Scope and Content Note
The papers of Charles William Le Gendre (1830-1899) span the years 1866-1893 but are concentrated in two periods, 1866-1875 and 1891-1892. The collection contains a limited amount of material on Le Gendre's personal life and focuses chiefly on his diplomatic career in the American foreign service and in the Japanese and Korean governments. It is composed primarily of correspondence, memoranda, dispatches, reports, Chinese and Japanese documents, a travel journal, and a draft of a multivolume book by an unknown author.
Le Gendre's career as United States consul at Amoy, China, and advisor in the Japanese foreign service is the central theme of the general correspondence for the years 1866-1875. His efforts to promote American interests in the Far East as well as his observations on Asian civilizations are recurring topics in his correspondence with American superiors, memoranda, reports, and dispatches. Le Gendre was particularly interested in establishing peaceful relations with Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, and his experience with the Taiwanese prompted Japanese authorities to tender him a diplomatic position in 1872. Le Gendre's activities on behalf of the Japanese government, particularly his conflict with American officials in China, is reflected in the correspondence for the years 1873-1875.
Correspondence for the years 1891-1892 is devoted to Le Gendre's service in Korea and consists primarily of dispatches, memoranda, and reports. Much of the material deals with issues concerning Korean trade relations.
The collection contains Le Gendre's description of his travel among the aborigines of Formosa in 1874 and a multivolume work by an unknown author entitled Les Courants Humains, ou la Circulation du Sang de l'homme et de la Civilisation a la Surface de la Terre. The book is an extensive study of the development of various civilizations, the spread of races, and Asian history.