Harry Lionel Churchill

Harry Lionel Churchill CMG FRGS

Harry Lionel Churchill CMG FRGS (1860-1924) was a Physician^[1] and British diplomat.

Family and early life

Harry was born on 12 September 1860 in Jassy, Romania, the son of Henry Adrian Churchill (1828–1886), an archaeologist and British diplomat. Three of his four brothers, Sidney J. A. Churchill (1860-1924), William Algernon Churchill, and George Percy (1876-?) (1865-1947) were also diplomats.

He married Elizabeth Théresé Eugenie Tholozan (1867-1930) with whom he had six children.

Career

In 1878, at the age of 18 he was Acting Consul at Resht, Persia, and in 1880 made Clerk in the Legation at Tehran.^[2] In 1883 he served as British Vice-Consul as Translator and Clerk to her Majesty’s Legation in Teheran,^[3] then Consul in Zanzibar (1885),^[4] and Teheran (1891),^[5] He was in attendance on the Special Envoy sent by the Shah of Persia on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887, and Consul at Resht (1891). He was in attendance on the Special Envoy sent by the Shah of Persia on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.^[2]

He was then Vice-Consul in Trieste (1899),^[6] and Lisbon in 1905,^[2] then Consul-General in Le Havre (1907-1923),^[7] and Genoa (1923)^[8] where he died in office aged 64.^[9]

His correspondence with Lord Hardinge, first secretary at Tehran and later Viceroy of India, is held in the University of Cambridge Library.^[1]

References