Laurence Oliphant

August 3, 1829 (age 59)

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Between 1853 and 1861 Oliphant was secretary to Lord Elgin during the negotiation of the Canada Reciprocity Treaty in Washington, and companion to the Duke of Newcastle on a visit to the Circassian coast during the Crimean War. In 1861 Oliphant was appointed First Secretary of the British Legation in Japan under Minister Plenipotentiary (later Sir) Rutherford Alcock. He arrived in Japan as a member of the entourage of Lord Elgin after visiting China, but on the evening of 5 July a night-time attack was made on the legation by xenophobic ronin. His pistols having been locked in their travelling box, Oliphant rushed out with a hunting whip, and was attacked by a Japanese with a heavy two-handed sword. A beam, invisible in the darkness, interfered with the blows, but Oliphant was severely wounded and sent on board ship to recover. He had to return to England after a visit to Tsushima Island, where he discovered a Russian force occupying a secluded bay and obtained its withdrawal. Oliphant returned to England, resigned from the Diplomatic Service and was elected to Parliament in 1865 for Stirling Burghs. While he did not show any conspicuous parliamentary ability, he was made a great success by his novel Piccadilly (1870). He then fell under the influence of the spiritualist prophet Thomas Lake Harris, who in about 1861 had organised a small community, the Brotherhood of the New Life, which was settled in Brocton on Lake Erie, and subsequently moved to Santa Rosa, California. After having been refused permission to join Harris in 1867, he was eventually allowed to join his community and Oliphant left Parliament in 1868 to follow Harris to Brocton. Members of the community were allowed to return to the outside world from time to time to earn money for the community. After three years Oliphant worked as correspondent for The Times during the Franco-German War, and afterwards spent several years in Paris in the service of the paper. There he met, through his mother, his future wife, Alice le Strange. They married at St George's, Hanover Square, London, on 8 June 1872. In 1873 Oliphant went back to Brocton with his wife and mother. In 1879, Oliphant left for Palestine, where he hoped to promote Jewish agricultural settlement. Later, he saw these settlements as a means of alleviating Jewish suffering in Eastern Europe. Oliphant and his wife, Alice, settled in Palestine, dividing their time between a house in the German Colony in Haifa, and another in the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel on Mount Carmel. In 1883, Oliphant wrote Altiora Peto. In 1884, he and his wife collaborated on Sympneumata: Evolutionary Forces Now Active in Man together. The following year, Oliphant wrote a novel, Masollam. In December 1885, Oliphant's wife became ill and died on 2 January 1886. Oliphant, also stricken, was too weak to attend her funeral. He was persuaded that after death he was in much closer contact with her than when she was still alive, and believed that she inspired him to write Scientific Religion. In November 1887, Oliphant went to England to publish the book. In 1888, he traveled to the United States and married his second wife, Rosamond, a granddaughter of Robert Owen in Malvern. The couple planned to return to Haifa, but Oliphant took sick at York House, Twickenham, England, and died there on 23 December 1888.

Laurence Oliphant Edit Profile

Diplomat author traveller

Background

Laurence Oliphant was born in Cape Town, Cape Colony, the only child of Sir Anthony Oliphant (1793–1859), a member of the Scottish landed gentry and his wife Maria. At the time of his son's birth Sir Anthony was Attorney General of the Cape Colony, but he was soon appointed Chief Justice in Ceylon. Laurence spent his early childhood in Colombo, where his father purchased a home called Alcove in Captains Gardens, subsequently known as Maha Nuge Gardens.

Career

Between 1853 and 1861 Oliphant was secretary to Lord Elgin during the negotiation of the Canada Reciprocity Treaty in Washington, and companion to the Duke of Newcastle on a visit to the Circassian coast during the Crimean War.

In 1861 Oliphant was appointed First Secretary of the British Legation in Japan under Minister Plenipotentiary (later Sir) Rutherford Alcock. He arrived in Japan as a member of the entourage of Lord Elgin after visiting China, but on the evening of 5 July a night-time attack was made on the legation by xenophobic ronin. His pistols having been locked in their travelling box, Oliphant rushed out with a hunting whip, and was attacked by a Japanese with a heavy two-handed sword. A beam, invisible in the darkness, interfered with the blows, but Oliphant was severely wounded and sent on board ship to recover. He had to return to England after a visit to Tsushima Island, where he discovered a Russian force occupying a secluded bay and obtained its withdrawal.

Oliphant returned to England, resigned from the Diplomatic Service and was elected to Parliament in 1865 for Stirling Burghs. While he did not show any conspicuous parliamentary ability, he was made a great success by his novel Piccadilly (1870). He then fell under the influence of the spiritualist prophet Thomas Lake Harris, who in about 1861 had organised a small community, the Brotherhood of the New Life, which was settled in Brocton on Lake Erie, and subsequently moved to Santa Rosa, California.

After having been refused permission to join Harris in 1867, he was eventually allowed to join his community and Oliphant left Parliament in 1868 to follow Harris to Brocton. Members of the community were allowed to return to the outside world from time to time to earn money for the community. After three years Oliphant worked as correspondent for The Times during the Franco-German War, and afterwards spent several years in Paris in the service of the paper. There he met, through his mother, his future wife, Alice le Strange. They married at St George's, Hanover Square, London, on 8 June 1872. In 1873 Oliphant went back to Brocton with his wife and mother.

In 1879, Oliphant left for Palestine, where he hoped to promote Jewish agricultural settlement. Later, he saw these settlements as a means of alleviating Jewish suffering in Eastern Europe. Oliphant and his wife, Alice, settled in Palestine, dividing their time between a house in the German Colony in Haifa, and another in the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel on Mount Carmel.

In 1883, Oliphant wrote Altiora Peto. In 1884, he and his wife collaborated on Sympneumata: Evolutionary Forces Now Active in Man together. The following year, Oliphant wrote a novel, Masollam.

In December 1885, Oliphant's wife became ill and died on 2 January 1886. Oliphant, also stricken, was too weak to attend her funeral. He was persuaded that after death he was in much closer contact with her than when she was still alive, and believed that she inspired him to write Scientific Religion. In November 1887, Oliphant went to England to publish the book.

In 1888, he traveled to the United States and married his second wife, Rosamond, a granddaughter of Robert Owen in Malvern. The couple planned to return to Haifa, but Oliphant took sick at York House, Twickenham, England, and died there on 23 December 1888.

Works

Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography

The Trans-Caucasian Campaign of the Turkish Army Under Omer Pasha: A Personal Narrative The Trans-Caucasian Campaign of the Turkish Army Under Omer Pasha: A Personal Narrative

Haifa; or, Life in modern Palestine Haifa; or, Life in modern Palestine

The Land of Gilead, with Excursions in the Lebanon The Land of Gilead, with Excursions in the Lebanon

Russian Shores of the Black Sea (Konemann Classics) Russian Shores of the Black Sea (Konemann Classics)

book
- The Trans-Caucasian Campaign of the Turkish Army Under Omer Pasha: A Personal Narrative
  (This is a reproduction of a classic text optimised for ki...)
- Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography
- Haifa; or, Life in modern Palestine
- The Land of Gilead, with Excursions in the Lebanon
- Russian Shores of the Black Sea (Konemann Classics)

Personality

Physical Characteristics: Night-time attack on the legation left him with permanent damage to one of his hands.

Connections

Father:: Anthony Oliphant
Spouse:: Alice le Strange
Spouse:: Rosamond

References

The Life of LAurence Oliphant
The Double Life of Laurence Oliphant: Victorian Pilgrim and Prophet Laurence Oliphant lived one of the most remarkable lives of the Victorian era, dedicated to making a real difference for his fellow man–sometimes in very unconventional ways. At the age of 38, Laurence Oliphant, a successful Victorian writer, diplomat and Member of Parliament gave up his glittering career to join an American cult for a life of hard physical labor and sexual mysticism. Then, in his 50’s, Oliphant along with his beautiful wife Alice le Strange spent their final years working to save refugees by establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Oliphant’s obituary in The Times said of him, "Seldom has there been a more romantic or amply filled career; never, perhaps, a stranger or more apparently contradictory personality."

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