George S. Morrison was a British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 diplomat in the 19th century. He was intended to be the first British consul

Consul (representative)

The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...

 to Nagasaki but was delayed in arriving for the opening of the foreign settlement on 1 July 1859 and so C. Pemberton Hodgson served in his stead until Morrison's arrival on 6 August 1859. Morrison served as British Consul until December 1863. During Morrison's initial two-year term he established regulations for British citizens in Nagasaki, negotiated living and conditions trade between the foreign settlement and Japanese officials, made plans for an enlarged British Consulate, and generally established guidelines for the treaty port at Nagasaki based upon previous experience in China.

Morrison's term in Nagasaki was cut short when he and other British officials were attacked by samurai from the Mito

Mito, Ibaraki

is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...

 domain on the night of 5 July 1861 at the British Legation in Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

. He left for England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 that autumn to recuperate.

Morrison returned to Nagasaki in April 1863, at a time when conditions for foreigners in the region were particularly dangerous. Satsuma

Shimazu family

The were the daimyō of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan.The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama or outsider daimyō clans in contrast with the fudai or insider clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan,The Shimazu were...

 and Chōshū

Nagato Province

, often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces....

 officials were challenging the Bakufu

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

and threatening to kill foreigners in the treaty ports

Treaty ports

The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...

. Morrison requested British ships for protection and the situation seemed to be escalating towards war, though open conflict was, for the meantime, avoided. Morrison decided to leave his position for health reasons, returning once and for all to England. Allegations of a plot to assassinate him probably affected his decision to leave as well.

George Morrison died on 20 August 1893 at the age of sixty-two.