James Laidlaw consular papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 913

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains certificates and other papers relating to James Laidlaw's appointments as British vice consul for Oregon, and then as British consul for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. There are six certificates in total, four from the U.S. government and two from the British government. The U.S. certificates bear signatures from presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt. Other items in the collection consist of a letter from British Consul for California, Oregon, and Washington Territory William Lance Booker, appointing Laidlaw as British vice consul for Oregon; a letter from the British government appointing Laidlaw as British consul for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, which includes information about his salary for the position; a warrant from the British government authorizing Laidlaw to perform marriages; and an envelope sent to Laidlaw that includes the seal of the British embassy in Washington, D.C.

Dates

Creation: 1874-1908

Creator

Laidlaw, James, 1847-1913 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

James Laidlaw was born in 1847 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He worked for the firm Cross, Wedderspoon & Company in Glasgow, Scotland, and then for Cross & Company in Valparaiso, Chile, before emigrating to the United States in 1871, taking residence in Portland, Oregon. There, he founded a shipping and commission business, James Laidlaw & Co.

In 1874, Laidlaw was appointed British vice consul to Oregon. In 1895, he was appointed as British consul for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. When he was appointed consul, Laidlaw left his business to his son, J. Ernest Laidlaw, so that he could focus on his consular work.

In 1875, Laidlaw married Louise Carpenter; the couple had two sons. Louise Laidlaw died in 1886, and in 1890, James Laidlaw remarried to Charlotte Stout, and they had five children. Laidlaw was also a founder and president of the British Benevolent Society. He died in January 1913, a few weeks before his 66th birthday.

Source: Obituary in the Oregonian, January 6, 1913.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box; 1 oversize folder (20x24) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Certificates and letters relating to appointments that James Laidlaw (1847-1913) received as British vice consul and British consul. Laidlaw was a Scottish businessman who moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1871, and who served as British vice consul for Oregon from 1874 to 1895, and as British consul for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho from 1895 until his death.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the University of Portland Library, care of Susan Hinken, March 1997 (Lib. Acc. 23061).

Related Materials

Other collections at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to Laidlaw include: James Laidlaw papers, Mss 21; and James Laidlaw scrapbook, Mss 2396.