Robert Liston (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Liston, GCB
, PC
(1742 – July 15, 1836) was a British
diplomat and ambassador to several countries.
, Scotland
, went on to Edinburgh University, and then tutored the sons of the Earl of Minto
. Said to speak 10 languages, Liston joined the diplomatic service
and enjoyed a career spanning Europe
, in addition to a posting in the United States
. In 1796 he married the heiress Henrietta Marchant of Antigua
. Henrietta's charm and social tact were a great asset to her husband; she also kept an interesting diary in which she records favourable impressions of George Washington
and John Adams
, and an unfavourable impression of Talleyrand. Robert was also on excellent terms with Washington, though relations cooled somewhat after Adams' election. On March 26, 1812 he was sworn a Privy Councillor, and on October 21, 1816, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Bath
. Liston's wife died c.1830 and he died in 1836. He had no children.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(1742 – July 15, 1836) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat and ambassador to several countries.
Biography
Liston was born in KirklistonKirkliston
Kirkliston is a village and civil parish within the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. It sits on the historic route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, the gateway to Fife and the north. Today, it is bypassed by the A90...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, went on to Edinburgh University, and then tutored the sons of the Earl of Minto
Earl of Minto
Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1813 for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto. The family descends from the politician and judge Gilbert Elliot, who served as a Lord of Session under the judicial title of Lord...
. Said to speak 10 languages, Liston joined the diplomatic service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom, dealing with foreign affairs, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which deals with domestic affairs...
and enjoyed a career spanning Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, in addition to a posting in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1796 he married the heiress Henrietta Marchant of Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. Henrietta's charm and social tact were a great asset to her husband; she also kept an interesting diary in which she records favourable impressions of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, and an unfavourable impression of Talleyrand. Robert was also on excellent terms with Washington, though relations cooled somewhat after Adams' election. On March 26, 1812 he was sworn a Privy Councillor, and on October 21, 1816, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. Liston's wife died c.1830 and he died in 1836. He had no children.
Timeline of career
- Secretary of Embassy to the King of Spain (March 12, 1783)
- Minister plenipotentiary to Spain (1784)
- Ambassador to Sweden (1788-1793)
- Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (October 1, 1793-1796)
- Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the United States (March 10, 1796-1800)
- Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Batavian republic (August 14, 1802)
- Extraordinary mission to the King of Denmark (June 23, 1803)
- Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (March 2, 1812)