William Franklin Sands in Late Choson Korea: At the Deathbed of Empire, 18961904

(Hardback)

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After graduation from Georgetown University in 1896, William Franklin Sands joined the US diplomatic corps as second secretary in Tokyo. His year there sparked his interest in East Asia, so when a position in Korea opened, he took it, with the help of his influential father, an admiral in the US navy. For two years he served under US Minister Horace Allen until a more powerful position opened as chief qdviser to the Korean government in 1900. As the most influential foreign adviser, Sands attempted to convince Emperor Kojong to undertake reforms and to promote Korean neutrality to keep the country independent. The author argues, however, that Sands was hampered by corrucpt officials who had the ear of the emperor, by the Japanese and the Russians who competed for influence and who tried to replace Sands with their own advisers, and, ironically, by Horace Allen. When he lost the confidence of Kojong and when the Russo-Japanese War broke out, Sands was forced out, having failed to maintain Korea's independence as Japan moved to take over. Although his subsequent activities included other diplomatic postings, teaching, and writing, he maintained an interest in Korea and offered his services as World War Two raged.

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William Franklin Sandsa youthful, low ranking American diplomat who became the most influential foreign advisor in the court of Emperor Kojongwas undoubtedly one of the key figures active in Korea in the twilight years of the Taehan Empire before it became a Japanese protectorate in 1905. Wayne Patterson, who has published several other outstanding monographs on this period, has done a great service in bringing to light hitherto unknown material on Sands and weaving it into an extremely readable narrative that complements Sands own autobiographical work Undiplomatic Memories: The Far East 18961904, as well as considerably increasing our understanding of another important figure from this period, Horace N. Allen. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of KoreanAmerican relations and who wishes to gain a deeper insight into the international rivalry over Korea around the beginning of the twentieth century.

Author Bio

Wayne Patterson is professor of history at St. Norbert College.