James Douglas (1878–1956)
James Douglas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) James Douglas in 1918 | |
| Consul of Poland in Harbin, China | |
| In office 1 October 1931 – 30 April 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Skowroński |
| Succeeded by | Aleksander Kwiatkowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1878 Russian Empire (now located in Ukraine) |
| Died | 4 December 1956 (aged 78) |
| Political party | Polish Socialist Party |
| Relatives | Jerzy Hardie-Douglas (grandson) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary |
| Branch/service | Polish Legions |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 |
| Unit | 1st Artillery Regiment |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
James Douglas (7 September 1878 – 4 December 1956) was a diplomat and Polish independence activist.
Biography
[edit]James Douglas was born on 7 September 1878 in the Russian Empire, within area of modern Ukraine. He was Polish of Scottish descent. His ancestor moved from Scotland to Ukraine in the 19th century to open there a suger mill.[1][2]
Douglas graduated from a gymnasium (middle school) in Kyiv. He was an activist for Polish independence, and a member of the Polish Socialist Party. In 1904 he was a foreign correspondent of Lviv-based newspaper Słowo Polskie, based in Japan. There, together with Józef Piłsudski and Tytus Filipowicz, he was also a part of a diplomatic mission on by the Polish Socialist Party. During the First World War, from 1914 to 1918, he served in the 1st Artillery Regiment of the Polish Legions of Austria-Hungary. During the interwar period he worked in the diplomatic service of Poland, including being a consul in Harbin, China from 1931 to 1933.[1][2]
He died on 4 December 1956.[3]
His son, Jakub Douglas (1920–1998) fought in the Warsaw Uprising during the Second World War, and his grandson, Jerzy Hardie-Douglas (born 1951) is a politician, who was a member of the Sejm of Poland from 2019 to 2023.[4][5]
Awards and decorations
[edit]- Cross of Independence (1931)[6]
- Double Cross of Valour[1]
- Gold Cross of Merit (1939)[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Wojciech Skóra: Organizacja i pierwszy okres działalności polskich konsulatów w Harbinie i Władywostoku w latach 1920–1924. In: Andrzej Furier: Polskie ślady na Dalekim Wschodzie. Polacy w Harbinie. Szczecin: Pomeranian Library, 2008. ISBN 978-83-87879-73-0. (in Polish)
- ^ a b "Harbin: Polskie miasto w Chinach". focus.pl (in Polish). 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Douglas James data śmierci 04.12.1956". nekrologi-baza.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Jerzy Hardie-Douglas". gk24.pl (in Polish). 10 October 2010.
- ^ "Jerzy Hardie-Douglas". sejm.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Zarządzenie o nadaniu Krzyża Niepodległości z Mieczami, Krzyża Niepodległości oraz Medalu Niepodległości". isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Zarządzenie o nadaniu Złotego Krzyża Zasługi". isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish).
- 1878 births
- 1956 deaths
- 20th-century Polish diplomats
- Diplomats of the Second Polish Republic
- Consuls-General of Poland
- Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
- Recipients of the Cross of Independence
- Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)
- Polish people of Scottish descent
- Polish legionnaires (World War I)
- Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I
- Foreign correspondents
- Polish Socialist Party politicians
- Polish independence activists
- Polish socialists