Captain James Madison Hood was the real U.S. Consul in the novel Anna and the King of Siam, but before his arrival in Bangkok, he was also a merchant ship captain, builder of clipper ships, legislator in both Massachusetts and Illinois, industrialist, and land speculator. He was present at the birth of the Republican Party. As U.S. Consul, he presided over the trial of Dr. Dan Beach Bradley for libel of the French Consul, Gabriel Aubaret, a case which influenced the course of Southeast Asian history and got Anna Leonowens in trouble with King Mongkut. Captain Hood lived large and was not above a little extralegal maneuvering to support his lifestyle. His life is a tour through the politics, economics and deal making of the mid–19th century.

George C. Kingston is a retired engineering research manager, a professional genealogist and an historian. He lives in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

George C. Kingston
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: 14 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7194-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0126-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

 1. The U.S. Consul at Bangkok 5

 2. Somerset, Massachusetts 13

 3. Captain 21

 4. Shipbuilder, Somerset, Massachusetts 34

 5. Whig Legislator 61

 6. Know-Nothing 77

 7. Somerset County, Illinois 90

 8. Lincoln, Douglas and Hood 99

 9. Becoming a Consul 108

10. Bangkok Beginnings 120

11. Burdon vs. Chandler 137

12. The First Year in Bangkok 144

13. Aubaret vs. Bradley 162

14. The Last Year in Bangkok 184

15. Home to Illinois 196

Epilogue 208

Notes on Sources 211

Chapter Notes 215

Bibliography 227

Index 233