The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

100 Benjamin A. Batson
The fears of the Americans in Siam that the political cbauge in
Washington would result i~ a change of American Ministers in Bangkok
proved to be well-founded. Late in 1897, shortly after the favorable
settlement of the Kellett case had been announced, Barrett learned that
a successor bad been appointed. While he awaited the arrival of his
successor, the Cheek case award was made. Having thus left "the field
clear" for his successor, and the United States having almost simultaneously
gone to war with Spain, Barrett now bombarded Washington with
offers to serve his country.227 Ultimately his services were accepted,
and Barrett left Bangkok for the Philippines where he was both a correspondent
and an adviser to Dewey. In the opinion of his successor, he
left behind in Siam "a record of which our country may be proud." 22 S
McKinley's choice as Minister to Siam was Hamilton King. King
had been born in Newfoundland in 1852. He bad been educated at
Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan, in Germany and Greece, and bad
studied theology in Chicago. His wife was a Seward "of the old N.Y.
Seward family." From 1879 to 1898 he was principal of the preparatory
department of Olivet College. He was also active as a lecturer,preacber,
and political speaker, and published both a Greek reader and a history
of the United States. In 1896 he was a delegate to the Republican
National Convention which nominated McKinley. He went to Siam as
Minister in 1898 and served for an unprecedented 14 years, dying in
Bangkok in September of 1912. In 1903 his rank was raised from
Minister Resident and Consul-General to Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary.229 Jn 1904 be showed something of the
European scbolar•diplomat tradition when be chaired the founding
session of the Siam Society, Siam's first Western-style organization to
promote scholarly studies.
227) Siam Despatches, April 15, 1898; May 13, 1898; and June 20, 1898. The
April 15 telegram to Secretary of State John Sherman read in part, "Can do
anything. Trust judgment caution. Please command me."
228) Sil;unDespa.tches, May 9, 1898.
229) In the early period of Siam's formal relations with Western nations the United
States had taken the lead in raising the rank of its representative in Bangkok,
but the French in 1898 were the first to raise the title of their representative
to Minister Plenipotentiary (Siam Despatches, August 10, 1898).