Hendrick Heusken
Hendrick Conrad Joannes Heusken (born January 20, 1832 in Amsterdam , † January 15, 1861 ) was an American born in the Netherlands who worked as an interpreter for the American Consulate in Japan in the 1860s . He was murdered by anti-western samurai .
Life
Hendrick Heusken was born in Amsterdam. His father, Joannes Franciscus Heusken, worked for a soap manufacturer. His mother's name was Johanna Smit. The family emigrated to the USA and received American citizenship there.
Heusken came to Japan in 1856 and worked as a personal assistant and interpreter for the first American consul, Townsend Harris . When the Prussian East Asia expedition in Japan negotiated the establishment of diplomatic relations, the leader, Count Eulenburg , was supported by the American side. Harris made Heusken available to him as an interpreter.
On January 14, 1861, on the way back in the evening from the German quarters to the nearby American representation, Heusken was attacked by anti-Western Rōnin des Satsuma - han , including Imuta Shōhei ( 伊 牟 田 尚 平 ), and wounded despite the protection given to him. He died from his injuries the following day. In a demonstratively large funeral procession with the participation of the foreign missions with flag decorations and funeral music, Heusken was brought to the Kōrin-ji in the Minato district and buried there with full honors. His grave can still be seen there today.
credentials
- H. Stahmer: Prussia's way to Japan. Judicium Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-89129-287-2 .
- Prominent People of Minato City.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Heusken, Hendrick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Heusken, Hendrick Conrad Joannes (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch-American interpreter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 20, 1832 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Amsterdam |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 15, 1861 |