David Urquhart

For other people named David Urquhart, see David Urquhart (disambiguation).

David Urquhart

David Urquhart (July 1, 1805 – May 16, 1877) was a Scottish diplomat and writer.^[1]. He was a Member of Parliament 1847-52.

Early life and family

Born at Braelangwell Cromarty, Scotland,^[2] Urquhart was educated, under the supervision of his widowed mother, in France, Switzerland, and Spain. He returned to Britain in 1821 and spent a gap year learning farming and working at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich before attending St John's College, Oxford.^[2] He never completed his classics degree as his mother's finances failed.

In 1854 Urquhart married Harriet Angelina Fortescue^[3] and the couple had three sons (one of whom, William, died aged only thirteen months; Francis Fortescue Urquhart was another), and two daughters. She wrote numerous articles in the Diplomatic Review under the signature of Caritas, and died in 1889.^[3]

Career

Role in Greece and Turkey

In 1827, Urquhart joined the nationalist cause in the Greek War of Independence. Seriously injured, he spent the next few years championing the Greek cause in letters to the British government, a self-promotion that entailed his appointment in 1831 to Sir Stratford Canning's mission to İstanbul to settle the border between Greece and Turkey.^[2]

Urquhart's principal role was to nurture the support of Koca Mustafa Reşid Pasha, intimate advisor to the Sultan Mahmud II. He found himself increasingly attracted towards Turkish civilisation and culture, becoming alarmed at the threat of Russian intervention in the region. Urquhart's campaigning, including publication of Turkey and its Resources, culminated in his appointment on a trade mission to the region in 1833.^[2] He struck such an intimate relationship with the government in İstanbul that he became outspoken in his calls for British intervention on behalf of the Sultan against Muhammad Ali of Egypt in opposition to the policy of Canning. He was recalled by Palmerston just as he published his violently anti-Russian pamphlet England, France, Russia and Turkey^[1] which brought him into conflict with Richard Cobden.

In 1835 he was appointed secretary of embassy at İstanbul,^[1] but an unfortunate attempt to counteract Russian aggressive designs in Circassia, which threatened to lead to an international crisis, again led to his recall in 1837. In 1835, before leaving for the East, he founded a periodical called the Portfolio, and in the first issue printed a series of Russian state papers, which made a profound impression.^[4]. Urquhart was also the designer of the Circassian national flag.

Politics

From 1847 to 1852 he sat in parliament as member for Stafford, and carried on a vigorous campaign against Lord Palmerston's foreign policy.^[4]

The action of the United Kingdom in the Crimean War provoked indignant protests from Urquhart, who contended that Turkey was in a position to fight her own battles without the assistance of other powers.^[1] To attack the government, he organized "foreign affairs committees" which became known as Urquhartite, throughout the country, and in 1856 (with finance from ironmaster George Crawshay) became the owner of the Free Press ^[5] (in 1866 renamed the Diplomatic Review), which numbered among its contributors the socialist Karl Marx. In 1860 he published his book on Lebanon.^[3]

Later life

From 1864 until his death, Urquhart's health compelled him to live on the Continent, where he devoted his energies to promoting the study of international law.^[3]

Promoter of the Turkish Bath

Urquhart introduced Turkish baths into Great Britain.^[3][6] He advocated their use in his book Pillars of Hercules (1850), which attracted the attention of the Irish physician Richard Barter. Barter introduced them in his system of hydropathy at Blarney, County Cork. The Turkish baths in Jermyn Street, London were built under Urquhart's direction.^[3]

See also

• Hammam
• Russophobia
• Eastern Question

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Sidney Lee (Editor) (1899). "Urquhart, David". entry in Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58 (Ubaldini - Wakefield). London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 43–45 (n42-44 in page field). http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryofnati58stepuoft#page/42/mode/2up/search/Urquhart. Retrieved 22 April 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Dictionary of National Biography (1899), vol.58, p.43
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Dictionary of National Biography (1899), vol.58, p.45
4. ^ ^{a b} Dictionary of National Biography (1899), vol.58, p.44
5. ^ http://www.victorianturkishbath.org/2history/atozhist/clean/pix/free%20press_w.htm
6. ^ Unsigned article (1910). "Hydropathy". In …. The Encyclopaedia Britannica. XIV. London: The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company. pp. 165–166. http://www.archive.org/stream/encyclopdiabrit18chisgoog#page/n184/mode/1up. Retrieved 2009-10-29.  Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org)

Bibliography

• Taylor, A. J. P. (1957). The trouble makers: dissent over foreign policy, 1792-1939. London: Hamish Hamilton. p. 207p.. 
• Robinson, Gertrude (1920). David Urquhart: some chapters in the life of a Victorian knight-errant of justice and liberty. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. xii, 328. 

External links

• Catalogue of the Urquharts' correspondence (PDF) at the Wellcome Library.
• David Urquhart, “Materials for the True History of Lord Palmerston.,” 1866.
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Urquhart

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Swynfen Carnegie Edward Manningham-Buller	Member of Parliament for Stafford 1847–1852 With: Thomas Sidney	Succeeded by John Ayshford Wise Arthur Otway

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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Name	Urquhart, David
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Date of birth	July 1, 1805
Place of birth
Date of death	May 16, 1877
Place of death