thomas Jefferson, 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 along with the French chargé d'affaires and his wife at a time when the two countries were at war with one another, a notable breach of etiquette.[3] When Merry made a complaint about protocol to James Madison, 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.[4]
From then on Merry found himself disgusted by America. Soon after, Aaron Burr came to Merry seeking help with detaching the
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
References
- ^ a b Malcolm Lester, 'Merry, Anthony (1756–1835)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [1], accessed 29 Dec 2008
- ^ The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Press Publishing Company, (The New York World 1895), p. 124.
- ^ Henry Adams, History of the United States of America during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson, Library of America, 1986, p. 551 et seq.
- ^ Henricks, Nancy (2015). America's First Ladies. ABC-CLIO, p. 23.
- ^ Henry Adams, History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson Library of America, p. 775.
- ^ Henry Adams, History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson Library of America, p. 574 ff.
Further reading
- Steel, Anthony. "Anthony Merry and the Anglo-American Dispute about Impressment, 1803-6." Cambridge Historical Journal 9#3 (1949): 331-51. online.
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