The Career of George Hammond as first British Minister to the United States, 1791-1795

In 1785, John Adams was formally introduced to George III as the first American Minister to Great Britain. However, even as Adams and the King spoke of Britain and America’s shared language, similar religions, and “kindred blood”, an awkward question remained: where was the British Minister to the United States? 

This paper shall examine the story of George Hammond’s career as the first British Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States between 1791 and 1795. Examining the context of Anglo-American relations at the time of his appointment, and the process of finding a suitable candidate, this paper shall attempt to explain the challenges faced by the Foreign Office in establishing permanent diplomatic presence in not only a republic, but a former British colony. From there, this paper shall examine the multiple challenges Hammond faced as British Minister, including establishing a permanent legation in America, his relationship with American policymakers, the French Revolution, the Crisis of 1794, and the Jay Treaty. 

The career of George Hammond presents a fascinating example of the long and challenging process which sometimes characterised diplomatic service. What does Hammond’s career tell us about Anglo-American relations following 1776? Was Hammond successful? Why is his mission not remembered as well as Adams’s? Ultimately, far from being a footnote in the long history of Anglo-American relations, Hammond proved integral to stabilising relations between Britain and the United States in the 1790s and preventing the outbreak of war until 1812.