🏉🎩0️⃣0️⃣5️⃣ George H. Jackson
George H. Jackson, who served as U.S. Consul at La Rochelle and Cognac.
Meet George H. Jackson, the U.S. consul who helped lay La Rochelle’s rugby foundations in the early twentieth century.
Born 1863 in Natick, Massachusetts, Jackson obtained an advanced degree in theology and a medical doctorate from Yale University, then served as a medical missionary in Congo Free State before he entered the U.S. Consular Service in 1897. From 1898 until 1914, he served in western France, one of the era’s rare African American consuls in Europe, where he used rugby to become an integral part of the Rochellais community. In 1902, Jackson was appointed to the technical committee at Stade Rochelais, the local rugby club founded six years earlier; from 1904 until 1911, he served as club president.
The Context
As noted with Jackson’s contemporary, William H. Hunt, rugby in the early twentieth century was viewed as a modern gentleman’s game. No matter how rough, it helped form strong citizens for the nation (and empire), a reflection of the era’s high regard of “Muscular Christianity.” Moreover, thanks to its association with England (where the sport originated), rugby was esteemed by French opinion-makers and elites who favorably viewed Great Britain.
It’s unclear whether Jackson himself was a standout rugby player, but he knew how to lead the club. The consul helped establish the team’s first practice field and raised funds to ensure the team’s sustainability. Moreover, he recruited British players to help develop Stade Rochelais' skills, which paid off in building the team’s title-winning accolades.
But according to Jean-Michel Blaizeau, club historian for Stade Rochelais, Jackson had a more personal reason that drove his rugby contributions. The consul’s son, Donald, was an avid rugbyman, and Jackson hoped the sport would help his son’s integration into the Rochelais community. Listen to more about Jackson, his son, and the family’s life in France here.
The Sports Diplomacy Connection
Jackson’s rugby work is an example of what today is recognized as informal sports diplomacy: the cultural, technical, and knowledge exchanges fostered through people-to-people interactions. Although Jackson was an official representative of the United States, his rugby work was separate from his government service (there was no official U.S. Government policy on sports diplomacy at the time). Yet, through his personal interactions on and around Stade Rochelais, Jackson—and his son—naturally helped to impart U.S. cultural attitudes while working to further the game.
Mapping the Connection
From Natick, Massachusetts to La Rochelle, France
Further Reading:
[E] HistoryatState Tumblr, “Happy Birthday George H. Jackson,” Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, February 2015
[F] Léo Schmitt, “Une tribune historique,” Sud Ouest, August 26, 2014
[F] “Les Présidents," Stade Rochelais.