J. G. Lorimer
| John Gordon Lorimer | |
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Photograph of J. G. Lorimer
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| Born | 1870 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | February 8, 1914 (aged 43–44) Bushire, Persia |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Diplomat, historian |
| Notable work | Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia |
John Gordon Lorimer (also J. G. Lorimer, born 1870 — died 8 February 1914) was a British diplomat, historian and colonial administrator. Working for the British Raj in Punjab and the Northwest frontier province, he later served in the Persian Gulf region as British Political Resident. He is most famous for his encyclopedia, the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia.
John Gordon Lorimer was born in Glasgow in 1870, a son of Rev Robert Lorimer. The Lorimer family was intimately associated with colonial service; his maternal uncle (who served as a judge) was killed during the Indian mutiny of 1857. His younger brother David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer served as British vice-consul in Arabistan. His other brother Robert worked in the Indian civil service until he was dismissed for refusing to participate in a flogging. His younger brother William Lorimer and younger sister Hilda Lockhart Lorimer were scholars.
Educated in Edinburgh and Oxford, Lorimer later worked in the Indian civil service and was stationed first in Punjab and later in the restive Northwest frontier province. Passionate about languages, he authored a book on the grammar of Waziri Pashto in 1902. In 1903, he was commissioned by the British Raj to compile a handbook for British diplomats and agents in the Persian Gulf region. Initially given only six months, he insisted on being granted more time to ensure the handbook was thorough. The result was the 5,000 page two-volume Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia. Its geography portion was only completed in 1908 and the history portion was finished & published in 1915, a year after Lorimer's death. Due to the secrecy of the document, it was not acknowledged in his obituaries and public knowledge of the document only became apparent when the document was declassified in 1955.
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