William Dougal Christie
| William Dougal Christie | |
|---|---|
William Dougal Christie by George Richmond
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| United Kingdom Ambassador to Brazil | |
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In office 1859–1863 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Campbell Scarlett |
| Succeeded by | Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Thornton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 January 1816 Bombay, India |
| Died | 27 July 1874 (aged 58) Marylebone, London |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Grant (m. 1841–74) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
William Dougal Christie (1816–1874) was a British diplomat, politician, and man of letters.
The son of Dougal Christie, M.D., an officer in the East India Company's medical service, he was born at Bombay on 5 January 1816. He graduated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1838, where he was one of the Cambridge Apostles, and was called to the bar in 1840. At this time he was editor of a newspaper, the Kentish Mercury, Gravesend Journal, and Greenwich Gazette, and employed the Chartist Thomas Cooper to edit it. He was also introduced to Thomas Carlyle, perhaps by Albany Fonblanque, and assisted him in the plan for the London Library.
In 1841, Christie was for a short time private secretary to Lord Minto at the admiralty, and from April 1842 to November 1847 represented Weymouth as Member of Parliament. In 1843 he proposed a Bill for removing the religious tests in the old universities; it was quickly defeated.
In May 1848 Christie was appointed consul-general in the Mosquito Territory, and from 1851 to 1854 was secretary of legation, frequently acting as chargé d'affaires, to the Swiss Confederation.
In 1854, Christie was made consul-general to the Argentine republic, and in 1856 minister plenipotentiary. In 1858, he was despatched on a special mission to Paraguay, and in 1859 became envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Brazil. This post involved him in constant difficulties with the Brazilian government, partly arising from his efforts to enforce the treaties relating to the slave trade, and partly from claims for compensation on the part of British subjects. Christie's position wasn't helped by a quarrel at cards with James Watson Webb, the American ambassador, at the Russian embassy.
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