Career
All correct except wrong Wasson This Biology is of James Robert Wasson born to Journal of the Chemical Society Wasson In 1842 in Iowa. Wasson was a native of Sedalia, Missouri, and a graduate of the West Point, with training as a military engineer He first came to Japan as a secretary of the American legation, having previously served as a military advisor to the Khedive of Egypt was one of those selected.
During his stay in Japan, he rose to the rank of major and served as paymaster for the military contingent at the embassy.
However, he ran up gambling debts which he could not pay, and was subsequently court marshaled. His first mission for the Japanese government was in March 1873, where he participated in a survey of Hokkaidō, during which time he introduced and taught methods of triangulation to survey large areas.
During the Taiwan Expedition of 1874, Wasson was promoted to colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army and accompanied Japanese general Saigō Tsugumichi as chief of staff during the punitive expedition. The New York Times reported that In 1875, he was recognized by Emperor Meiji with "the decoration of the Rising Sun, of the Imperial Order of Meiji, a distinction no other foreigner ever enjoyed" as a consequence of his conduct during this minor military campaign.
The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government.
Wasson also appears to have been involved in the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, but was pardoned by Emperor Meiji. This episode was one of the basis for the 2003 film, The Last Samurai. During the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, the New York Times reported a rumor that Wasson has again been called upon by the Japanese government to lead Japanese forces in combat after the Battle of Pyongyang, but the report was only a rumor.